Victor E. Thorsell Papers, 1908-1969

It is a small collection consisting of one box of papers, one box of photos, and one box of building trade catalogs and manuals. The papers are scattered in nature, touching on various aspects of his life but not documenting any of those activities in much detail. Perhaps the most revealing file contains the handwritten lists of library books he read (Box 1, Folder 7). His choices were eclectic. Among the more than 200 titles on the lists are the practical (The Fluorescent Lighting Manual, in 1942), the scientific (Explaining the Atom, 1948), the historical (Mr. Lincoln's Admirals, 1957), and the biographical (Malone's Jefferson the Virginian, 1948), but books on contemporary political, social, and economic issues seem to predominate: Seven Kinds of Inflation (1938), Why Meddle in Europe? (1940), The Vital Center (1950), and Two Thirds of a Nation (1953), among them. He checked out books on Sweden and on psychological and religious issues (Jung's Psychology and Religion in 1939; Fromm's Psychoanalysis and Religion in 1951). He read two books by John F. Kennedy in 1959, While England Slept and Profiles in Courage. He did not record which library the books came from, but more than likely they were from the old Carnegie library in downtown Boise. Among the photos in the collection is one of Thorsell reading (Photo 004).

Other notable items are approximately 30 photos (Real photo postcards) showing the progress of the building of Arrowrock Dam on the Boise River, which at the time was the tallest dam in the world. Thorsell worked on that project during his first years in Idaho. There are scattered papers from his local water users association, revealing occasional glimpses of the internal politics of the Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District as well as the practical concerns of his local lateral's water users association. A similar small file of papers exist on the Cole School District which served his neighborhood. There are scattered pieces of correspondence and some family newspaper clippings and photos. As he aged, Thorsell began collecting clippings about centenarians, including Anton Gordon, a Boise man who lived to be 111 years old (1848-1959).

Rounding out the collection are approximately 35 building trade catalogs and manuals from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, plus a 1922 manual for Ford cars and trucks.