Ferris M. Weddle papers

Ferris Weddle was born in Ballinger, Texas, January 10, 1922. He grew up in rural Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. He entered the United States Army in 1942 and was stationed in Europe during the Second World War.

After the war he returned to Arizona and then moved to Idaho in 1947, where he attended Boise Junior College for two years. He transfered to the University of Washington and received a degree in journalism in 1953. He lived in Chicago where he was employed as a researcher for Encyclopedia Britannica for two years, 1959 - 1960.

Weddle settled in Northern Idaho where he remained for the rest of his life. He worked part time for the Idaho Fish and Game Department and the Forest Service while pursuing a career as a free-lance writer.

Weddle's writing career began at the age of sixteen when he sold his first true tale to the western pulp publication "Ranch Romances." He then concentrated on non-fiction "true western" stories that were sold to various western pulp magazines before and during his college years.

He also wrote for the juvenile market and gradually moved into writing primarily about wildlife and nature as a result of his long time interest in the outdoors. He wrote a weekly column called the "Outdoor Notebook" that appeared in the "Lewiston Tribune" and other state newspapers.

He was a regular contributor to the magazine sections of other northwest newspapers including "The Oregonian." National magazines that published his articles included "Defenders of Wildlife News""National Wildlife","Sierra Club Bulletin","Organic Gardening", and "Sports Afield". Weddle published four juvenile fiction outdoor books: "Blizzard Rescue" (1959),"Blazing Mountain" (1961),"Wilderness Renegades" (1962), and Tall like a Pine" (1974).

Weddle's main interests included gardening, sustainable living, wild foods, nature, endangered species, envionmental issues, and wilderness preservation.

Weddle was recognized as an expert in the fields of wildlife management, forestry, outdoor survival, cooking and organic gardening. He was a member of, and worked closely with numerous environmental organizations including the National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society and the Wilderness Society. He was also a photographer.

Weddle received an Award of Merit from the American Association of Conservation Information for dedication to the cause of conservation.

Ferris Weddle died in September of 1985. Source: Box one, Folder one and two of this collection