7.38 Linear feet (14 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 manuscript folder, 47 floppy disks, and 9 audio cassettes.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1904-2001
bulk 1955-2001
Summary:
Grover Sanders Krantz was a professor of physical anthropology at Washington State University and was considered a leading authority in hominoid evolution and primate bone structure, specializing in the reconstruction and casting of hominid fossils. Materials include articles, bibliographies, card files, clippings, correspondence, diplomas, computer disks, legal documents, manuscripts, maps, notebooks, notes, programs, school records, sketches, telegrams, transparencies and typescripts.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains the personal papers of Dr. Grover S. Krantz and documents his research in physical anthropology as well as his 30-year teaching career. The collection also contains materials on Krantz's activities in the field of cryptozoology, especially his investigations of Sasquatch. Materials include his writings, correspondence, notes, sketches, newspaper clippings, sound recordings, photographs, and electronic records. Some materials in the collection are written in code and noospel, a phonetic spelling system he had developed.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into 9 series: (1) Correspondence, 1964, 1974-2001; (2) Writings, 1955-2001; (3) Research, 1959-2001; (4) Professional Activities, 1958-2001; (5) Sasquatch, 1963-2001; (6) Teaching, 1957-2001; (7) Biographical and Personal Files, 1904-1911, 1931, 1952-2002; (8) Sound Recordings, 1988-1997, undated; (9) Electronic Records, 1987-2001
Biographical Note:
Grover Sanders Krantz was born on November 5, 1931, to Swedish immigrants in Salt Lake City, Utah, and spent his childhood in Salt Lake City and Rockford, Illinois. His undergraduate studies began at the University of Utah in 1949 but were postponed in 1951 by 18 months of service in the United States Air Force. After being honorably discharged, Krantz attended the University of California, Berkeley, and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Anthropology. In 1970, he earned his doctorate in physical anthropology from the University of Minnesota.
From 1968-1998, Krantz served as a professor of physical anthropology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. He was considered a leading authority in hominoid evolution and an expert on primate bone structure, specializing in the reconstruction and casting of hominid fossils. Among his numerous publications are the books Climatic Races and Descent Groups, The Process of Human Evolution, and Geographical Development of European Languages. Publicly known for his interest in cryptozoology, Krantz was one of the first established researchers to pursue the question of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, from a scientific approach. Other research interests included the origin of language and speech, sex identification of skeletons, and early human immigration into America.
After a battle with pancreatic cancer, Krantz passed away on February 14, 2002. At his request, his remains were sent to the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, where scientists performed skeletal research of great forensic value. His bones were processed and sent to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History to be used in an educational capacity. In 2010, Grover Krantz's skeleton and that of his Irish Wolfhound Clyde were mounted in the museum's exhibit, "Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake."
Sources Consulted
"Dr. Grover Krantz." Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Accessed September 30, 2011. http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/grover_krantz.html
"Grover S. Krantz, 70, Port Angeles, Wash." Lewiston Morning Tribune (Lewiston, ID), February 16, 2002.
Krantz, Grover. "Curriculum Vitae."
Ruane, Michael E. "Natural History Museum Grants Professor's Dying Wish: A Display of his Skeleton." Washington Post, August 11, 2012. Accessed April 12, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041003357.html.
"Sasquatch expert Grover Krantz dies at age 70." Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), February 19, 2002.
Chronology
1931 -- Born November 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Carl Victor Emmanuel Krantz and Esther Maria (Sanders) Krantz
1949 -- Begins undergraduate studies at University of Utah
1951-1952 -- Serves in the United States Air Force at Clovis, New Mexico, as a desert survival instructor
1953 -- Marries Patricia Howland Transfers from University of Utah to University of California, Berkeley
1955 -- Receives B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley
1958 -- Receives M.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley
1959 -- Marries Joan Brandson
1960-1966 -- Works as Museum Technician, R.H. Lowie Museum of Anthropology, UC Berkeley
1964 -- Marries Evelyn Einstein
1966-1968 -- Works as Visiting Lecturer, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
1968 -- Begins work as Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department, Washington State University
1971 -- Receives Ph.D. in Anthropology from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, with the publication of his dissertation "The Origin of Man"
1972 -- Promoted to Associate Professor in the Anthropology Department, Washington State University
1973 -- Starts serving on Editorial Board, Northwest Anthropological Research Notes
1979 -- Starts serving on Editorial Board, Evolutionary Theory
1982 -- Serves as founding member and member of the Board of Directors for the International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC) Marries Diane Horton
1984 -- Due to high scores on the Miller Analogy Test, is accepted into Intertel, an organization that accepts only individuals who have scored at or above the 99th percentile on a standardized IQ test
1987 -- Appears in well-publicized creationism vs. evolution debate with Duane Gish, Washington State University
1988 -- Organizes and chairs Early Man symposium at the American Anthropological Association meeting in D.C.
1994 -- Offered Full Professor title within the Anthropology Department, Washington State University
1998 -- Publishes Only a Dog, a story about the relationship between Krantz and his first Irish Wolfhound Clyde Retires from Washington State University
1999 -- Appears in the documentary "Sasquatch Odyssey"
2002 -- Dies February 14 of pancreatic cancer His remains are processed at the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility His bones and bones of his Irish Wolfhounds are donated to the Smithsonian Institution for educational purposes
2010-2013 -- His mounted bones and bones of his Irish Wolfhound, Clyde, appear in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History exhibit "Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake"
Separated Materials:
Film and video, including copies of the Patterson-Gimlin film, have been transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives (HSFA accession 2003-04).
Grover S. Krantz's specimens were donated to the National Museum of Natural History's Physical Anthropology Collections.
Provenance:
These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Grover Krantz's wife Diane Horton and his brother Victor Krantz, a former Smithsonian photographer.
Restrictions:
Materials that include student grades are restricted until 2081. Nude photographs of Grover were restricted until 2017. Electronic records are restricted due to preservation concerns.
Access to the Grover Sanders Krantz papers requires an appointment.
