Fritiof Fryxell
Encyclopedia
Fritiof M. Fryxell was an American geologist
and mountain climber
, best known for his research and writing on the Teton Range
of Wyoming
. Upon the establishment of Grand Teton National Park
in 1929, he was named the park’s first naturalist
, a position he held for six summers. He was also an accomplished biographer, publishing works on several artists and explorers of the American West.
to John and Sophie Fryxell, immigrants from Sweden
. He attended Augustana College
in nearby Rock Island
, graduating in 1922 with majors in biology and English. Fryxell earned a Master's degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
and then a Ph.D. in geology
from the University of Chicago
. His dissertation subject, mountain glaciation, took him to the West in 1924, where he fell in love with the Teton Mountains. He joined the faculty of Augustana in the fall of 1924.
, the valley in the eastern lee of the Tetons, studying the moraines
and glacial outwash from the mountains. He camped out, carrying his tent, rations, and down-filled sleeping bag with him as he traversed the valley floor. After his appointment as park naturalist in 1929, he was finally able to explore the mountains themselves. On his rare days off, he would rise as early as two o'clock in the morning to begin his ascent. Nearly always exploring alone, he climbed previously untraveled canyons, discovered hidden lakes, and summitted many of the range’s peaks for the first time.
During the academic year, Fryxell worked at developing a geology curriculum at Augustana. When he completed his doctoral studies in 1929, the college appointed him the first chair of the new Department of Geology.
Fryxell returned to Grand Teton National Park every summer through 1934. During this time he founded the park’s museum and developed an interpretive curriculum for visitors – still finding time to blaze new trails up the mountains and log new discoveries on each trip.
as geologist with the Museum Laboratories of the National Park Service
. He brought with him years of notes and diaries that he had accumulated during his stays in Wyoming, and putting his degree in English to good work produced The Tetons: Interpretations of a Mountain Landscape (1938), a classic of Western nature literature that has been reprinted many times.
Over the rest of his career, Fryxell wrote several other scholarly books about the Tetons, glaciation, and topics of geological interest. In addition, he had a passion for preserving the history of the great Western explorers and artists who had spent time in the Tetons. Among his topics were mountain climber Billy Owen, artist Thomas Moran
, photographer William Henry Jackson
, and cartographer and geologist François Matthes. He also completed five volumes of Matthes's unfinished work.
from 1939 to 1940. After the outbreak of World War II
, while in the service of the Geological Military Unit, he played a crucial role in selecting landing sites in the South Pacific as well as Africa and Europe.
in 1954 in the field of Earth Science.
Lake Fryxell
, a glacial lake near the coast of Antarctica, was named for Fritiof Fryxell by Professor T. L. Péwé during USN Operation Deep Freeze
, in 1957-58.
The Fryxell Geology Museum at Augustana College, one of the largest sources of educational materials and specimens for students of geology, was named in his honor.
in southern Sweden, but never tried to publish it. After his death The Story of John Fryxell was published by the Augustana Historical Society with an introduction by Ann Boaden.
Fryxell's wife, Regina, was an organist and music teacher with a doctorate and an education from the Juilliard School
. She was also on the faculty at Augustana College and accompanied him on his trips to Wyoming.
Fryxell's son, Roald
, was a geologist and archaeologist. One of his nephews, Paul Fryxell
, is a botanist.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and mountain climber
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, best known for his research and writing on the Teton Range
Teton Range
The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. A north-south range, it is on the Wyoming side of the state's border with Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Most of the range is in Grand Teton National Park....
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Upon the establishment of Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
in 1929, he was named the park’s first naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, a position he held for six summers. He was also an accomplished biographer, publishing works on several artists and explorers of the American West.
Early years
Fritiof Fryxell was born in Moline, IllinoisMoline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
to John and Sophie Fryxell, immigrants from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He attended Augustana College
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...
in nearby Rock Island
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
, graduating in 1922 with majors in biology and English. Fryxell earned a Master's degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and then a Ph.D. in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. His dissertation subject, mountain glaciation, took him to the West in 1924, where he fell in love with the Teton Mountains. He joined the faculty of Augustana in the fall of 1924.
Life in the Tetons
Beginning in 1926, Fryxell spent the next nine summers in and around the Teton Range, which at the time was inaccessible by train or automobile. During three summers of field work for his dissertation, Fryxell spent almost all his time in Jackson HoleJackson Hole
Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
, the valley in the eastern lee of the Tetons, studying the moraines
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
and glacial outwash from the mountains. He camped out, carrying his tent, rations, and down-filled sleeping bag with him as he traversed the valley floor. After his appointment as park naturalist in 1929, he was finally able to explore the mountains themselves. On his rare days off, he would rise as early as two o'clock in the morning to begin his ascent. Nearly always exploring alone, he climbed previously untraveled canyons, discovered hidden lakes, and summitted many of the range’s peaks for the first time.
During the academic year, Fryxell worked at developing a geology curriculum at Augustana. When he completed his doctoral studies in 1929, the college appointed him the first chair of the new Department of Geology.
Fryxell returned to Grand Teton National Park every summer through 1934. During this time he founded the park’s museum and developed an interpretive curriculum for visitors – still finding time to blaze new trails up the mountains and log new discoveries on each trip.
Writing
In 1935 Fryxell took a new summer position in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
as geologist with the Museum Laboratories of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. He brought with him years of notes and diaries that he had accumulated during his stays in Wyoming, and putting his degree in English to good work produced The Tetons: Interpretations of a Mountain Landscape (1938), a classic of Western nature literature that has been reprinted many times.
Over the rest of his career, Fryxell wrote several other scholarly books about the Tetons, glaciation, and topics of geological interest. In addition, he had a passion for preserving the history of the great Western explorers and artists who had spent time in the Tetons. Among his topics were mountain climber Billy Owen, artist Thomas Moran
Thomas Moran
Thomas Moran from Bolton, England was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains. Moran and his family took residence in New York where he obtained work as an artist...
, photographer William Henry Jackson
William Henry Jackson
William Henry Jackson was an American painter, Civil War, geological survey photographer and an explorer famous for his images of the American West...
, and cartographer and geologist François Matthes. He also completed five volumes of Matthes's unfinished work.
War service
Fritiof Fryxell served as Senior Geologist for the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from 1939 to 1940. After the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, while in the service of the Geological Military Unit, he played a crucial role in selecting landing sites in the South Pacific as well as Africa and Europe.
Honors
Fryxell was awarded a Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in 1954 in the field of Earth Science.
Lake Fryxell
Lake Fryxell
Lake Fryxell is a lake long, between Canada Glacier and Commonwealth Glaciers at the lower end of Taylor Valley in Victoria Land, Antarctica. Mapped by the British Antarctic Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott, 1910-13, the lake was visited by Professor T.L. Péwé during USN Operation Deep Freeze,...
, a glacial lake near the coast of Antarctica, was named for Fritiof Fryxell by Professor T. L. Péwé during USN Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
, in 1957-58.
The Fryxell Geology Museum at Augustana College, one of the largest sources of educational materials and specimens for students of geology, was named in his honor.
Family
Fritiof Fryxell wrote a manuscript biography of his father, an immigrant from Vättlösa Parish, near GöteneGötene
Götene is a locality and the seat of Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 4,727 inhabitants in 2005.- References :*...
in southern Sweden, but never tried to publish it. After his death The Story of John Fryxell was published by the Augustana Historical Society with an introduction by Ann Boaden.
Fryxell's wife, Regina, was an organist and music teacher with a doctorate and an education from the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. She was also on the faculty at Augustana College and accompanied him on his trips to Wyoming.
Fryxell's son, Roald
Roald H. Fryxell
Roald H. Fryxell was an American geologist and archaeologist.-Background:Roald Hilding Fryxell was the son of Fritiof Fryxell, a geologist and professor, and Regina Holmén Fryxell, an organist and music teacher, both on the faculty of Augustana College in Illinois, from which he graduated in 1956...
, was a geologist and archaeologist. One of his nephews, Paul Fryxell
Paul Fryxell
Paul A. Fryxell Paul A. Fryxell Paul A. Fryxell (born 2 February 1927, Moline, Illinois, died July 11, 2011 Claremont, California was an American botanist.He attended Moline public schools and later Augustana College, graduating with a B.A. in 1949, and Iowa State University (M.S., 1951, Ph.D., 1955)...
, is a botanist.