Harold Schindler
Encyclopedia
Harold Moroni "Hal" Schindler (December 6, 1929 – December 28, 1998) was an American
journalist and historian, known for his articles and books on the American west. Early in his career he also scripted episodes of the television series "Death Valley Days
" and "Gunsmoke
." He is best known for his 1966 biography of 19th-century Latter-day Saint Orrin Porter Rockwell.
. Shortly afterward they moved to New York City
, until 1940 when they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah
. He married Benita (Bonnie) Nixdorf Schindler in 1956 and they had three children. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Schindler had a fifty year journalism career with the Utah daily Salt Lake Tribune. Starting as a copyboy in 1945, he rose through the ranks as a police reporter, humor writer, and spent 27 years as a television columnist. He was the editor of the Sunday Arts section and magazine. He also regularly covered Utah history and current events, producing articles in which he chronicled Utah's history leading to statehood. He used pioneer journals to create a series on the 150th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the Great Salt Lake Valley.
Schindler died of a heart attack in Salt Lake City on December 28, 1998.
, the biography has been reprinted in multiple editions to become its publisher's best-selling book ever. The book won an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History.
Schindler produced an updated edition of West From Fort Bridger, an account of Western trails predating the Mormon exodus, with Utah historian Will Bagley
. This edition revised and updated the work of the late Western historians J. Roderic Korns
and Dale Morgan
.
Schindler died while researching and writing a book on the Utah War
.
Reviews of Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist and historian, known for his articles and books on the American west. Early in his career he also scripted episodes of the television series "Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
" and "Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
." He is best known for his 1966 biography of 19th-century Latter-day Saint Orrin Porter Rockwell.
Biography
Schindler was born in Chicago, Illinois to Moroni Helaman Nephi Schindler and Carolina Margaretta Strickstrock, who were German immigrantsGerman American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
. Shortly afterward they moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, until 1940 when they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He married Benita (Bonnie) Nixdorf Schindler in 1956 and they had three children. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Schindler had a fifty year journalism career with the Utah daily Salt Lake Tribune. Starting as a copyboy in 1945, he rose through the ranks as a police reporter, humor writer, and spent 27 years as a television columnist. He was the editor of the Sunday Arts section and magazine. He also regularly covered Utah history and current events, producing articles in which he chronicled Utah's history leading to statehood. He used pioneer journals to create a series on the 150th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the Great Salt Lake Valley.
Schindler died of a heart attack in Salt Lake City on December 28, 1998.
History and publications
Schindler's biography, Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder, is considered a definitive work on the Mormon stalwart and controversial lawman. Published in 1966 by the University of Utah PressUniversity of Utah Press
The University of Utah Press is the independent publishing branch of the University of Utah and is a division of the J. Willard Marriott Library. Founded in 1949 by A. Ray Olpin, it is also the oldest university press in Utah...
, the biography has been reprinted in multiple editions to become its publisher's best-selling book ever. The book won an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History.
Schindler produced an updated edition of West From Fort Bridger, an account of Western trails predating the Mormon exodus, with Utah historian Will Bagley
Will Bagley
Will Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....
. This edition revised and updated the work of the late Western historians J. Roderic Korns
J. Roderic Korns
J Roderic "Rod" Korns was a 20th century editor, researcher and historian of the American west. He is best known for West from Fort Bridger: The Pioneering of the Immigrant Trails Across Utah 1846-1850, completed with the assistance of historiographer and author Dale L. Morgan...
and Dale Morgan
Dale Morgan
Lowell Dale Morgan , generally cited as Dale Morgan or Dale L. Morgan, was an American historian, accomplished researcher, biographer, editor, and critic. He specialized in material on Utah history, Mormon history, the American fur trade, and overland trails...
.
Schindler died while researching and writing a book on the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
.
Publications
- In Another Time: Sketches of Utah History, Utah State University Press, 1998, ISBN 0874212421, ISBN 9780874212426.
- Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder. University of Utah PressUniversity of Utah PressThe University of Utah Press is the independent publishing branch of the University of Utah and is a division of the J. Willard Marriott Library. Founded in 1949 by A. Ray Olpin, it is also the oldest university press in Utah...
, 1966: Paperback, 1993. ISBN 0-87480-440-X - Roderic Korns and Dale L. Morgan, eds., West from Fort Bridger: The Pioneering of Immigrant Trails across Utah, 1846–1850, revised and updated by Will BagleyWill BagleyWill Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....
and Harold Schindler, Logan: Utah State University Press, 1994.
External links
Reviews of Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder
- Autumn 1967 issue of BYU StudiesBYU StudiesBYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, by Thomas G. AlexanderThomas G. AlexanderThomas Glen Alexander is an American historian and academic who is professor emeritus from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he was also Lemuel Hardison Redd, Jr. Professor of Western History and director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.-Biography:Alexander was born in... - Winter 1983 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon ThoughtDialogue: A Journal of Mormon ThoughtDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is an independent quarterly journal of "Mormon thought" that addresses a wide range of issues on Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement....
, by Eugene E. CampbellEugene E. CampbellEugene Edward "Gene" Campbell was an American professor of history at Brigham Young University .-Biography:... - Summer 1984 issue of BYU StudiesBYU StudiesBYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, by Richard H. CracroftRichard H. CracroftRichard H. Cracroft is an emeritus professor of English at Brigham Young University . He held the title of Nan Osmond Grass Professor in English at that university. Cracroft has been both head of BYU's English department and dean of the College of Humanities...