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History of Geography Specialty Group
of the Association of American Geographers
Department Histories

The History of Geography Specialty Group, a constituent body of the Association of American Geographers, strives to promote research and the exchange of information pertaining to the history of geography and advance scholarship that contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the discipline.

These Department Histories have been collected by Malcolm L. Comeaux with assistance from Jan Monk and financial support from the AAG Retired Geographers Organization.

NAME TITLE AUTHOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Arizona Geography and Regional Development at the University of Arizona: A History Leland R. Pederson January 2002 (edited September 2007), http://geog.arizona.edu/
Arizona State One Hundred and One Years of Geography at Arizona State University Malcolm L. Comeaux Department of Geography, Publication Series No. 2, Arizona State University
Arkansas A History of the Department of Geography – University of Arkansas Fiona M. Davidson, O. Orland Maxfield, and Thomas O. Graff Southwestern Geographer. 2002. Vol. 6, pp. 87-95.
Berkeley Drifting into Geography in the Twenties John Leighly Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 4-9.
Berkeley The Later Sauer Years James J. Parsons Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 9-15.
British-Columbia Geography at the University of British Columbia J. Lewis Robinson Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1991. Vol. 53, pp. 199-216.
California Berkeley and LA Geography in the University of California (Berkeley and Los Angeles) 1868-1941 Gary S. Dunbar The History of Geography: Collected Essays. 1996. DeVorss & Company, Marina del Rey, CA 90291
California Chico Passing the Mantle: The California State University, CHICO Geography Department Bruce E. Bechtol The California Geographer, California Geographical Society. Vol. XXXI, 1991.
Central Washington Geography at Central Washington University Martin R. Kaatz Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52, pp. 178-190.
Chicago Geography at Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s Chauncy D. Harris Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 21-32.
Chicago Urban Geography and Chicago in Retrospect Harold M. Mayer Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 114-118.
Chicago Rollin Salisbury and the Establishment of Geography at the University of Chicago William D. Pattison From Brian W. Blout (ed.), The Origins of Academic Geography in the United States. Archon Books, Hamden, CT, 1981, pp. 151-163.
Cincinnati Seventy-Five Years of Geography at the University of Cincinnati Bruce Ryan The University of Cincinnati, Department of Geography. 1983.
Cincinnati Marking One Hundred Years of Geography at the University of Cincinnati: An Editorial Introduction Roger M. Selya Geography Research Forum. Vol. 27.2007: 1-9
Cincinnati Economic Geography at the University of Cincinnati, 1920-2006 Howard A. Stafford Geography Research Forum. Vol. 27. 2007: 94-110.
Clark Geography at Clark: The First Fifty Years, 1921-1971 William A. Koelsch Harmon, John E. and Timothy J. Rickard, eds. Geography in New England. New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society, 1988.
Clark - Atwood Wallace Atwood’s “Great Geographical Institute” William A. Koelsch Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Vol. 70 (4): 567-582. December 1980.
Clark - Stanleyhall G. Stanley Hall, Child Study, and the Teaching of Geography William A. Koelsch Journal of Geography. 2002. 101: 3-9.
Clark The Women Were Always Welcome at Clark Janice Monk Economic Geography—AAG Special Issue. p.14-30.
Clark Clark in the Early 1940s Merle C. Prunty
Clark Three Months in the Field: September 12 to December 12, 1934 Walter W. Ristow History of Geography Newsletter, Number 3. December 1983
Colorado Milestones: Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder A. David Hill (incomplete draft) 3/26/05
Columbia An Early Frost: Geography in Teachers College, Columbia and Columbia University, 1896-1942 K. De Bres © 1989 The Royal Geographical Society
Columbia Lost in the Shadows: The History of the Columbia University Geography Department Michael Porter Fall, 2002
Dartmouth One View of Geography at Dartmouth College Robert E. Simpson and Robert E. Huke Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 10-24.
Delaware Seventy-Five Years of Geography at The University of Delaware John R. Mather
East Carolina "Map This!" A History of the Geography Department at East Carolina University Ronald L. Mitchelson Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 268-287.
Eastern Washington Geography at Eastern Washington University Charles W. Booth and Dale F. Stradling Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1992. Vol. 54, pp. 111-120.
Florida Geography at the University of Florida After Fifty Years
Florida State A Short History of Florida State University's Department of Geography Morton D. Winsberg Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 291-306.
Framingham State Applied Geography at Framingham State College: The Example of Business Location Arthur V. Goyette Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 138-140.
Ohio Ohio Geography in the One Hundred Years of The Ohio Academy of Science Thomas D. Anderson and Stephen S. Chang Ohio Journal of Science
Georgia Early Days at Georgia Fraser Hart Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 218-225.
Georgia Merle C. Prunty on the Origins and Early Philosophic Base of the Department of Geography at the University of Georgia Merle C. Prunty Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 288-290.
Georgia State A Brief Memoir of the Geography Department at Georgia State University in Atlanta Sanford H. Bederman Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 151-165.
Harvard Before the Revolution: Edward Ullman & The Crisis of Geography at Harvard, 1949-1950 Thomas F. Glick Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 49-62.
Harvard "Academic War Over the Field of Geography": The Elimination of Geography at Harvard, 1947-1951 Neil Smith Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 1987. vol 77 (2): 155-172.
Humbolt State A Brief History of the Geography Department North Coast Geographer Alumni Newsletter, Humboldt State University Geography Department. Winter 2001-2002. Judy Walton (ed.).
Illinois Geography at Illinois: The Discipline and the Department, 1867-1974. Jerome D. Fellmann Department of Geography, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 1974.
Illinois State The First Thirteen Decades: Geography & Geology at Illinois State University Paul F. Mattingly Published by: Department of Geography-Geology, Illinois State University. 1992
Illinois State Teaching Methods, the Herbartian Revolution and Douglas Clay Ridgley at Illinois State Normal University E. Joan (Wilson) Miller Journal of Geography. 2003. 102: 110-120.
Illinois State Outline for History of the Department of Geography: Illinois State Normal University Douglas C. Ridgley and Mary E. Robb 1918
Iowa History of the Department of Geography, University of Iowa James Lindberg August, 2006
Johns Hopkins Pioneer: The First American Doctorate in Meteorology William A. Koelsch Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 1981. Vol. 62 (3): pp.362-367.
Kansas Department History Special Thanks to Professors James Shortridge and Walter Kollmorgen
Kansas State A History of Geography at Kansas State University Huber Self Published - January 1983; Revised - January 1987
Kansas State Geography at Kansas State University Charles E. Bussing, David E. Kromm, and Stephen L. Stover Kansas State University. Manhatten, Kansas. 2007.
Kentucky Sixty Years of Geography at the University of Kentucky, 1944-2004 P. P. Karan and Stanley D. Brunn Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 166-172.
Louisiana State Louisiana State University Geography at Seventy-Five: "Berkeley on the Bayou" and Beyond Kent Mathewson and Vincent J. Shoemaker Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 245-267.
Madison and Chicago Madison and Chicago: Geography at Wisconsin Glenn T. Trewartha Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 16-21.
Maine Farmington Geography at a Northern Outpost: The College at Farmington, Maine. Graduates Leave Their Stamp on the World Paul B. Frederic Occasional Publications in Geography: University of Maine at Farmington. Published for the joint meeting of the New England-St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society and the Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers, 1999.
Maine Farmington Applied Geography at the University of Maine-Farmington and the University of Southern Maine Paul B. Frederic, Robert J. French, and Franklin D. Hodges Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 136-137.
Massachussetts Brief History of the Geography Faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Richard Wilkie June 6, 2006
Midwest The Midwest as a Hearth Area in American Academic Geography Dean S. Rugg The Origins of Academic Geography in the United States. 1981. Brian W. Blout (ed.). Archon Books: Hamden, CT. pp. 175-191.
Mississippi State The Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University: A Brief History Klaus J. Meyer-Arendt September 1993
Missouri Log of the Scholar's Ship Geography: Voyages at the University of Missouri-Columbia, 1843-2000. Walter A. Schroeder Address delivered at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Dept. of Geography, University of Missouri-Columbia, Sept. 23, 2000.
Montana State Geography at Montana State University Milton J. Edie Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52: 218-228.
Mount Holyoke Geography at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary and College, 1837-1984 Peter M. Enggass Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 25-29.
Nebraska Geography at the University of Nebraska (a) Leslie Hewes Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Geographical Journal. 1983. Vol. 11, pp. 10-18.
New Hampshire A History of Geography at the University of New Hampshire 1868-1994 William H. Wallace September 1994
North Texas A History of Geography at the University of North Texas Donald Lyons and Bill Forbes Southwestern Geographer. 2004. Vol. 8, pp. 143-163.
Northern Arizona History of Geography, Planning, and Recreation Department (Focus on Geography & Planning)
Northwestern The Formation of an Independent Department of Geography at Northwestern University: A Chapter in the Growth of American Geography Following World War II Martin S. Kenzer History of Geography Newsletter, Number 3. December 1983
Oklahoma A Slightly Varnished History of the Department of Geography at the University of Oklahoma Bret Wallach Southwestern Geographer. 1999. Vol. 3, pp. 59-82.
Oklahoma State A History of Geography at Oklahoma State University Alyson L. Greiner Southwestern Geographer. 2003. Vol. 7, pp. 77-112.
Oregon Geography at the University of Oregon Edward T. Price Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52, pp. 140-152.
Oregon State Geography at Oregon State University J. Granville Jensen Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52, pp. 153-164.
Pacific Northwest Geography Departments in the Pacific Northwest Edward T. Price Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1996. Vol. 58, pp. 158-177.
Penn State Chapter 5: The Department of Geography E. Willard Miller The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State. 1992. The Pennsylvania State University Press. pp. 133-160.
Penn State Geography and Mineral Economics at Penn State Raymond E. Murphy Mineral Industries newsletter. March, 1932. Division of Mineral Industries Extension, The Pennsylvania State College. No. 6, p. 1.
Portland State Geography at Portland State University Clarke Brooke Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1994. Vol. 56, pp. 119-136.
Rhode Island Geography and Marine Affairs at The University of Rhode Island Niels West Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 124-127.
Rutgers Fifty Years of Geography at Rutgers 1949-1999 James Kenneth Mitchell
Salem Distinctly Professional: The Development of Geography at Salem State College Mildred Berman New England - St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society
Salem State Memoir of Sumner Webster Cushing Ellsworth hers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52, 191-207.
Slippery Rock The Evolution of Geography at Slippery Rock University Thomas Hannon, James Hathaway, and James Hughes December 6, 2003
South Carolina Two Centuries of Geography at the University of South Carolina Allen D. Bushong Southeast Divison of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 173-187.
South Dakota State Brief History of Geography at South Dakota State University Edward Patrick Hogan, Roger K. Sandness, and Charles F. Gritzner
South Prunty Geography in the South Merle C. Prunty Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 53-58.
Southern California USC Geography Department History
Southern Illinois A Short History of Geography at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 1868-1967 Robert A. Harper 2005
Southern Oregon Geography at Southern Oregon State College Claude W. Curran Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1991. Vol. 53, pp. 229-238.
Southwest Texas State SWT Geography: From the Texas Hill Country to International Recognition Fred M. Shelley, Lydia Lorraine Bean, and Stephanie J. Shaw Southwestern Geographer. 2001. Vol. 5, pp. 81-117.
Tennessee Geography at the University of Tennessee: 1794-2003 Sidney R. Jumper Southeast Division of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 226-244.
Texas A&M Berkeley-on-the-Brazos and Other Pipe Dreams: History of the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University Clarissa Kimber and Peter J. Hugill Southwestern Geographer. 2000. Vol. 4, pp. 94-120.
Texas Austin Geography at the University of Texas at Austin: A Departmental History Gregory Knapp Southwestern Geographer. 1998. Vol. 2, pp. 95-122.
UC Santa Barbara The Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara: History, Curriculum, and Pedagogy Keith C. Clarke and Susanna R. Baumgart Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 2004. Vol. 66, pp. 95-113.
UNC Chapel Hill Geography at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill John Douglas Eyre Southeast Division of the Association of American Geographers, pp. 198-217.
UNC Greensboro Geography at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro: Historical Evolution, 1940-2004 Keith G. Debbage and D. Gordon Bennett Southeast Division of the Association of American Geographers
University of North Dakota Geography Ralph C. Brown Published on the Occasion of the Centennial of The University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. 1983.
Victoria Geography at the University of Victoria Michael C. R. Edgell, Colin J. B. Wood, W. R. Derrick Sewell, and Charles N. Forward Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52: 208-217.
Virginia Tech Geography Development at VPI and SU, First Years Dixie Ann Pemberton August 22, 2006
Washington Geography at the University of Washington Joseph Velikonja Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1994. Vol. 56: 137-167.
Washington Playing with Ideas William L. Garrison Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 118-120.
West Florida West Florida    
Western & Southern Western and Southern Frontiers: A Geographer West of the Sierra Nevada J. E. Spencer Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 69 (1), Special Issue: Seventy-Five Years of American Geography. (Mar., 1979), pp. 46-52.
West Texas A&M Geography at West Texas A&M University: The Evolution of a Stand-Alone Program, 1910-2005 Scott C. Roper August 1, 2005
Western Oregon Geography at Western Oregon State College Wayne Rodgers White and Geoffrey Trionfante Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1991. Vol. 53: 217-228.
Western Washington Geography at Western Washington University James W. Scott and Howard J. Critchfield Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook. 1990. Vol. 52: 165-177.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee History of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1885-1990 Donn K. Haglund Harold M. Mayer: Fifty Years of Professional Geography. 1990. Lutz Holzer and Jeane M. Knapp (eds.). American Geographical Society Collections, Special Publications (2).
Wisconsin Geography at the Unviersity of Wisconsin-Madison Glenn T. Trewartha, et al. Madison, January, 1978
Yale Geography, Geographers, and Yale University, c. 1770-1970 Geoffrey J. Martin Geography in New England: A Special Publication of the New England / St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society. 1988. John E. Harmon and Timothy J. Rickard (eds.), pp. 2-9.
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