Chester Reeds papers

Chester Albert Reeds (1882-1968) was a geologist and museum curator. Born on July 20, 1882 in La Cygne, Kansas, Reeds spent various parts of his childhood moving around the Midwestern United States. He later went to the University of Oklahoma, majoring in geology and playing on the football team. Reeds received his degree in 1907, then went on to Yale for his Master’s (1907) and Doctorate (1910). After teaching at Bryn Mawr, he proceeded to his post at the American Museum of Natural History; officially employed as of August 1, 1912, he remained at the Museum until his retirement on April 15, 1938.

Reeds’s fields of investigation were geology and invertebrate paleontology. He was hired as the Assistant Curator of the Department of Geology and Invertebrate Paleontology, became Associate Curator as of January 1, 1918 (appointed 12/19/1917), and eventually became Curator on January 3, 1927. Reeds also served as the editor for Division I of the AMNH Publication Committee, and in this capacity he oversaw publications when they involved geology and paleontology. Reeds passed away in Ghent, New York, at the age of 86 on October 4, 1968.

HISTORICAL NOTE The papers in this collection primarily deal with Chester A. Reeds’s editorial work pertaining to one particular issue of Natural History magazine that ran in September-October 1926. Prior to the magazine’s founding, scientific bulletins were released containing research and findings; the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History began in 1881. The Museum eventually sought to publish its findings for a wider audience, which led to the development of a popular magazine. (1) Its initial mission, as outlined in its first issue (April 1900), was to

“give the museum news in popular and interesting form, as a medium for the prompt acknowledgement of gifts and for making widely known our needs…In brief, the Journal will keep members informed of all that is going on, and we trust will widen the circle of interest in this noble institution for the education of the people and the diffusion of natural sciences.” (2)

Founded in 1900-01 by the American Museum of Natural History, Natural History ran as the American Museum Journal through 1918, becoming Natural History in 1919. Throughout its 114-year history, Natural History has featured many of the brightest minds in the field as authors, and the September-October 1926 edition, published during the post-Bone Wars era of paleontology, sought to promote the mystique of paleontology to its readers; indeed, this particular issue, to which this collection is directly related, was titled The Romance of Fossil Hunting. Natural History is currently operated by Howard Richman after being purchased by a company headed by Charles Harris in 2002. (3) Natural History does retain an affiliation with AMNH to this day, although the museum is no longer responsible for its publication. The magazine’s mission today is “to promote understanding and appreciation of the world around us.” (4)

1. The Bulletin never stopped running. It still updates to this day. 2. American Museum Journal, April 1900. 3. Wikipedia. 4. Natural History’s website.