James Theodore (Ted) Richmond also known as "Twilight Ted" (May 26, 1890 – December 3, 1975) was an American writer, conservationist,

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

preacher, and noted librarian.

Background

Richmond was born the second of five sons of a pioneer physician, Albert and Etta Richmond in Ogallala, Nebraska.Ted Richmond's Wilderness Library. http://www.wildernesslibrary.org/ (accessed November 27, 2006). In 1894 after years of drought, the family moved to Fort Madison, Iowa. In Iowa Richmond became fascinated with outdoor life and would often travel around with migrant workers listening to their stories and preaching the Gospel. Richmond was active in the Boy Scouts of America and started many Scout troops in his travels around the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. Seeking a greater education, Richmond traveled to Chicago and attended school at the University of Chicago for a period of time.

World War I

Richmond joined the (AEF)

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

and was stationed in France during World War I. After the war, he stayed in France and spent one year attending the University of Toulouse. During that time period, he also helped establish one of the many libraries at the University.

Chicago newspaperman

After returning to the United States after World War I, Richmond worked as a newspaperman and wrote radio plays. After several years he grew disenchanted with the life of the big city and its focus on material possessions. Having spent much of his youth being involved with the Boy Scouts and his love of the outdoors, he read the story " The Shepherd of the Hills" by Harold Bell Wright and an article by Horace Kephart about camping in the Ozarks. These books greatly influenced him and he decided to give up the big city life and find himself again in the hills of the

Boston Mountains The Boston Mountains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Part of the Ozarks, the Boston Mountains are a deeply dissected plateau. The ecoregion is steeper ...

in Arkansas. Richmond migrated to Springfield, Missouri, in the Missouri Ozarks. While in Springfield, he continued his education and attended what is now known as

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

Ozark life and the Boston Mountains

In 1931, Richmond relocated to Mount Sherman, Arkansas, and homesteaded land located on the north slope, in what he called "the cove". He built a cabin which he lovingly called the "Wildcat Cabin" because of the bobcat that followed him on his journey to locate a suitable building site. Richmond immediately formed a kinship with the native Arkansans. Richmond was a worldly man in a land that saw very little of the outside world. He began several quests that were dear to his heart, doctoring and education. He began writing people describing his need for books and magazines that offered reading material of the hill folks.

Later years

Richmond married Edna Garner, Chief Deputy Clerk of the Courts of Civil Appeals of the 6th Supreme Judicial District Court of Texas at Texarkana, in 1953. They lived in Texarkana and Richmond would spend summers on Mount Sherman in Arkansas tending to his Wilderness Library. Richmond died in a nursing home in Texarkana, Texas, at the age of 85. He is buried in a Texarkana, Texas cemetery.

References

External links

Wilderness Library web site dedicated to 'Twilight' Ted

Encyclopedia of Arkansas

University of Arkansas Archives

Newton County Historical Society

University of Arkansas Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Theodore 1890 births 1975 deaths American librarians People from Ogallala, Nebraska