Morris Byron Jenkins was born on a ranch in the Cow Creek drainage near Lucile, Idaho on October 17, 1908, and he attended the Cow Creek School from 1915 to 1919. Jenkins was one of nine children. His father, Byron, died due to appendicitis in 1918, and his mother, Mary Anna, moved the family to Grangeville, Idaho, in 1919. When Jenkins’ mother remarried in 1920, the probate judge placed five of the children in a state-run orphanage because the home of Jenkins’ stepfather was too small. Jenkins lived at the North Idaho Children’s Home in Lewiston, Idaho, until 1921 when he was placed with the Zarnow family near Bonner, Idaho, where he remained until his graduation in 1927.
Jenkins attended one quarter of school at the Lewiston State Normal School before returning to work at fur trapping in Grangeville, Idaho. In 1929 he relocated to Cle Elum, Washington, where he worked at fur trapping in the winter and building roads in the summer. In 1930 he began work for the US Forest Service as a patrol ranger in the Easton area and returned to trapping in Idaho in the winter. In 1932 he married Sue Griner in Idaho. He continued to work for the USFS until 1943, when he started work for the Northern Pacific Land Development Company for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He retired as a District Forest Manager for Northern Pacific after thirty years.
Jenkins had two sons with Sue Griner: Adrian and Allan. After Sue died in 1981, Jenkins remained in Cle Elum, where he remarried to his second wife, Clara, in 1983. Jenkins maintained an active schedule of involvement in service and community organizations until his death on April 6, 2007.
This collection includes digitized 8mm home movies and interviews done with Jenkins by the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust.
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Interview with Morris Jenkins of Cle Elum
Jenkins Morris
Morris Jenkins is interviewed in his home by Dan Chasen on February 12th, 1992. Three Beta tapes digitized and compiled into one file here. Biographical Note:
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Morris Jenkins Explores Old Indian Trails at 84 Years of Age
Morris Jenkins
Morris Jenkins Explores Old Indian Trails at 84 Years of Age
July 3rd 1992
First part: Roaring Creek, Lost Lake, old indian camps, beginning the climb up the old Indian trail. There are natural sounds along the way.
Morris Jenkins talks about the old Indian trails in the Cascades- about some of the fur trappers.
Video digitized from three beta tapes and color corrected.
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Crest Trail Tour 1966
Morris Jenkins
Home Movies taken by Morris Jenkins of a crest trail tour in 1966.
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Logger's Festival Show 1964
Morris Jenkins
Home movie footage of a logger's Festival near Cle Elum, Washington in 1964
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Logger's festival Show, reel 2 1964
Morris Jenkins
Home Movie footage of a logger's Festival near Cle Elum Washington from 1964.
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Ellensburg Rodeo Parade
Morris Jenkins
Home movie footage taken by Morris Jenkins of the Ellensburg Rodeo Parade believed to be from 1962.
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Cooper Pass, Start River Race 1961
Morris Jenkins
Home movies taken by Morris Jenkins circa 1961. Includes cooper pass and the start of a river race.
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Labor Day 1961
Morris Jenkins
Home movies from 8mm film of a Labor Day Logging Festival near Cle Elum, Washington in September 1961, from the collection of Morris Jenkins.
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Logger's Festival #2
Morris Jenkins
Home movies of a logger's festival near Cle ELum Washington in 1961 includes a boat race and Axe throwing.
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Logger's Festival Events1961
Morris Jenkins
Home movies of Logger's Festival includes log rolling, labor day 1961, and goat hunting Don Nelson 1961.
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Logger's Festival Parade 1961
Morris Jenkins
Home movie footage of the Logger's Festival in Cle Elum Washington from 1961, from the Morris Jenkins collection.
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Railroad Street Fire 1961
Morris Jenkins
Home movie footage taken by Morris Jenkins of the Railroad Street Fire in Cle ELum in 1961. Also Burning Northern Pacific Railroad warehouse and tipple of number nine mine from 1965.
