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E.C. Beck Collection of Michigan Songs

Earl Clifton "E.C." or "Doc" Beck began his lifelong study of northern Michigan lumberjacks in the 1930s. He collected their songs, stories, and dances through the 1940s, urging the 70- and 80 year-old former lumber workers to let him collect and publish the material before it disappeared. Doc, who was honored with a Michigan Heritage Award, taught English and folklore at Central Michigan University, where he also chaired the English department. He died in 1977 at the age of 85.

Beck's collection of materials includes examples of field notes, photographs, transcriptions, and reel-to-reel interview with Beck by Dr. Ellen Stekert. This collection was originally housed at the Wayne State University Folklore Archive and was transferred to Michigan State University Museum in 2001.

Donors and Fieldworkers

Wayne State University Folklore Archives E.C. Beck, Ellen Stekert

Publications

E. C. Beck. Songs of the Michigan Lumberjacks. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1942.

E. C. Beck. Lore of the Lumber Camps. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1948.

E. C. Beck. They Knew Paul Bunyan. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1956.

Kozma, LuAnne Gaykowski. "E.C. Beck: Collector of Michigan Lumberjack Lore" in 1991 Festival of Michigan Folklife, edited by Yvonne R. Lockwood and Marsha MacDowell, East Lansing, Mich.: MSU Museum, pp. 30-34.