Ray H. Mattison Collection

Ray Harold Mattison was born on September 15, 1903 near Belgrade, Nebraska. In 1910, the Mattison relocated to a farm by Albion, in Boone County Nebraska, where Mattison remained until he attended Wayne State College. After earning a teaching certificate, and a BA in education, Mattison completed an MA in history, and even participated in doctorate coursework.

After his schooling, Mattison joined the Bureau of Reclamation in 1940, and worked as a tour guide at Boulder Dam. However, Mattison spent the majority of his career in the U.S. National Park Service. He worked in several U.S. National Park Service sites, and also served as a historian in Omaha for the Park Service for fifteen years. Mattison's articles were mostly published in historical journals originating from the Midwest. Then, in 1965, Mattison served as the Superintendent of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. But because of political issues with the governor of North Dakota, Mattison retired to Tucson, Arizona in 1969. Mattison died on October 6, 1980 in Arizona.