EUGENE–The life and writings of the late Ernest Haycox, consummate Western author whose "Stagecoach" became a Hollywood movie classic, are the subject of a new exhibition opening Jan. 31 in the Knight Library at the University of Oregon.

"Under Western Skies: Ernest Haycox and the West in Fiction and Film" will continue throughout February in the Circulation Lobby and main corridors on the first floor of the library, 1501 Kincaid St. Parts of the exhibit, which ends March 31, will move to display cases in Special Collections on the second floor during March.

A number of Haycox’s short stories such as "Union Pacific" were the basis for famous Hollywood Westerns.

Sponsored by the Knight Library, the UO English and history departments and the Oregon Humanities Center, the exhibit will be available for viewing during the library’s usual operating hours during academic terms of 8 a.m.—midnight Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.—7 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.—7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.—midnight Sunday.

Marking the exhibit opening will be a free public program at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 31, in the Knight Library’s Browsing Room.

Forest Pyle, a UO associate professor of English, will talk about the movie "Stagecoach" that was based on a Haycox short story and about Haycox in the context of the Western fiction genre. Then, Ernest Haycox Jr. will share his recollections about his father.

A catered reception will follow in the Special Collections reading room on the second floor of Knight Library.

A 1923 graduate of the University of Oregon, Haycox was born in Portland in 1899 and died in 1950. He was a prolific author who wrote 24 novels and more than 200 short stories. His first stories appeared in pulp magazines in the early 1920s. A decade later, he was a regular contributor to many of the national literary magazines including Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post.

"Stagecoach," the 1939 film directed by John Ford that launched John Wayne into movie stardom, was based on Haycox’s short story, "Stage to Lordsburg." Another movie about the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, "Union Pacific," starring Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, was based on the Haycox novel, "Trouble Shooter."

"Haycox is best known as an incomparable spinner of authentic Western yarns set in noisy cattle towns, army outposts and dusty prairie farms," says Linda Long, exhibit organizer and manuscripts librarian. "His heroes are U.S. marshals, ranchers, farmers and pioneer women."

The exhibit will feature some of Haycox’s short stories and novels in various stages of creation, as edited manuscripts and as published periodicals or books. It also will display colorful cover illustrations, photographs, rare books from his personal library and other documents.

Of special interest are the original screenplay to "Stagecoach," inscribed to Haycox by director John Ford, and a rare photographic panorama of 1880 Portland by the Western photographer Albert Wulzen. This six-foot long panorama, consisting of six panels, is an example of the many rare books and other objects found in Haycox’s personal library.

The Ernest Haycox Papers and his extensive personal library–gifts of his widow, Jill Haycox–are a part of the holdings in the Division of Special Collections and University Archives in the Knight Library.

"His personal library, consisting of 2,000 books and periodicals dealing with the early West, attests to Haycox’s insistence on historical accuracy in his fiction," Long says. "This trait is a hallmark of his Western fiction and set him apart from many other writers of Western fiction."

An essay by Haycox on "American Character"–based on a talk he gave to the Eugene Chamber of Commerce in 1943–is in the current Winter 2000 issue of Northwest Review, the award-winning literary journal published at the University of Oregon. Copies will be available at the Jan. 31 exhibit opening and at bookstores nationwide.

A limited-edition poster, designed by University Publications, will feature artwork from the covers of many of Haycox’s novels. This free exhibit keepsake will be available while supplies last.

An online version of the exhibit will be linked to the Special Collections exhibits web page at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/exhibits.html in time for the Jan. 31 exhibit opening. This "virtual" exhibit will be available indefinitely to interested viewers worldwide.

For more information about the Haycox exhibit or about the Jan. 31 opening event, call Linda Long, (541) 346-1906.

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