Launching a New Life #382: Edward L. Munson Papers

Published May 7, 2024 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Cover of Life magazine showing a photo of the dam under construction at Fort Peck, Montana. The photo was taken by Margaret Bourke-White, November 23, 1936. Box 13, Edward L. Munson papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photo from Life magazine showing an aerial view of Wheeler, Montana, one of the six frontier towns that sprung up around Fort Peck, November 23, 1936. Box 13, Edward L. Munson papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Life magazine was first published in 1883, but it wasn’t until the mid 1930s that it became the foremost photo magazine in the U.S. The new format was the brainchild of publisher Henry Luce. He featured photographs taken at home and around the world, inviting readers to see for themselves everyday activities, great events, foreign cultures and an up-close view of celebrities and political leaders.

The new Life format launched in November 1936. The first cover featured the imposing concrete edifice which was to become the dam at Fort Peck, Montana. The dam, built as part of the Works Progress Administration, was a project included in President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Life had dispatched a photographer to cover the government’s investment of more than one hundred million dollars in Northeastern Montana.

Step back in time to see the photos in a 1936 Life magazine in the Edward L. Munson papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.

For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.