Thompson, Erwin N., 1926-1998

Erwin N. “T” Thompson was born on August 18, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of a Canadian army veteran of World War I. He grew up in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and served in the Royal Canadian Navy for the duration of World War II. In 1947, drawn by an interest in military life he moved to Boston and enlisted in the U.S. Army. Early in 1949, following basic training, he was bound for Okinawa, Japan, as part of the postwar occupation forces.

Erwin returned from overseas and attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he majored in history (military, American, and Far East) and minored in political science. Following graduation in 1960, he was hired as park historian at Whitman Mission National Monument near Walla Walla, Washington. He served at Whitman Mission and Fort Davis, Texas until 1965, when he joined the Division of History Studies in the Washington, D.C., Planning and Service Center.

During his first years with the group, he completed a number of resource studies for parks in Washington, Wyoming, California, Kansas, North Dakota, and Idaho. In 1969 the Oregon Historical Society published his book, Shallow Grave at Waiilatpu: The Sagers’ West. Two years later, a Sacramento firm published his Lava Beds Modoc War study in book form. In the late 1970s, Thompson launched into a series of projects for Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, and produced massive documents detailing the histories of Alcatraz Island (titled, The Rock), Fort Mason, and the seacoast fortifications in and around San Francisco Harbor.

After 20 years as a historian in the National Park Service, Thompson retired in 1980 to his home in Golden, Colorado. He remained active providing histories and appraisals for the park service and other agencies. In 1992, he joined the planning team for the Presidio of San Francisco after the National Park Service had taken over the post. His final work was a two volume history of the post entitled, Defender at the Gate: The Presidio of San Francisco, published in 1997. Erwin Thompson died on June 15, 1998 at age 73.