Thompson, Erwin N., 1926-1998

History
Excerpted from A Historian’s History: Erwin N. Thompson, 1926-1998
By Jerome A. Greene
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.
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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.