Who’s Allan Truax?

Background

My interest in Allan Lincoln Truax was first triggered by my curiosity about an inscription, “A.L. Truax, Crosby, ND, Jan 3rd 1922,” written on the flyleaf of a used copy of A.E. Housman’s Last Poems given me as a gift. I began tracking down information about A.L. Truax on the internet to satisfy my casual inquisitiveness about what kind of guy living in an isolated North Dakota town in the early 1900s would purchase an early printing of Housman’s poetry.

At least in this case, that kind of guy turned out to be an extraordinarily accomplished individual. Allan Truax’s job was in the railway mail service, but his heart and mind were given over to his involvement with his family and community, his extensive travels, and his devoted pursuit of intellectual interests, especially horticulture, literature, and family, local, and American history.

Beginning with Allan Truax, A.E. Housman, The Ex, and Me, I’ve been intermittently posting information about Allan Truax and his wife, Evelyn, not only because it is intrinsically interesting but because it also offers insights into an era and an environment that, while they are only a couple of generations and a few states removed from me, are so unlike my own experience that, in many ways, the circumstances of Allan Truax’s life are as unimaginable to me as those of a Jules Verne character residing on another planet.

I’m also motivated to record this miniature biography by my conviction that Allan Truax - and Evelyn Truax - are special, stalwart individuals who deserve to have their story written and read. Finally, I confess that I feel compelled to pursue this task in part because I have come to identify with Allan Truax, a state of affairs that is surely routine in this line of work and one that is not without its benefits.

Identification: Allan Truax, Allen Truax, and A.L. Truax

“Allan Truax” and “Allen Truax” appear with approximately equal frequency in the written material I’ve reviewed, with “A.L. Truax” occurring somewhat less often. The name Mr. Truax inscribed in his books was “Allan” so I use it preferentially