Earl Douglass was born in Medford, Minnesota, on October 18, 1862. He studied at the University of South Dakota (1888) and received his B.S. (1893) from Iowa State College (University). He received his M.S. (1900) in geology from the University of Montana. He taught at various primary schools throughout Montana. Douglass taught at the University of Montana (1899-1900) and was then granted a fellowship in geology at Princeton University (1900-1902).

In 1902, Douglass became a member of the staff of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, assigned to research work in Paleontology. He collected fossils throughout Montana for the museum and in 1907 the museum sent him to explore the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah. It was there that Douglass uncovered an extensive array of mammal and dinosaur fossils. The area was eventually designated as Dinosaur National Monument.

Earl Douglass married Pearl C. Goelschius in 1905. They had one son, Gawin Earl Douglass. Earl Douglass died on January 13, 1931.

This collection (1893-2005, n.d.) contains material related to Earl Douglass and his work in paleontology. The collection includes articles written about Douglass and his work, poetry written by Douglass, and a Register of Papers contained in the Special Collections Department of the University of Utah Libraries. The collection also contains two oversized items: a composite photograph of the Iowa State graduating class of 1893 and his diploma from Iowa State.

The collection is arranged in alphabetical order.