Merrill D. Beal

Born in 1898 in Ephraim, Utah, Merrill D. Beal was known to friends as “Sam.” After graduating from Richfield High School in 1917, he served in the Marines, then studied at the University of Utah and later served an LDS mission in the Eastern States from 1919 to 1921.

He returned to university study, married Bessie Marie Neill, and went on to earn an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1934 and a Ph.D. from Washington State University in 1945. He taught at Idaho State University until 1966 and built a reputation as a careful historian of Idaho and the wider West.

Beal wrote several books, including work on Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War, and helped document the history of southeastern Idaho and the region more broadly. He died in 1990, leaving behind books and papers that continue to be useful for readers interested in western and regional history.