Blaine Stubblefield

Who was Blaine Stubblefield?

Blaine Stubblefield was the founder of the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest held annually in Weiser, Idaho, an archiver of American folk songs, the originator of regular passenger boat tours down the Hells Canyon of the Snake River, a writer, and a magazine editor.

Blaine was born in Enterprise, Oregon. and was the eldest of ten children born to Mickle and Edith Stubblefield.

Blaine’s father Mickle was the eldest of seven children born to William Kirkham Stubblefield and his fifth wife Josephine Loomis Stubblefield. Mickle’s wife, the former Edith Belle Davis, had come to Wallowa County, Oregon with her family from Iowa.

Mickle Stubblefield was a passionate historian who shared his family history with his children and expanded his use of the written word through an avid letter-writing campaign to explain the true burial site of Chief Joseph.

Blaine attended and graduated from the University of Idaho, and obtained an advanced degree in Journalism from the University of Washington.

In the later part of his life, Blaine lived in Weiser; documents on folk music often refer to him as "Blaine Stubblefield of Weiser, Idaho".