Mary Hale Woolsey

Mary Hale Woolsey (March 21, 1899 – December 6, 1969) was an American songwriter and lyricist. She is most noted for the lyrics she wrote for "When It's Springtime in the Rockies".

Early life Mary Elizabeth Hale Woolsey was born on March 21, 1899, in Spanish Fork, Utah. Her parents were John Thompson Hale and Sarah Elizabeth Stewart Hale. She was one of nine children. She grew up in Provo, Utah. She was inspired by the mountains and love. She was a class officer in her Junior year of high school. She was married to Parley Woolsey on June 6, 1917. The couple lived in Ontario, Oregon for a time. They had four children. She was inspired by the nature of Utah Lake and Provo Canyon. She sent the lyrics to Robert Sauer a leader of a German band, She did not hear from him. She did, however, hear her lyrics in a song years later. She looked up the legend of the piece and saw that the lyrics had been attributed to T. Snow. Apparently Sauer had lost her name and invented the name T. Snow when the song was printed. She confronted Sauer who agreed to put her name on the next printings of the song. The two made a contract together.

The song title was used as the title for the 1937 film Springtime in the Rockies, in which the song was also used. It was later used as the name of the 1942 film Springtime in the Rockies. The Fox Entertainment Group who produced the film paid $1,000 to avoid copyright issues since they, too, used the song "When It's Springtime in the Rockies".

Other contributions

During the depression, Woolsey continued to write songs. Woolsey wrote the libretto for an operetta for children.

Woolsey also wrote the words to several other songs, including "When the Cottonwoods are Yellow" and "By the Silv'ry Colorado". She also compiled a book of 15 waltz songs that was called Songs that Reach the Heart. She later wrote "Colorado Skies" which Taggart contributed to. They formed the Taggart-Woolsey-Brown Publishing Company in Salt Lake City. Among her other published works are the text to "I Have a Garden, A Lovely Garden" and "When O'er the Valley the Shadows are Gray".

As well as song lyrics, Woolsey wrote fiction books. She also sold stories to magazines, and for some time worked with a newspaper in Hollywood.

Woolsey died on December 6, 1969, in Santa Monica, California. She was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.