Stephen Vincent Krukowski was one of the most well-known Polish archeologists. As a self–taught archeologist without any degree, he became the father of Polish Paleolithic archeology. From 1921-1928, he worked as a conservator of archeological sites. Later, he worked at the Polish State Archeological Museum (PMA). During his work there, he tried to create within the museum his own research institute called the Paleolithic Department, which would be fully independent even from the director of the PMA. His dreams of an independent Paleolithic Department were shattered by World War II. This article speaks extensively about his actions and achievements from the interwar period, starting from his apprenticeship under Erasmus Majewski until the downfall of Second Polish Republic.