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K. Ross Toole Papers, 1867-1992 (bulk 1961-1981)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Toole, K. Ross (Kenneth Ross) 1920-1981
Title
K. Ross Toole Papers
Dates
1867-1992 (bulk 1961-1981) (inclusive)
Quantity
16 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 717
Summary
K. Ross (Kenneth Ross) Toole was a well-known historian of Montana and the American West. This collection largely contains correspondence, research materials and writings, and faculty materials from 1961, when he was named the A.B. Hammond Professor of Western History at the University of Montana in Missoula, to his death in 1981.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English, French, German, Spanish
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Biographical Note

Kenneth Ross Toole was born August 8, 1920 in Missoula, Montana. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Toole received a B.A. in History in 1946 and M.A. in History, American West, in 1948, both from the University of Montana – Missoula (then called Montana State University – Missoula). He finished his Ph.D. in History, American West, from the University of California – Los Angeles in 1955. He taught at the University of Montana as the A.B. Hammond Professor of Western History from 1965 until his death in 1981.

Toole served as the first Director of the Montana State Historical Society in Helena (1951-1958), Director of the Museum of the City of New York (1958-1960), and Director of the Museums of New Mexico in Santa Fe (1960-1963). He was also the President of K-J Ranches near Red Lodge, Montana, from 1950-1965. Toole was a fourth-generation Montanan whose relatives had always been heavily involved in Montana’s business, politics, and academia. His older brother, John Toole, served as Mayor of Missoula and held various other political offices.

K. Ross Toole was a prolific writer and one of the foremost historians of Montana. His books included Montana: An Uncommon Land (1959), The Time Has Come (1971), Twentieth-Century Montana: A State of Extremes (1972), and The Rape of the Great Plains: Northwest America, Cattle, and Coal (1976). His many articles and frequent speeches addressed a variety of historical and contemporary topics. One article in particular, “The Tyranny of the Spoiled Brats,” started as a letter to his brother John concerning student activism and the “generation gap.” It became a world-wide publishing sensation after the Billings Gazette and, later, Readers Digest, U.S. News and World Report, and a multitude of other periodicals in the U.S. and abroad reprinted it under various titles. Toole received thousands of letters in response and a book deal that led to The Time Has Come.

At the University of Montana, Toole taught and advised graduate students in the History Department and taught one undergraduate history course every year called “Montana and the West.” The course attracted over 1000 students annually in Toole’s last years at the University. Toole also served on numerous University committees and worked to establish and gather materials for a working historical archives on campus.

K. Ross Toole married Barbara Jean McCullough in 1945. They had one son, Kenneth Ross Toole, Jr., born in 1955. In 1960 Toole and Barbara Jean divorced. That same year he married Joan Trimble. They had two children: Dana (born 1960) and David (born 1962). Joan also had four children from her previous marriage to John Marchi: Jon (born 1946), Jael (born 1948), Charis (born 1950) and Peter (born 1951). Kenneth Ross Toole died of cancer on August 13, 1981.

The Archives in the Mansfield Library at the University of Montana was officially dedicated as the K. Ross Toole Archives on November 4, 1983.

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Content Description

This collection contains both personal and academic correspondence from Toole’s years at the University of Montana, including seven boxes of letters responding to his article “The Tyranny of the Spoiled Brats.” Drafts and publishing materials from his books written after 1965 are also included. There is one copy of his doctoral thesis on the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Additional materials concern the University of Montana Graduate School, Department of History, Faculty Senate, and other administrative divisions. Lecture notes and other papers from Toole’s courses are included, as well as his speeches and addresses from various events. There are also some materials from Toole’s work outside the University, such as with the Northern Rockies Foundation, the Conrad-Campbell Historic Mansion, and Montana’s 1972 Constitutional Convention. Finally, there are various research materials and subject files used in his teaching and writing on Montana history, the environment, conservation, higher education, prose writing, campus violence, and the “generation gap.”

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive copyright transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], K. Ross Toole Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection has been divided into six series.

Series I: Correspondence, 5.5 linear feet, 1961-1982

Series II: Speeches and Writings, 2.75 linear feet, 1954-1989

Series III: University of Montana, 2.5 linear feet, 1962-1981

Series IV: External Business, 0.5 linear feet, 1954-1992

Series V: Research and Clippings, 3.5 linear feet, 1867-1981

Series VI: Biographical and Ephemera, 0.25 linear feet, 1949-1985

Series VII: Media, 0.75 linear feet, undated

Series VIII: Audio Recording, 0.25 linear feet, 1975

Custodial History

A portion of these materials was likely transferred to the Archives directly from Toole's campus office. Other materials in this collection were likely in the possession of K. Ross Toole's family prior to their placement at the Archives. The collection was officially gifted to the Archives in 2011. It is not known how or when the audio recording of K. Ross Toole providing testimony to the Montana State Legislature was gifted to the Archives.

Acquisition Information

This collection was likely delivered to the Archives in 1982 or 1983 by K. Ross Toole's family.

Processing Note

The original arrangement of many of the materials was haphazard, although some partial attempts at organization had apparently been started by previous processors. During processing in 2009-2010, correspondence, writings, and research materials were generally sorted and rearranged chronologically or by topic. Series notes in this guide will indicate where some clear organization on Toole’s part was preserved. Some additional materials were added to the collection after Toole’s death by Professor Harry Fritz or Archivist Dale Johnson. These additions will generally be indicated by their later date and attached correspondence.

Some materials which contain sensitive or confidential information, such as correspondence with students, student evaluations, and letters of recommendation, have been removed or restricted. After the publication of “Tyranny of the Spoiled Brats,” Toole was inundated not only with personal letters, but also a multitude of promotional material from various individuals and religious and political groups. Items directly concerned with Professor Toole’s article in particular or with student unrest and campus violence in general were retained. Clippings and pamphlets which were not considered to bear significant research value were removed.

Access to this collection was fully restricted until 2011. At that time the collection was reviewed by family, two personal documents were removed, and restrictions were lifted.

In 2017 an audio recording, originally processed as OH 176, was added to this collection.

Related Materials

Two collections held at the University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections are related to this colletion because of family connections. Mss 680, John R. Toole Family Papers (John R. Toole was K. Ross Toole’s paternal grandfather) and Mss 156, Kenneth Forbes Ross Papers (Kenneth Ross was K. Ross Toole’s maternal grandfather.)

Separated Materials

K. Ross Toole's family removed personal correspondence prior to placing this collection in the Archives.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Micah Everson
2010

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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