John G. Carter papers, 1855-1952

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Carter, John Galen, b. 1891
Title
John G. Carter papers
Dates
1855-1952 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 linear feet
1 volume
Collection Number
2204
Summary
The John G. Carter Papers include material from his law and writing career mainly on topics concerning Native Americans. Topics include trips Carter took in the Western United States, Cuba, the Panama Canal Zone, and Western Europe, a visit to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana in 1909, court cases, petitions, arguments, depositions, analysis of the cases, opinions of the court, reports, and motions.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

John Galen Carter, the son of Senator Thomas Henry Carter and Ellen L. Galen Carter, was born in Washington. He was educated in Helena and Georgetown Prep School. He received his BA from Georgetown University in 1914 and his MA in 1915. He graduated from Georgetown Law School in 1918. The same year he enlisted in the Army and served until after the Armistice. In 1921, he joined the A. R. Serven law firm, and worked with cases mainly involving the government and specialized in Indian Affairs. He was a member of the American Anthropological Society and served in county and state conventions of the Republican party in Lewis and Clark County. He married Celina D. Calvo and they had one daughter, Mary Ellen.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The John G. Carter papers include material from his law and writing career mainly on topics concerning Native Americans. The papers have been arranged according to topic and have been divided into five series: Series 1: Diaries, Manuscripts and Publications, 1909-1936; Series 2: Business and Legal Papers, 1855-1940; Series 3: Native American Manuscripts and Publications, 1893-1939; Series 4: Carter Family Papers, 1878-1952; and Series 5: Photographs, 1904-1906. The papers include diaries of trips Carter took in the Western United States, Cuba, the Panama Canal Zone, and Western Europe. His diaries also include a visit to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana in 1909. Also included are his writings as well as manuscripts and publications that he collected on Native Americans. His legal papers contain documents from court cases including Blackfeet et al. vs. United States and Okanogan et al. vs. United States. These papers include petitions, arguments, depositions, analysis of the cases, opinions of the court, reports, and motions. Also included in the John G. Carter papers are family papers concerning his parents such as newspaper clippings and correspondence. Photographs of Native Americans, mainly on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, are also included in the papers.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Series 1: Diaries, Manuscripts and Publications, 1909-1936

Series 2: Business and Legal Papers, 1855-1940

Series 3: Native American Manuscripts and Publications

Series 4: Carter Family Papers, 1878-1952; 1985

Series 5: Photographs, 1904-1906

Acquisition Information

Special Collections received the John G. Carter Papers in July of 1990.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 May 15

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

1:  Diaries, Manuscripts, and Publications, 1909-1936Return to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Box 2

Series 1 contains diaries and manuscripts of John G. Carter. Most of his writings were on Native Americans and include topics such as Indian Sign Language, Fort Belknap, the Piegan Tribe of the Blackfoot Nation, and Native American ceremonies. His diaries and notes cover trips he made to Montana, North and South Dakota, Indiana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, and Vermont. Other trips include Cuba, the Panama Canal Zone, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, and Canada.

Container(s) Description Dates
John G. Carter obituary and publications
obituary, 1941; Rawhide Rawlins Stories (1921); McClure's Magazine (1907)
1941; (1921); (1907)
June 29-September 15, 1909
December 1909-January 1910
June-September 1910
April 12-26, 1924
June-July 1926
1906-1907
1908
1909
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1936
1936
1936
1936
1936
1936
June 25-July 17, 1936
July 18-25, 1936
July 26-31, 1936
1800-1893
1800-1893
1800-1893
1909
1909
1909
1909
1730-1814
The Piegan Tribe, Book 6
pages 117-140

2:  Business and Legal PapersReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 3, Box 4

As an attorney with A. R. Serven, John G. Carter was involved with numerous legal cases concerning Native Americans. Series 2 contains the business and legal papers of his law career. Important law suits include the Blackfeet et al. vs. United States during the 1920s and 1930s in which the Blackfeet, Blood, Piegan, and Gros Ventre nations sued the U.S. concerning the Common Hunting Ground set up by a 1855 treaty; Okanogan et al. vs. United States of the 1920s in which the Okanogan, Methow, San Poeils, Nespelem, Colville, and Lake Indian tribes of Washington sued the U.S. Also included in Series 2 is correspondence, petitions, arguments, depositions, analysis of the cases, opinions of the court, reports, motions, bills, and contracts.

Container(s) Description Dates
1895; 1913-1929
1930-1931
1932-1941
April 21, 1933
1821
1855-1896
1932
July 5, 1873-July 13, 1880
July 10, 1925
March-May 1926
March 1926
February-April 1926
June 1926
Blackfeet et al. vs. United States: Depositions
(Mrs. Horse Capture, Mrs. Lame Bull, Stiff Arm, The Boy and Flea)
June 24, 1926
Blackfeet et al. vs. United States: Depositions
(Mountain Chief, Eagle Head, Margaret Marceau, Scarce Woman, Calf Tail, Read Head, After Buffalo)
June 26, 1926
Blackfeet et al. vs. United States: Depositions
(James W. Brown Abe McKnight, Thomas Burd, Sr., William Lewis, Catches Two White Calves, Young Running Crane, Eagle Tailfeathers, Cuts at Night Black Face Man, Ground, Red Plume, Wood Chief Woman, J. Willard Schultz, George Pablo, John Ground, and Francis X. Guardipee)
June 29-July 1, 1926
Blackfeet et al. vs. United States: Depositions
(John Walker, Philip Evans, Wa Win Wah Tsan My, Sally Wilber, Amelia Johnson, Elisa Miller, Paul Corbett, Sr., James S. Hines and John Wilson)
July 7, 1926
1927
January to April 1927; October 1929
August 16, 1929
November 25, 1929
1933
1934
1935
March 28, 1927
Okanogan et al. vs. United States: Demurrer and Petitioners' Brief
Demurrer, July 6, 1927; Petitioners' Brief in resistance to Defendant's Demurrer
July 6, 1927
Okanogan et al. vs. United States: Petitioners' Motion, Brief in Support, and Petitioners' Supplemental Brief
Petitioners' Motion for New Trial, June 9, 1928; Brief in Support of Motion for New Trial; Petitioners' Supplemental Brief on Motion for New Trial
June 9, 1928
Okanogan et al. vs. United States: Brief in Support and Petition for Writ
Brief in Support of Petition for Writ of Certiorari, October 21, 1928; Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Court of Claims, 1928
October 21, 1928; 1928
Okanogan et al. vs. United States: Brief and Motion
Brief for The United States, 1928; Motion by The United States to Advance, 1928
1928
1928
1928
1928
1928
Okanogan et al. vs. United States: The Constitutional Revew and Supreme Court Reporter
Wright, Herbert F., The Constitutional Review, Editorial, April 1929, pp. 103-120; Supreme Court Reporter, (v.49, no.16), June 15, 1929, pp. 463-470
April 1929; June 15, 1929
December 1935
January 9-11, 1940
February 15, 1940
May 2-9, 1940
May 2-9, 1940
May 2-9, 1940
1929
June 30, 1877
June 30, 1922
1921
March 10, 1932
September 25, 1868-February 11, 1869
October 22, 1931
Northern Arapaho Tribe: Lawyers Contract
(John G. Carter and F. M. Goodwin)
April 1, 1940
Other Legal Matters: Executive Orders, Indian Litigation, Community House, Exparte, and Notes
Executive Orders Relating to Indian Reservations, May 14, 1855-July 1, 1912; Indian Litigation, Cases pending, June 9, 1928; Community House in the Heart Butte District; Ex Parte: in the Matter of Kang-Gi-Shun-Ca, otherwise known as Crow Dog; Statutory Law Notes; Notes on Idaho and Montana Territorial Enabling Acts
May 14, 1855-July 1, 1912; June 9, 1928
September 1927
May 7, 1923
January 31, 1931
August 31, 1926
November 16, 1865
1873

3:  Native American Manuscripts and PublicationsReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 4

Throughout his career, John G. Carter was very interested and connected to Native American concerns. Series 3 contains manuscripts and publications he collected on Native American topics. Included are works on Indian home life, customs, ceremonies, and habitat. Also included is a typescript of Lt. James Bradley's history of the march of General Gibbons Column at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
4 1
1782-1898
1908

4:  Carter Family PapersReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 6

Series 4 contains Carter family papers, including correspondence of Senator Thomas H. Carter and newspaper clippings and papers concerning his death and clippings and material on Trinity College regarding Ellen Galen Carter.

Container(s) Description Dates
1878; 1908
1899; 1905
1889-1905; undated
September 1911
January 31, 1913
January 31, 1913
December 1896
1932-1952
1933-1934
1984-1985
1928-1938
Box
7
Scrapbook, newspaper clippings on Thomas H. Carter
1 volume
1891-1892

5:  Photographs, 1904-1906Return to Top

Container(s): Box 5, Box 6

Series 5 contains photographs mainly of Native Americans that John G. Carter collected during his career. Most of the pictures are of ceremonies performed at the Fort Belknap Reservation including the Fool Dance, Grass Dance, and Sun Dance. Also included are pictures of a "sham" battle between the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre, Medicine Man "Nosey" and Little Chief, and building a medicine lodge. Two family photographs of Thomas H. Carter and Hugh Galen are also found in Series 5.

Container(s) Description Dates
Photocopies #2-18
Photocopies #19-42
#1-10
July 1904
July 1904
July 1905
July 1905
July 1905
July 1905
July 1905
July 1905
#11-18: Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Fool Dance at Fort Belknap Reservation
July 1906
#19-26: (Grass Dance and Sun Dance at Fort Belknap)
#27-36: (Sham Battle and Building Medicine Lodge)
#37-42: (Medicine Man, "Nosey" and Little Chief)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Americans
  • Americans--Cuba--Diaries
  • Americans--Europe--Diaries
  • Americans--Panama--Canal Zone--Diaries
  • Barro Colorado Nature Monument (Panama)--Description and travel
  • Colville Indians-Claims
  • Europe
  • Gros Ventre Indians (Mont.)
  • Gros Ventre Indians (Mont.)--Claims
  • Indians of North America--Photographs
  • Indians of North America-Legal status, laws, etc
  • Indians of North America-Montana-Claims
  • Indians of North America-Montana-Fort Belknap Indian Reservation-Photographs
  • Indians of North America-Washington (State)-Claims
  • Kainah Indians-Claims
  • Lake Indians-Claims
  • Lawyers
  • Lawyers-Montana
  • Methow Indians-Claims
  • Nespelim Indians-Claims
  • Okanagan Indians-Claims
  • Piegan Indians-Claims
  • Sanpoil Indians-Claims
  • Senijextee Indians-Claims
  • Siksika Indians-Claims

Personal Names

  • Carter, Ellen Galen
  • Carter, Thomas Henry, 1854-1911

Geographical Names

  • Cuba--Description and travel
  • Europe--Description and travel
  • Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Mont.)--Description and travel
  • Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Mont.)-Photographs
  • Montana

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries
  • Family papers--Montana
  • Photographs
  • Photographs