Mitchell Family papers, 1869-2006

Overview of the Collection

Title
Mitchell Family papers
Dates
1869-2006 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.2 linear feet
Collection Number
2489
Summary
The Mitchell Family Papers include the Campbell Mitchell diary, mounted portrait photographs of Mitchell family members, typed and handwritten memoirs and historical narratives by various family members, assorted letters between family members, a newspaper clipping history of the family in Park City, land and mine claims, genealogical information and assorted other ephemera.
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

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Freighting first brought William L.C. Mitchell from Kansas to Bannack and Virginia City, Montana Territory, in 1864. In 1869 Mitchell returned to Kansas where he married Mary (Molly) Cowan on February 27. On May 17, 1869 William and Molly, along with brothers Campbell and Alexander Mitchell and the William Chaffin family, journeyed by wagon train from Fort Scott, Kansas to the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana. Campbell Mitchell kept a diary during the overland journey, describing the route from Fort Scott, through Fort Kearney, Nebraska, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Montpelier, Utah, and Bannack, Montana, all while driving a herd of cattle in addition to the wagons. The Mitchells were joined in Montana by other family members who traveled up the Missouri river by boat and all eventually settled in the Bitterroot Valley until the Nez Perce War of 1877. Campbell Mitchell was killed that year in the Battle of the Big Hole, and in 1879 William L. C. Mitchell, his wife Molly, and children Emma, Maude, Minnie, Florence and Burton Luther Mitchell, left for the Yellowstone Valley and settled near present day Park City. Burton Mitchell, the donor of this collection, is the grandson of Burton Luther Mitchell.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Mitchell papers include the Campbell Mitchell diary, mounted portrait photographs of Mitchell family members, typed and handwritten memoirs and historical narratives by various family members, assorted letters between family members, a newspaper clipping history of the family in Park City, land and mine claims, genealogical information and assorted other ephemera. A published version of the Campbell Mitchell diary can be found in The Song of the Bitterroot by Leda Mitchell Reed (1986).

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The Mitchell Family Papers were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Burton Mitchell of Park City, Montana on September 21, 2006.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2008 August 4

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Diary and related materials, 1869Return to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Folder 1

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
Diary of Campbell Mitchell
2006
History of diary location through time
2006
Lida Mitchell Reed explanation of discovery of Park City Mitchell family for her book, "The Song of the Bitterroot"
1986

 Family history materialsReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Folder 2

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
Newspaper clipping Centennial Sketch - "Mitchell family migrations ended in Park City settlement"- Stillwater Sun
1988 June 28
Family tree
Memoir of Myra Mitchell Randall for Burton Mitchell (nephew)
Notes from Bert (Burt) Mitchell
1929 February 21
Story of Campbell Mitchell at the Battle of the Big Hole by researched by Lida Reed

 CorrespondenceReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Folder 3

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
Letter from Lonnie Mitchell to Maud Mitchell
1896
Letter to Mary (Molly) Mitchell from sibling of Sugar Loaf, Colorado
1883 October 9
Letter from cousin Charles E. Allan, American Expeditionary Force, France
1918
Letter - Mid-Rocky Development Co. To Maud Mitchell on oil well subscription
1927 March 31

 Miscellaneous documentsReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Folder 4

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
Land deed, William L.C. Mitchell 160 acres
1895 July 9, 1896 February 8
Minnie Bell and Beasley Mining Claim
1893 September 26, January 1894
Lon Mitchell remembrance card
1907 April 15
Photocopy of Marriage Contract of William L.C. Mitchell and Mary E. Cowan
1869 February 27
Biography sheet of Charles Marion Russell

 Photographs and drawingsReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Folder 5

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
Photographic print of house where Lonnie Mitchell died
Group photographic print of Burt Luther Mitchell, Florence, Maud, Emma and Lonnie's girlfriend
Portrait, Maud Mitchell
Portrait, Burt Luther Mitchell
Portrait, Minnie B. Mitchell
1907 January
Portrait, Emma Mitchell

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
  • Overland journeys to Montana--Personal narratives
  • Pioneers--Montana--Bitterroot River Valley--Diaries
  • Wagon trains-Great Plains

Geographical Names

  • Bitterroot River Valley (Mont.)-History
  • Great Plains--Description and travel
  • Park City (Mont.)-History

Form or Genre Terms

  • Deeds-Montana
  • Diaries-Great Plains
  • Family papers-Montana
  • Histories-Montana
  • Memoirs-Montana
  • Mining claims-Montana
  • Photographs--Montana