Miles J. Cavanaugh Papers

Miles J. Cavanaugh Papers, 1921-1935

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Cavanaugh, Miles J. (Miles Jordan), 1865-1935
Title: Miles J. Cavanaugh Papers
Dates: 1921-1935
19211935
Quantity: .4 linear feet
Collection Number: Collection 349, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary: The Miles J. Cavanaugh Papers are primarily literary manuscripts created or collected by him. Included are: autobiographical sketches of himself and his father; correspondence primarily with Grace Stone Coates regarding poetry; speeches on Montana history, politics, and other topics delivered to fraternal orders, political rallies, and social gatherings; poetry written by Cavanaugh and others; manuscript music score of "Montana the Best: Official Song of the Society of Montana Pioneers" by J.A. Lovely. Subjects include: Montana mining and mining operations; history of Butte (Silver Bow County) and Anaconda (Deer Lodge County); Montana politics.
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: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Miles Jordan Cavanaugh was a prominent Butte, Montana attorney and businessman. Born in Denver, Colorado on October 3, 1865, Miles was the son of a miner and prospector of the same name. He attended the public schools in the mining city and studied law in the office of Carter and Clayberg, being admitted to the bar in 1891. Miles briefly practiced in Helena, but lived most of his life in Butte where he took an active interest in fraternal and civic organizations. He also wrote poetry and maintained a longstanding appreciation for literary matters. He married twice, first to Alphonsine Milot and then Cora E. Baugh. Cavanaugh died on August 31, 1935 in Butte, Montana.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Miles Cavanaugh papers are primarily literary manuscripts created or collected by him. Included are: autobiographical sketches of himself and his father; correspondence primarily with Grace Stone Coates regarding poetry; speeches on Montana history, politics, and other topics delivered to fraternal orders, political rallies, and social gatherings; poetry written by Cavanaugh and others; manuscript music score of "Montana the Best: Official Song of the Society of Montana Pioneers" by J.A. Lovely. Subjects include: Montana mining and mining operations; history of Butte (Silver Bow County) and Anaconda (Deer Lodge County); Montana politics. Persons mentioned or contributing essays include Patrick Powers, Dave Nagle, William Reed, Thomas Carter, and Harry C. Freeman. The material has been arranged in topically labeled folders, with Cavanaugh's poetry further divided into two groups. Folders 15-20 contain a set of poems submitted by Cavanaugh to the Caxton Press in the early 1930s, and folders 21-25 contain other poems he wrote. Both sets of poetry folders are arranged alphabetically by title. Brackets indicate that the title was provided by the processor.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Literary manuscripts and newspaper clippings created or collected by Miles Cavanaugh were donated to Special Collections by Martha C. Hubbard of Spokane, Washington.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 May 18

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	Autobiography, Miles J. Cavanaugh	1934
1/2	Autobiography, Miles J. Cavanaugh	1934
1/3	Childhood reminiscence, Miles J. Cavanaugh	1934
1/4	Childhood reminiscence, Miles J. Cavanaugh	1934
1/5	Autobiography, Miles Cavanaugh Sr., (typed transcript likely prepared in 1930s)
1/6	Correspondence	1933
1/7	Speech, [Pioneers of Montana History]
1/8	Essays, "Why I like Butte, Montana," "Butte, Then and Now," "Forty-Eight Years on Butte Hill," [Anaconda]
1/9	Fiction essays, "The Editor's Reformation," "The Padlock Chain," "As Told to Me," "The Green Nighty," "The Lady on the Train," "Ten Years in a Mining Camp," "Where Men Get Rough" [Mother's Day]
1/10	Fraternal speeches: G.A.R., Sons of St. George, Sons of Ireland, Masonic, Washington Bicentennial, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows
1/11	Political speeches
1/12	Memorial Day and dinner speeches
1/13	Poetry from other authors and related notes
1/14	Criticism on Cavanaugh's "Cabbage Patch"
1/15	Cavanaugh poetry, Caxton submission, titles A-C
1/16	Cavanaugh poetry, Caxton submission, titles D-F
1/17	Cavanaugh poetry, Caxton submission, titles G-K
1/18	Cavanaugh poetry, Caxton submission, titles L-O
1/19	Cavanaugh poetry, Caxton submission, titles P-S
1/20	Cavanaugh poetry, Caxton submission, titles T-Z
1/21	Cavanaugh poetry, titles A-E
1/22	Cavanaugh poetry, titles F-L
1/23	Cavanaugh poetry, titles M-R
1/24	Cavanaugh poetry, titles S-T
1/25	Cavanaugh poetry, titles U-Z
1/26	Newspaper clippings
1/27	Manuscript score, "Montana the Best" by J. A. Lovely

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Mines and mineral resources-Montana
Poets, American-Montana-Butte

Personal Names

Coates, Grace Stone, 1881-1976-Correspondence

Geographical Names

Anaconda (Mont.)-History
Butte (Mont.)-History
Montana-Politics and government-20th century
Montana-Songs and music

Form or Genre Terms

Autobiographies-Montana
Personal papers-Montana-Butte
Poems-Montana-Butte
Speeches, addresses, etc., American-Montana-Butte

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Cavanaugh, Miles, d. 1915 (creator)
- Lovely, J. A. -Montana the best (creator)

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