View XML QR Code

Charles Benton Power papers, 1870-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Power, Charles Benton, 1868-1953
Title
Charles Benton Power papers
Dates
1870-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
10 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 55a (collection)
Summary
Charles Power (1868-1953) was a Helena, Montana, attorney and businessman, and son of Thomas C. Power. Collection (bulk, 1870s-1950s) includes incoming correspondence (1881-1953), diaries (1929-1949), subject files, and miscellany. There are also subgroups for family members and for several businesses of Power's.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Charles Benton Power was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on November 9, 1868, the only child of Thomas C. Power and his wife Mary Flanagan Power. While Charles was still an infant, his father moved the family to Fort Benton, Montana, where he established a steamboat and mercantile empire. The family moved to Helena in 1878.

Charlie, as he was always known, graduated from Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., in 1888. He got a second bachelor's degree from Columbia College in New York in 1891 and a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1893. He practiced law in Helena for two years, before going to work in his father's enterprises, including T.C. Power and Brother, the American National Bank, and the various ranches. Eventually he took over management of these companies, and became president on his father's death in 1923.

In December 1902, Charles Power married Mabel Larson, niece and adopted daughter of Peter and Margaret Larson. The Powers had three children: Margaret Power Drum Carrick (b. 1904), Benton Power (b. 1907), and Jane Power Tobin (b. 1912). Mabel Power died July 4, 1918. In 1943 Charles Benton Power married Pauline McGuire Ely. He died November 15, 1953, six days after his 85th birthday.

Return to Top

Content Description

Papers consist primarily of personal papers of Charles Benton Power, including incoming correspondence (1881-1953), diaries (1929-1949), minor financial records and legal documents, school notes and records (1880-1893), subject files, miscellany, and clippings.

The Charles Benton Power Estate Subgroup (1953-1960) includes general correspondence of co-administrators Blanche Mares and C.M. Wall, court papers; financial records, and subject files.

There are family subgroups for Power's wife Mabel Larson Power, his son Benton Power, his daughters Jane Power Tobin and Margaret Power Drum Carrick, and for the Flanagan Family.

There are also business subgroups for T.C. Power and Brother, T.C. Power Company, Benton Group of Mines, Benton Hardware Company, Benton Transportation Company, Big Sag Land and Livestock Company, Faith Mining Company, Helena Building and Realty Company, Phoenix Development Company, and Unit Petroleum Company.

This collection inter-mingles closely with the Thomas C. Power Papers (MC 55). The two collections should be used together, as many subgroups appear in both collections. See "Seperated Materials" under the Administrative Information below.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in oversize folder in archives map case. See inventory below for more information.

Location of Collection

2:6-3

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Separated Materials

Artifacts transferred to Museum. See inventory below for more information

For other related material see the Guide to the Thomas Charles Power papersMC 55, and the Guide to the Thomas C. Power papersMC 55b, at the Montana Historical Society.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Aberdeen-Angus cattle--Montana
  • Quarries and quarrying--Montana
  • Steamboats--Missouri River

Personal Names

  • Power, Charles Benton, 1868-1953 (creator)
  • Power, Thomas C. (Thomas Charles), 1839-1923

Geographical Names

  • Brownstone Quarry (Mont.)
  • Fort Benton (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Fort Walsh (N.W.T.)
  • Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Missouri Headwaters State Park (Mont.)
  • Neihart (Mont.)--Industries
  • PN Ranch (Mont.)
  • Rock Creek Ranch (Wolf Creek, Mont.)
  • Rogers Pass (Mont.)
  • Surprise Mining Claim (Mont.)

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 2005
2006

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

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...