Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Barthelmess Family Papers, 1926-1971
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Barthelmess Family
- Title
- Barthelmess Family Papers
- Dates
-
1926-1971 (inclusive)19261971
- Quantity
- 1 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 266
- Summary
- This collection consists of two typewritten manuscripts (1968, n.d.) of Photographer on an Army Mule (also titled Shadow Catcher on an Army Mule), a biographical study of Christian Barthelmess. The manuscripts were written by Maurice Frink in collaboration with Casey E. Barthelmess Sr. Also included in the collection is a letter (1971) to Casey Barthelmess from Joseph Strittmatter re photographs (now housed in the Photograph Archives); a photocopy of a letter to Casey from May Billing re tales of "loot" from the Battle of the Little Big Horn; a photocopy of a letter (1926) from Casey Bartherlmess Sr. to his mother describing 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn; and other photocopies of miscellaneous correspondence (1926-1966) including correspondents J.H. Price of Knowlton, Montana, F.H. Sinclair, Neckyoke Jones, and Orville Cochran. Also included is miscellany i.e. photocopies of notes concerning early Montana Horse Ranches.
- 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 - Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Christian Barthelmess was born in Klinfenberg, Bavaria, April 11, 1854. In his youth he studied music and German literature at Leipzig. Immigrating to the United States in the late 1870s, Christian joined the post-Civil War Regular Army. He subsequently served in the Sixth Cavalry, and Thirteenth, Twenty-second, and Second Infantry Regiments, from 1876 until his retirement in 1903. Christian Barthelmess was stationed in Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, and the Philippines. In Montana he served as chief musician for the Second Infantry, stationed at Fort Keogh. Throughout his military career Christian Barthelmess created an extensive photographic collection capturing the landscape of the American West, the lives of his fellow soldiers, and the experiences of the civilian populations he encountered, both Native American and caucasian. In addition to his photographic talents, Christian also authored two articles based on his observations of Navaho Indian ceremonies for "Der Westen," a German language newspaper published in Chicago. Christian Barthelmess married Catherine Dorothea Hansen in 1886 in Silver City, New Mexico. They had seven children: Leo, Florence, Sophia, Fred, Adelaide, Marie, and Casey. Christian Barthelmess died, as the result of injuries sustained when a trench collapsed on him at Fort Keogh, April 10, 1906. Casey Barthelmess was born July 18, 1890, at Fort Keogh, namesake to his father's closest friend, Lieutenant Edward W. Casey. The Barthelmess family was stationed at Fort Keogh through Casey's childhood. As a youngster he was surrounded by the soldiers, scouts, buffalo hunters, mule skinners, Indians, and cowboys that populated the American West. At the age of fifteen Casey and two of his siblings quit school in order to help support the family following the death of their father. Casey took work with the LO Ranch on Mizpah Creek outside of present-day Miles City. He worked horses for the ranch until 1909 when he went to Chicago to study art. In 1914 he returned to Montana and went back to work for the LO, and attended business college in Miles City. Over the years Casey participated in the Montana rodeo circuit, served in the military at Fort Keogh and overseas during World War I, and built a successful ranch on Mizpah Creek. He was active in the state's various livestock organizations and was honored as Montana's Rancher of the Year in 1954. He retired in the late 1950s and moved to Miles City were he began work on a biography of his father. Casey Barthelmess and Maurice Frink co-authored Photographer on an Army Mule, published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1965. In 1921 Casey Barthelmess married Ann Oby, a local school teacher. They had six children: Richard, Robert, Casey Jr., Rosemary, Leo, and Randall. Casey Barthelmess, Sr., died in Miles City in 1972. Ann Oby Barthelmess died in 1993.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of papers relating to the Barthlemess family of Miles City. There are two subgroups: one for Casey Barthelmess, Sr.; one for Christian Barthelmess. The Casey Barthelmess, Sr., subgroup consists of Barthelmess family Biographical Materials (1854-1995), Incoming Correspondence (1931-1988), Outgoing Correspondence (1926), Writings (1961, n.d.), Miscellany (1904, 1919, 1926), and Clippings (1935, 1948, 1968). The Biographical Materials include a family tree, photocopies of marriage records for Christian, Casey E., and Catherine Barthelmess, death records for Catherine, and a citizenship certificate for Cort Hansen. Incoming Correspondence primarily regards family history and the writing of his father's biography. Outgoing Correspondence is to Catherine Barthelmess and Cort Hansen. The Writings series includes "Casey's Autobiography" and "Shadow Catcher on an Army Mule," the latter became Photographer on an Army Mule. The Miscellany series includes lists of men on the LO Ranch and photographs used in "Thirty Years in the Army." The Clippings are primarily letters to the editor authored by Casey Barthelmess and others regarding life in the Miles City area. The Christian Barthelmess subgroup includes Outgoing Correspondence (1878, 1890), Writings (n.d.), and Miscellany (1898, ca. 1901). The Outgoing Correspondence is written in German to an unknown recipient. The Writings series consists of articles for "Der Westen"--a German language newspaper in Chicago--regarding Navaho Indian ceremonies. The Miscellany series includes a commission certificate from the U.S. Army, and sheet music used by Barthelemess to teach and conduct the Second Infantry U.S. Band at Fort Keogh.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Barthelmess FamilyReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Biographical material
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | Barthelmess family
(includes a family tree; photocopies of marriage records, 1886, 1907, 1921, for
Christian and Catherine Bartlemess respectively, death records, 1936, for
Catherine Barthelmess, marriage license for Cort and Catherine Hansen, and
certificate of citizenship for Cort Hansen) |
1854-1995 |
Casey BarthelmessReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 2 | American Meat Institute
(re ad placed in Saturday Evening Post that includes story of Casey Barthelmess
|
1950 |
1 / 3 | Fred, Zoe, and Butchie
Barthelmess (re thank you for glass plates and photographs) [photocopy only]
|
1955 |
1 / 4 | May Billing [photocopy
only] |
1971 |
1 / 5 | Dan Bowman |
1944-1956 |
1 / 6 | Preston Brown
|
December 8, 1931 |
1 / 7 | H.E. Calahan [photocopy
only] |
1931 |
1 / 8 | Joseph Eagle Hawk
|
1946-1957 |
1 / 9-12 | Maurice Frink
|
1947-1972 |
1 / 13 | Genie Fulmer
|
1966 |
1 / 14 | Harry Kennedy [photocopy
only] |
1966 |
1 / 15 | Kinney, Galen
|
1961 |
1 / 16 | Little International
Harvest Ball Committe (MSU fundraiser) |
1954-1956 |
1 / 17 | Palmer, Walter E.
|
1943, 1947 |
1 / 18 | John A. Riston
|
1941 |
1 / 19 | Samples, Ida
|
n.d. |
1 / 20 | Sinclair, F.H.
|
1930, 1945 |
1 / 21 | Joseph Strittmatter
|
1971-1988 |
1 / 22 | Watkins, Charles
|
1941-1949 |
1 / 23 | Williams, Ed
|
n.d. |
1 / 24 | Arthur Wirsch
|
1938, n.d. |
Outgoing Correspondence
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 25 | Casey Barthelmess to
Catherine Barthelmess and Cort Hansen (mother and stepfather) [photocopy only]
|
1926 |
General Correspondence
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 26 | Orville A Cochran to
Yndia Smalley Moore [photocopy only] |
1963 |
Subject Files
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 1 | Ord Ames |
1956, n.d. |
2 / 2 | William Brock
|
1945, 1966 |
2 / 3 | James Butler
|
1947 |
2 / 4 | Aquila Coonrad
|
1962-1970 |
2 / 5 | Dykes Family (Hank and
Melville) |
n.d. |
2 / 6 | Walter B. Jordan
|
n.d. |
2 / 7 | Lewis and Clark
Expedition (consists of a single essay, author unknown) |
n.d. |
Clippings
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
OvFd / | List of historical data
from "Winners of the West" (re articles on Indian Campaigns and engagements
articles [OVERSIZE: map case] |
1935 |
Subject Files
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 8 | LO Ranch |
1959-1960, n.d. |
2 / 9 | George Miles
|
n.d. |
2 / 10 | Montana Stockgrower's
Association |
1952-1959 |
2 / 11 | James Pym |
1893-1994 |
2 / 12 | Sitting Bull
|
n.d. |
2 / 13 | John Stands in Timber
|
1961, n.d. |
2 / 14 | XIT Ranch |
1957, 1970, n.d. |
Writings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 15 | "Casey's Autobiography"
(re Casey Barthelmess, Sr.) [photocopy only] |
n.d. |
Christian BarthelmessReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Miscellany
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
OvFd / | Certificate for U.S.
Army Commission as Chaplain [OVERSIZE: Map case] |
1898 |
Writings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 16 | "Shadow Catcher on an
Army Mule" [loose pages with editing] |
1961 |
2 / 17 | "Shadow Catcher on an
Army Mule" [loose pages with editing] |
1961 |
2 / 18 | "Shadow Catcher on an
Army Mule" [bound volume with minimal editing] |
1961 |
Miscellany
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 2 | List of Cheyenne Indian
Scouts serving under Nelson Miles (possible written by John Stands in Timber)
|
n.d. |
3 / 3 | List of men on LO Ranch
|
n.d. |
3 / 4 | Fire protection during
wartime (re Baker and surrounds including protection of ranches) |
1941-1945 |
3 / 5 | Program for the Calagary
Stampede |
1919 |
3 / 6 | Program for Custer Fight
Anniversary |
1926 |
3 / 7 | Program for
Semi-Centennial of the Battle of the Little Big Horn |
1926 |
3 / 8 | List of photographs for
"Thirty Years In the Army" |
1904 |
Outgoing Correspondence
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 10 | From Christian
Barthelmess in Fort Keogh and on the steamer Logan (written in German)
|
1878, 1890 |
Writings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 11 | "Der Westen" articles
(written by Barthelmess regarding his experiences with Navaho Indians and his
views of the American West for this German language newspaper published in
Chicago; English transcript included) |
n.d. |
3 / 12 | "My Experiences and
Investment in the Bad Lands of North Dakota and Some of the Men That I Met
There" [photocopy of manuscript only] |
n.d. |
Miscellany
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 13 | Sheet music (used by Christian Barthelmess in his role
as the Chief Musician of the 2nd Infantry U.S. Band) |
c1901 |
Clippings
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 18 | Articles in Powder County Examiner written by H.F.
Sinclair, under the pseudonym of Neckyoke Jones |
1945, 1968 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Photographers--Montana--Miles City
- German Americans--Montana--Miles City
Geographical Names
- Fort Keogh (Mont.)
- Miles City (Mont.)
- Mizpah Creek (Mont.)