Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower Records, 1889-1896
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower
- Title
- Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower Records
- Dates
- 1889-1896 (inclusive)18891896
- Quantity
- 1 linear foot, (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- Mss 076
- Summary
- Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower was a Missoula, Montana, law firm. The collection consists of outgoing correspondence and financial records from the law firm.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The law firm of Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower began in April 1889 in Missoula, Montana, as Fairchild and Cornish. It was founded by J.H. Fairchild, who came to western Montana in 1866 to explore the possibility of operating a steamboat between Lake Pend Oreille and the Jocko River. He left Montana to several years and returned to Missoula in September, 1888. The other founding partner was John Cornish, who came to Missoula in 1886 or 1887. In January 1890, the firm became Fairchild, Cornish & Company when J.A. Armitage and E.A Winstanley joined the firm. Armitage came to Missoula in 1889 from Helena, Montana, where he had been with a real estate firm. Winstanley came to Helena as Land Agent for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883. In 1885, he moved to Missoula, where he employed by the Big Blackfoot Milling Company. In Febuary 1891, the firm became Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower when E.H. Tower joined the firm. He had come to Missoula in summer of 1890 when he briefly joined M.E. Rutherford in a mining-real estate business.
The firm dealt mostly in real estate and land improvement.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of outgoing correspondence and financial records from the law firm. Correspondence is mostly with other attorneys in and outside Missoula on real estate dealings. Financial records document general finances of the firm, and also contain two volumes of property for sale in and around Missoula.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
[Name of document or photograph number], Cornish, Winstanley, and Tower Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
Series I: Correspondence, 2 volumes, 1889-1891
Series II: Financial Records, 8 volumes, 1889-1896
Custodial History
The collection was originally given to the Missoula Public Library, along with materials that have been processed as Mss 379, Mss 380, and Mss 381.
Acquisition Information
Transferred to the Archives from the Missoula Public Library, 1978.
Processing Note
The collection was originally arranged and described as LC 76. In 2004, the collection was re-numbered as Mss 076 and the finding aid was minimally revised and encoded.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Correspondence, 1889-1891Return to Top
This series contains outgoing correspondence in letterpress books. The correspondence, arranged chronologically, ranges from mundane exchanges with office suppliers, to more substantive correspondence on behalf of clients. Exchanges are mostly with other attorneys in and out of Montana.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| box-volume | ||
| 1/1 | 1889-1890 | |
| 1/2 | March-September, 1891 |
Series II: Financial Records, 1889-1896Return to Top
This series contains financial records from the law firm. Most concern the day to day business of collecting fees and dispersing them to the partners. Many of the records show an active continuing interest in Missoula real estate, particularly south of the Clark Fork River, and dealings with the South Missoula Land Company. Two volumes of records of property for sale list sales in and outside Missoula, giving quite detailed descriptions of land, timber, and other factors, and indicate dealings with and for Hiram Knowles and the Missoula Land Improvement Company.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| box-volume | ||
| 1/3 | General journal |
1889-1890 |
| 1/4 | General ledger |
1892 |
| 1/5 | Cash book |
1889-1891 |
| 2/6 | Cash book |
1891-1896 |
| 2/7 | Record of property for
sale |
undated |
| 2/8 | Record of property for
sale |
undated |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/4 | Miscellaneous |
1890 |
| box-volume | ||
| 2/10 | General ledger |
1889-1890 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Law firms--Montana -- Missoula
- Practice of law--Montana --Missoula
- Real estate development -- Montana--Missoula
- Real property--Montana -- Missoula
Form or Genre Terms
- Business records -- Montana--Missoula
Occupations
- Real estate lawyers -- Montana--Missoula
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Fairchild and Cornish (Missoula, Mont.)
- Fairchild, Cornish & Company (Missoula, Mont.)
Finding aid prepared by Jodi
Allison-Bunnell
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
