Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Walter H. McLeod Motion Pictures, 1924-1937
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- McLeod, Walter H., 1887-1963
- Title
- Walter H. McLeod Motion Pictures
- Dates
- 1924-1937 (inclusive)19241937
- Quantity
- 35 16mm films
- Collection Number
- Mss 693
- Summary
- This collection contains thirty-five 16mm motion picure films, primarily from the 1930s. The majority of the films are of locations and events in Western Montana.
- 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
- visual
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Walter H. McLeod was born in Missoula, Montana, on September 30, 1887 to Charles Herbert and Clara Louise (Beckwith) McLeod. He graduated from Missoula County High School and continued his education at the University of Montana, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
He left college to begin his career with his father's Missoula Mercantile Company in 1911. In 1920 he became Vice President and in 1941, upon the retirement of his father, he became president of the Mercantile and of the Kalispell Mercantile Company. He became president of the Hotel Florence Company in 1939 and of the Demers Mercantile Company in Arlee, Montana, in 1942. He was also a director of the Hammond Lumber Company of San Francisco from 1941 to 1958, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company from 1948-1961, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis from 1948 to 1950, the Montana Power Company from 1955 to 1962, and the Montana Taxpayers Association from 1944 to 1961. Long active in Republican politics, he never entered public service directly, but the Mercantile provided considerable support for Republican interests.
The Missoula Mercantile and its branches and affiliates were one of the largest business concerns of the Pacific Northwest. Allied Stores Corporation purchased the Missoula Mercantile Company in 1959 for $1,056,000.
McLeod was also active in the Boy Scouts of America; Missoula Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Rotary Club of Missoula; Missoula Chamber of Commerce; and the Missoula Country Club.
Walter McLeod married Olive Wheeler, daughter of Charles S. and Lillian (Marsh) Wheeler in San Francisco in 1915. They had three children: Olive Brewster, Walter Herbert Jr., and Clara Marsh. McLeod died in Missoula on September 13, 1963.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of thirty-six 16mm motion picture films, primarily from the 1930s. The majority of the films are of locations and events in Western Montana including the Missoula County Fair, the Missoula Mercantile's picnics, and the Helmville Rodeo. A few of the home movies are from South Dakota and California and probably document family trips to these areas.
The majority of the films had been given brief titles prior to their arrival at the Archives. Whenever the title appeared to match the contents of the film the title was retained.
Although it is possible that the films were all shot by Walter H. McLeod, it is also possible that he commissioned at least a portion of them either for his personal use or to document the activities of the Missoula Mercantile.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
A grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation funded the preservation reformatting of four films in this collection: Reels 10, 16, 23, and 35. The Mansfield Library paid for the preservation reformatting of Reel 1. DVD copies of all films in this collection are available at the Archives.
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive intellectual property rights held by the University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
Walter H. McLeod Motion Pictures, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The films are arranged according to numbers written on the film canisters prior to their arrival at the Archives. However, some numbers in the sequence were missing (for example, no film 14 was donated to the Archives) and some numbers were duplicated (there were two number 5 films.) Also, upon viewing the films it was discovered that the written description of the contents did not always match the film itself. Consequently, the films were assigned new numbers by the Archives.
Custodial History
These films were donated to the Archives by Mary Pitch, granddaughter of Walter McLeod, in 2007.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mary Pitch, 2007.
Processing Note
Films were assigned reel numbers upon their arrival at the Archives and arranged by that number during processing. A DVD copy was made of each film to discern contents.
In 2021, all motion picture films were cleaned, cored, and rehoused for preservation purposes. Reel 20, a commerical film, was removed from the collection during reprocessing.
Related Materials
Archives and Special Collections holds the Walter H. McLeod Papers (Mss 002) and the Charles H. McLeod Papers (Mss 001).
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Reel | ||
| 1 | Missoula County Fair (Montana) Man holding baby at fairgrounds; Missoula Mercantile Company display; Crowd in grandstand; Equestrian show and horse racing; Marching band; Cattle show.
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
1924 |
| 2 | Mt. Rushmore (South Dakota) Landscape shots of the Badlands
16 mm
Black and White, 200 ft, No Sound
|
1934 |
| 3 | The Bend School girls exiting a building and walking down the street in pairs; Children playing near creek, and in yard; Train pulls in and a passenger is greeted; Horseback riding in the woods; Swimming in lake; Children playing.
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 4 | Miles City (Montana) Harvesting grain with steam technology; Miscellaneous scenes of farm life; Man speaking to crowd from the bed of a pickup truck.
Original title on film can: Miles City - Loisell
16 mm
Black and White, 300 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 5 | Red and White Picnic (Montana) People eating, playing games, and listening to music.
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 6 | Plains Fair (Montana) Crowd of men and women seated in bleachers; Two women and two small girls getting into car; Interior of car; McLeod family in front of house; McGowan Commercial Company exterior, men shaking hands with each other; Town landscapes and rail yard; Family gathered around car; Bucking broncos; Roping calves; Bison grazing.
16 mm
Black and White, 300ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 7 | California Football game in stadium; Child feeding birds; Children playing; Results of a hunting trip: birds(?) and a large wild cat.
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 8 | Monterey (California) Woman in garden; California coastline; Various houses and missions on the coast; Marina and wharves.
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 9 | Red and White Picnic (Montana) Pitching horseshoes, sack race, foot race, and other games; Men in black face.
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 10 | Missoula County Fair (Montana) Farm machinery exhibit, Missoula Mercantile / McCormick-Deering Company; Livestock exhibit; Higgins Avenue looking north; Front Street looking east; Elks Building; Interior of Missoula Mercantile, women’s clothing department.
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
1928 |
| 11 | Coronation of George VI Newsreel of Coronation
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
1937 |
| 12 | Father Taelman / Mission / Native Americans (St. Ignatius, Montana) Father Taelman's golden jubilee; procession of priests and church officials out of St. Ignatius Catholic Church; Native Americans in traditional dress, riding horses, dancing, talking with Fr. Taelman; Priest dancing with Natice Americans; large crowd watching dance; parade.
16 mm
Black and White on tinted film stock (red), 400 ft, No Sound
|
1935 |
| 13 | Seeley Lake / Fallen Trees (Montana) Pitching horseshoes, swimming in lake, eating, golfing, posing for family portraits; Cabins and cars crushed by fallen trees; Crowd of young people waiting at Missoula’s Northern Pacific railroad depot, boarding train.
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 14 | The Bend Boys play on the banks of a river; Cabins and bungalows on river bank; Family playing games, joyriding in cars, riding horses, hiking, shooting practice, eating; Wildlife (deer, bear); A team of horses pulling farming implement; Two young black bears with chains around their necks drinking soda pop out of bottles.
16 mm
Black and White, 425 ft, No Sound
|
1929 |
| 15 | Missoula Mercantile Costume Party (Montana) Couples in costume; picnic, pitching horseshoes, serving dinner.
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
1935 |
| 16 | Helmville Rodeo (Montana) Crowd picnicking in tent; men on horseback; close-ups of riders; rodeo clown; bucking bronco contest; airplane flies over rodeo grounds
16 mm
Black and White, 425 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 17 | Red and White convention, St. Regis (Montana) Men and women standing in front of Mercantile; Butchers outside grocery store; Milkman; Mechanic working at Standard Oil repair shop; Men standing at entrance of St. Regis Camp, exiting a brick building; Families standing outside mercantile; Men eating at a banquet (Kiwanis Club?); Man does hand stand down the sidewalk; Man walking across log in front of waterfall, views of mountains, couple viewing waterfall.
16 mm
Black and White, 300 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 18 | Trail Ride Above Lindberg Lake (Montana) Landscape shots of lake and surrounding countryside, mountains; Man in front of cabin; Group of people riding horses on a trail, sitting on high-altitude rock escarpment above lake, coming down the mountain, cooking around campfire; Airplane; Bucking broncos (same as Reel 6), roping calves (same as Reel 6), buffalo grazing (same as Reel 6)
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 19 | The Story of India Tea Commercial film (origin unknown) describing, through subtitles and images, the technical process of manufacturing tea in India, from clearing the fields to harvesting.
16 mm
Black and White, 300 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1931 |
| 20 | (Commercial film - deaccessioned in 2021) |
|
| 21 | Sugar Beet Plant (Montana) Processing of beets on assembly line; factory scenes of sugar production
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 22 | California Trip Chained baby and adolescent bears drink soda from bottles; Auto ferry “Spokane” unloads; Shots of dry, arid landscape; Multunomah Falls; Bungalows and cabins in wooded area.
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 23 | Flavorite Apples (Montana) Trucks being loaded with crates at warehouse; Women working on assembly line in what looks like an apple processing and packing facility. The women sort, pack, and label apples. Men hammer the crates closed and transport them. Scene of orchard with ripe apples. Crates sit in the orchard. Surrounding fields show teepees; Flock of sheep in pasture; Cows feeding from trough; Child riding horse in front of rustic-looking mansion; Landscape shots; Shots of outbuildings; Rodeo gathering, a band plays, bucking bronco contest.
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 24 | Red and White Picnic (Montana) Large group of families eating and playing lawn games; Missoula Mercantile truck in background near end of film.
16 mm
Black and White, 425 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 25 | St. Ignatius / Native American Dancing (Montana) Parade: Catholic nuns; “1841 Father De Smet In the Bitterroot Valley” float; “1847 Hudson’s Bay Company at Post Creek” float; “1854 Founding of St. Ignatius” float; “1855 Isaac Stevens at Hell Gate” float; “1891 Chief Charlo in the Jocko Valley” float; “Mill Creek IECW Camp” float; Native Americans mounted on horses; man playing fiddle; dancing and playing drums.
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 26 | Winter Sports (Montana) Ice skating in front of Missoula’s Northern Pacific Depot; Children playing in snow storm; Sledding; Cross-country and downhill skiing on small hill.
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 27 | Glacier National Park (Montana) Landscape shots of river, canyon, mountains, glacier, settlement; Swimming in lake.
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
1928 |
| 28 | Helmville Rodeo (Montana) Horse races, bucking bronco, bull riding, roping.
16 mm
Black and White, 225 ft, No Sound
|
Summer 1934 |
| 29 | Miles City Parade for Railroad (Montana) Parade: wagons, marching bands, horses, American Indians, “Heap Rain Soon! Lakin Seed Co.” wagon; Northern Pacific track laying crew demonstration float; Great Northern Railway Empire Builder float; Milwaukee Road float; Montana State College agriculture float; Montana Flour Mills float; Montana Wool Growers float; Helena floats; Stockmen’s float; Treasure County float; stage coaches; Sheridan Brewing Company float; other unidentified floats; Men disembarking from train; Girls playing in yard with dog.
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 30 | Turkey Farm Large flock of turkeys in pen
16 mm
Black and White, 150 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 31 | Sugar Beets (Montana) Horses pulling wagon full of beats; Truck driving through fields with men pitching beets in the back; Man displays armfuls of large beets; Scenes of working in beet fields.
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 32 | Sheep Shearing and Fish Hatchery (Montana) Men shearing sheep; Detailed footage of Mission Range Trout Company hatchery operations.
16 mm
Black and White, 250 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 33 | Down the Colorado River Target practice in desert landscape in front of a cabin labeled “Big 4 Mining Co.”; Boating on Colorado River; Camping on Colorado River.
16 mm
Color, 400 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1960s |
| 34 | Agriculture (Montana) Two men talk outside warehouse; Transporting farm machinery on a Missoula Mercantile / McCormick-Deering Farm Equipment truck; Harvesting(?) beets(?) or discing / plowing with a tractor; Missoula Mercantile truck loaded with boxes pulls into the store in Missoula; A horse-drawn wagon brings grass (hay? alfalfa?) to the spot where it is hoisted onto enormous mounds; Turkeys.
16 mm
Black and White, 350 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
| 35 | Apple Packing / Hammond Building Fire (Montana) Crowd of men on street, unloading a truc,; listening to farmer speaking; Unloading crates in orchard, assembling crates, packing crates of apples, coffee/lunch break, apple picking and packing. Fighting fire at Hammond Building, Missoula, views of Wilma Building (1932).
16 mm
Black and White, 400 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1932 |
| 36 | Beets in Spring (Montana) Tractors and horses pulling farm machinery across fields; Men loading seeder; Fields and outbuildings; Boy playing with cat and dog, boy playing banjo.
16 mm
Black and White, 225 ft, No Sound
|
ca. 1930s |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Agricultural exhibitions--Montana--Missoula County
- Picknicking--Montana--Missoula County
- Rodeos--Montana--Helmville
Corporate Names
- Helmville Rodeo (Helmville, Mont.)
- Missoula County Fair (Missoula County, Mont.)
- Missoula Mercantile Company
Family Names
- McLeod family
Geographical Names
- California--Description and travel
- Helmville (Mont.)--Social life and customs--20th century
- Missoula County (Mont.)--Social life and customs--20th century
- Montana--Social life and customs--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- Home movies--Montana--Missoula County
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Taelman, Louis, b. 1867
Finding aid prepared by Donna
McCrea
2009
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
