Archives West Finding Aid

Personal and family correspondence written or received by Gustavus C. Doane, his first wife Amelia Link Doane, second wife Mary Hunter Doane, mother Nancy Davis Doane, and sister Anna G. Doane, and a few other friends and relatives. The earliest letters from California describe conditions there during the Civil War. Other exchanges between Gustavus and Mary Doane describe experiences at various frontier posts in Montana and Arizona. The most extensive files contain letters from Mary at the Presidio, California and Gustavus on duty in southeastern Arizona during the first half of 1886. The file of letters from 1894-1937 pertain to Mary Hunter Doane. The letters have been chronologically arranged.

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Orders, letters, minor reports, clothing and equipment returns, and other military documents created or collected by Gustavus Doane during his post-Civil War career. Correspondents include Nelson A. Miles, Samuel D. Sturgis, and James S. Brisbin. Many of the orders and letters are "true copies," prepared by Doane or at Doane's request from originals held elsewhere. The documents are chronologically arranged

Reports, notes, letters, printed materials and other original documents pertaining to specific subjects in Doane's life as identified by Merrill G. Burlingame in preparation for a biographical work. In general the documents in this series pertain specifically to the subject at hand, while those in series two could be interpreted to relate to several topics. Correspondents include John Gibbon, Doane's collaborator in the development of the Centennial Tent. Printed items gathered at the end of the series pertain to the Second U.S. Cavalry, the Howgate polar expedition, and general topics regarding the Indian wars and the frontier military. Oversize items have been removed from their appropriate files and stored elsewhere. The items have been replaced by separation notices within the files which have been indicated with an asterisk.

Originally letter books which Doane kept to track his own correspondence, but later adapted for the filing of receipts and return letters. Doane pasted the material within the volumes without maintaining any apparent order, and the inclusive dates of any of the four volumes are an estimate. Many of the letters pasted into the 1886-1891 book pertain to Doane's attempts to gain the superintendency of Yellowstone National Park.

Typed and handwritten research notes and transcriptions of original primary and secondary sources, both from this collection and those held elsewhere, prepared by Merrill G. Burlingame while preparing a biography of Gustavus C. Doane. The material has been gathered in subject files which repeat an supplement those found in series 3.

Two copy photographs of Gustavus C. Doane portraits from unidentified originals. The first photograph shows Doane close to the beginning of his postwar career, the second was obviously taken towards the end of his life.