Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Lewis Penwell family papers, 1883-1959
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Penwell, Lewis, 1869-1947
- Title
- Lewis Penwell family papers
- Dates
- 1883-1959 (inclusive)18831959
- Quantity
- 1 linear foot of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 41 (collection)
- Summary
- Lewis Penwell (1869-1948) was a Helena, Montana, attorney, politician, and sheep rancher active in the Northwest Development League and the Western Governors' Special Tour of 1911. Papers (1883-1959) include correspondence, clippings, and miscellaneous materials of Lewis Penwell, Clare Avery Penwell, Fred Penwell, Sam Garvin, and Eva Ash Garvin.
- 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 is 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.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Lewis Penwell was born July 24, 1869, in Diamond City, Montana Territory, the son of Oscar E. and Anna Lewis Penwell. Lewis attended school in Montana until he entered Racine College in Wisconsin at the age of sixteen. Following his studies he traveled throughout Europe for a year, returning to attend Columbia University Law School in New York.
After graduation in 1892, Penwell was admitted to the Illinois bar and worked in a Chicago law firm until January 1893, when he returned to Montana. He became a law clerk for Judge Thomas C. Bach and later went into partnership, first with former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry N. Blake and then with Judge R. Lee Word. Penwell later opened a private practice in Helena.
A prominent member of the Democratic Party, Penwell was elected as a representative to the 1897 Legislative Assembly. He served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Lewis and Clark County and at one time was the chairman of the Democratic County Committee. He also worked for many years as the state collector of internal revenue. Penwell retired in June 1947.
Lewis Penwell also made substantial investments in the sheep industry and at one time was reputed to have one of the largest sheep herds in the world. Penwell revolutionized the sheep industry in Montana by placing the sheep he owned with ranchers throughout the state. These ranchers cared for the sheep, and once a year representatives of Penwell's operation collected the wool. The ranchers received a portion of the profits from the sale of the wool.
Dissatisfied with the federal government's policies concerning the Northwest, Lewis Penwell joined, and in 1911 was elected president of, the Northwest Development League. The League, dedicated to "the exploitation of the resources and opportunities" of the Northwest, worked to counteract the movement of settlers to Canada by enticing them to live in the Northwestern United States instead. The League held two meetings in 1911. The first, the Northwestern Development Congress, was held in Seattle in June, and the second, the Northwestern Lands Show (or Land Products Show), was held in December in St. Paul. The December meeting was preceded by the Western Governors' Special Tour, a railroad trip to the East made by the governors of Western states to try to bring the two sections of the country closer together on policies and other matters. Lewis Penwell was the treasurer for this Western Governors' Special.
In 1898 Lewis Penwell married Clare Avery, a native of Minnesota and daughter of F.D. Zickrick and Nancy Galligan. Clare Penwell was active in many Helena organizations, including the Students' Musical Club and The Current Topic Club. She died in the early 1930s. Penwell remarried, in February 1939, to Susannah Walters. Lewis Penwell died on March 20, 1948, in Tempe, Arizona.
Fred Penwell, the only child of Lewis and Clare Penwell, was born in 1900 and became a civil engineer. His wife, Priscilla Ash Garvin, was the daughter of Sam Garvin, a Montana sheep rancher, and Eva Ash, an early teacher in the state. Fred and Priscilla Penwell had four children: George, J. David, Lewis, and Priscilla.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of letters and memorabilia of Lewis Penwell and other family members: Clare Avery Penwell, Fred Penwell, and George Penwell. In addition, there is a large number of newspaper clippings (some kept in scrapbooks) concerning the Penwell family, the Northwest Development League, Northwestern Land Products Show, Western Governors' Special Tour, sheep raising, agriculture, etc. One segment of the collection contains letters, memorabilia, legal documents, and clippings for Sam and Eva Ash Garvin.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
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.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in manuscript volumes. See inventory below for more information.
Location of Collection
2:5-5Acquisition Information
Acquisition information available upon request
Separated Materials
Family photographs transferred to Photo Archives. Artifacts transferred to Museum. Map and printed material transferred to Library. See inventory below for more information.
Related Materials
See [Lewis Penwell family photographs] collection in Photo Archives: PAC 83-32.1-21
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Lewis Penwell Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Outgoing Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | Miscellaneous (includes letters to Louis Penwell's
mother Anna Lewis Penwell; two letters re sale of estate of Len Lewis; and letters
to his wife Clare Avery Penwell) |
1889-1916 |
Maps, Printed Material, Photographs |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 2 | List of maps, printed material, and photographs
transferred to Map Library, Library, and Photo Archives respectively |
|
Speeches |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 3 | Re comparison between United States and Canadian
governments' attitude towards reclamation, immigration, and support for settlers |
circa 1912 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 4 | Northwest Development League articles of
organization |
circa 1911 |
1 / 5 | Northwestern Land Products show program and menu |
1911 |
1 / 6 | Play, invitations, railroad passes, etc. |
1891, 1904, undated |
1 / 7 | Western Governors' Special Tour program and
itinerary |
1911 |
1 / 8 | List of artifacts transferred to the Museum |
|
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 9 | Lewis Penwell |
1902-1926, undated |
Volume | ||
1 | Lewis Penwell scrapbook |
1904-1916 |
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 10 | Northwest Development League |
1911 |
1 / 11 | Northwest Development League Congress |
1912, undated |
1 / 12-13 | Northwestern Land Products Show; Western Governors'
Conference |
1911-1912, undated |
1 / 14-15 | Western Governors' Special Tour |
1911, undated |
1 / 16 | Unattached clippings from scrapbook |
1904-1916 |
1 / 17 | Miscellaneous |
1905-1954, undated |
Penwell Family Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 18 | Clare Avery Penwell: diary, clippings, etc. |
1898,1902, 1905, undated |
1 / 19 | Clare Avery Penwell: students, Helena Musical Club
minute book, membership, etc. |
1898,1901, 1903, undated |
1 / 20 | Clare Avery Penwell: Current Topics Club [Helena]
program |
1914-1915 |
1 / 21 | Fred Penwell: postcard, ledger, clippings, Billings
Commercial Club report |
1906-1915, 1952, undated |
1 / 22 | George Penwell: school exam, graduation program |
1952, 1959 |
Garvin-Ash Family Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 1 | F.M. Ash; Sam Garvin |
1884,1889, 1893 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 2 | Notebook; Sam Garvin shoe repairs; etc. |
1928-1931 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 3 | Mortgages; bills of sale; etc. |
1884,1887, 1888 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 4 | "Resolutions of Condolence"; eulogy for Priscilla
Ash |
1897, 1913 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 5 | Garvin scrapbook |
1883-1933, undated |
2 / 6 | Unattached clippings from scrapbook |
1883-1933, undated |
2 / 7 | Miscellaneous |
1929-1952, undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Promotional societies--Montana
- Ranches--Montana
- Sheep ranches--Montana
Personal Names
- Penwell, Lewis, 1869-1947 (creator)
Geographical Names
- Camas Hot Springs (Hot Springs, Mont.)
- Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
- Helena (Mont.)--Social life and customs