Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Martin and Louise Maginnis papers, 1864-1912
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Maginnis, Martin, 1841-1919
- Title
- Martin and Louise Maginnis papers
- Dates
- 1864-1912 (inclusive)18641912
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 50 (collection)
- Summary
- Martin Maginnis (1841-1919) was a Democratic Montana Territorial Delegate to Congress from 1872 to 1882; a member of the 1889 Montana Constitutional Convention; and newspaper publisher. He married Louise E. Mann (b. 1847) in 1868. This collection consists primarily of incoming correspondence to both Martin and Louise Maginnis, outgoing correspondence, misc. correspondence, court papers, legal documents, and a scrapbook. Incoming correspondence includes some typescript copies.
- 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 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
Martin Maginnis was born in western New York on October 27, 1841, the son of Irish immigrant parents. He later moved with his parents to a farm in Minnesota. After finishing school, Maginnis started work as a newspaperman on the Redwing Sentinel.
In response to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers, Maginnis joined the First Minnesota Infantry Regiment as a sergeant. He served with his regiment in the battles of First and Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and others. By the time of his discharge at the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of major.
After a brief return to his newspaper career in Minnesota, Maginnis joined the gold rush, arriving in Helena, Montana Territory, in September 1866. Finding little success as a gold prospector, he resumed his journalism career. In partnership with others, he published the Rocky Mountain Gazette, which later became the Helena Independent. In 1868 he married Louise E. Mann of Pontiac, Michigan. Louise was born in 1847 to Irish parents and was a benedictine.
In 1872, Maginnis, a Democrat, was elected Montana's territorial delegate to Congress. As a non-voting delegate, he promoted military expansion, reduction of the size of Montana's Indian reservations, railroad building, and land and timber laws to encourage settlement of Montana. After his retirement from Congress in 1885, Maginnis continued his political activity as a delegate to the 1889 Constitutional Convention and as an unsuccessful candidate for Montana's first U.S. Senator. He and William A. Clark were defeated by Republicans Wilbur F. Sanders and Thomas C. Power. Maginnis later served as U.S. Mineral Land Commissioner. In this position, he was successful in preventing the railroad land grants from including mineral rights. These rights were reserved by the federal government for individual developers.
Martin Maginnis died in 1919 in California.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The papers consist primarily of incoming correspondence concerning politics, Indian agency administration, the military, and railroad development. In addition there is a small amount of outgoing correspondence, a scrapbook, speeches, and writings. Most of the letters have been transcribed, and the transcriptions are filed with the originals.
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 series. Some material housed in oversize folder in archives map case. Some material housed in manuscript volumes. See inventory below for more information.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Biographical Materials Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | "Partial sketch of the civil and military service of
Major Martin Maginnis" from Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, vol.
8; "Memorial on the death of Comrade Martin Maginnis" |
1917, 1919 |
Incoming Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 2 | A (correspondents include Lyman Abbott, J. B.
Aleshire) |
1875-1907 |
| 1 / 3 | I.G. Baker and Company |
1874 |
| 1 / 4 | Chauncey Barbour |
1876 |
| 1 / 5 | August Belmont |
1904 |
| 1 / 6 | James G. Blaine |
1874, undated |
| 1 / 7 | Charles A. Broadwater |
1873-1883 |
| 1 / 8 | B (correspondents include W.G. Barkley, Laurence
Barrett, Clarence C. Bennett, Henry N. Blake, Charles P. Blakely, J.V. Bogert, Theodor
Borup, J.R. Boyce, E.G. Brooke, John P. Bruce, Agnes K. Buckingham) |
1873-1888 |
| 1 / 9 | James E. Callaway (includes report of Secretary of
Montana Territory) |
1874-1875, 1883 |
| 1 / 10 | John Caplice |
1874-1876 |
| 1 / 11 | W.F. Chadwick |
1873-1883 |
| 1 / 12 | William A. Clark |
1874-1904 |
| 1 / 13 | Walter Cooper |
1874-1904 |
| 1 / 14 | Daniel C. Corbin |
1882-1884 |
| 1 / 15 | John Schuyler Crosby |
1884 |
| 1 / 16 | Crow Indian Agency |
1874-1878 |
| 1 / 17 | Thomas Cruse |
1884 |
| 1 / 18 | William E. Cullen |
1875-1884 |
| 1 / 19 | C (correspondents include George Q. Cannon, A.
Carmichael, A.M. Carpenter, E. Casserly, George Clendenin Jr., Heister Clymer, George
S. Coleman, Patrick S. Collins, T.E. Collins, Harry R. Comly, L.W. Cooke, George F.
Cope, H. Countryman, T.A. Cummings) |
1873-1903 |
| 1 / 20 | Marcus Daly |
1884 |
| 1 / 21 | Walter W. DeLacy |
1874 |
| 1 / 22 | T.J. DeMers (letter from DeMers to Maginnis
forwarding a statement made by Flathead Indian chief Michel to the Justice of the
Peace for Missoula County; in his statement Michel declares that the Flathead Indians
have been ill-used by Indian agent Major Daniel Shanahan and demands that Shanahan be
removed) |
1874 |
| 1 / 23 | William W. Dixon |
1874 |
| 1 / 24 | D (correspondents include John Davis, J.C.P. de
Krafft, Dennis Driscoll, Michael Duffy) |
1874-1907 |
| 1 / 25 | E (correspondents include Thomas R. Edwards, Alex J.
Elder, S.B. Elkins, J. Ellis) |
1874-1883 |
| 1 / 26 | F (correspondents include Adrian W. Fellows, Stephen
J. Field, D.H. Floyd, D.L. Floyd-Jones, George W. Frost, T.P. Fuller) |
1877-1892 |
| 1 / 27 | John G. Gibbon |
1877-1889 |
| 1 / 28 | Jay Gould |
1878-1879 |
| 1 / 29 | G (correspondents include William J. Galbraith, ____
Galen, Owen Garrigan, Paris Gibson, Mahlin N. Gilbert, William Graham) |
1874-1903 |
| 1 / 30 | Benjamin Harrison |
1885 |
| 1 / 31 | Samuel T. Hauser |
1874-1883 |
| 1 / 32 | John J. Healy |
1875-1878 |
| 1 / 33 | Christopher P. Higgins |
1877-1878 |
| 1 / 34 | James J. Hill |
1905-1906 |
| 1 / 35 | J.B. Hubbell |
1880-1883 |
| 1 / 36 | H (correspondents include Benjamin F. Hall, J. H.
Hamilton, Winfield Scott Hancock, J. E. Harvey, Edward Hatch. H. A. Herbert, C. W.
Higley, Robert W. Hill, C. W. Hoffman, H. R. Horr, A. J. Hunter, George L. Hurst) |
1873-1885 |
| 2 / 1 | J (correspondents include J. A. Johnston, James K.
Jones) |
1876-1897 |
| 2 / 2 | Hiram Knowles |
1876 |
| 2 / 3 | K (correspondents include David Kenealy, H. A.
Kennerly, Charles and William King) |
1874-1880 |
| 2 / 4 | L.F. LaCroix |
1873-1885 |
| 2 / 5 | Nathaniel P. Langford |
1874-1876 |
| 2 / 6 | S.W. Langhorne |
1874-1885 |
| 2 / 7 | L (correspondents include A. Lamme, Daniel S. Lamont,
J. B. LeBlond, M. M. Lockwood, Thomas J. Lowry, William Lyman, Philip Lynch) |
1874-1906 |
| 2 / 8 | Perry W. McAdow |
1874-1880 |
| 2 / 9 | John McCormick |
1874-1881 |
| 2 / 10 | Washington J. McCormick |
1874-1881 |
| 2 / 11 | Grant Marsh |
1880 |
| 2 / 12 | Nelson A. Miles |
1878-1888 |
| 2 / 13 | James H. Mills |
1877-1879 |
| 2 / 14 | M (correspondents include Paul McCormick, M. McQuirk,
H. N. Maguire, R. F. May, William Mayger, A. E. Mayhew, M. A. Meyendorff, S. Miller,
A. R. Mininger, George W. Monroe, William Morris) |
1864, 1873-1904 |
| 2 / 15 | Thomas F. Oakes |
1882-1883, 1894 |
| 2 / 16 | O.B. O'Bannon |
1876 |
| 2 / 17 | Pat O'Brien |
1876 |
| 2 / 18 | C.C. O'Keefe |
1874 |
| 2 / 19 | John Owen |
1874 |
| 2 / 20 | Fitz John Porter |
1881-1884, undated |
| 2 / 21 | Benjamin F. Potts |
1874-1882 |
| 2 / 22 | Thomas C. Power |
1874-1877 |
| 2 / 23 | P (correspondents include J. W. Parker, R. Parkhurst,
F. E. W. Patton, F. D. Pease, C. W. Penrose, W. H. Penrose, A. Plummer, Mrs. C. W.
Power) |
1874-1904 |
| 2 / 24 | Patrick Quinn |
1874 |
| 2 / 25 | Peter Ronan |
1873-1880 |
| 2 / 26 | William S. Rosecrans |
1885 |
| 2 / 27 | R (correspondents include John Rainsford, J. C.
Robinson, C. P. Rodgers, John Roosa) |
1874-1883 |
| 2 / 28 | Wilbur F. Sanders |
1874 |
| 2 / 29 | Philip H. Sheridan |
1874-1882 |
| 2 / 30 | William T. Sherman |
1878 |
| 2 / 31 | S (correspondents include H. H. Sargent, Carl Schurz,
M. V. Sheridan, James H. Shields, Addison Smith, Andrew J. Smith, Robert B. Smith, W.
E. Smith, John A. Soper, Emory Speer, W. M. Springer, G. W. Stapleton, Charles Stone,
J. H. D. Street, Alf Sully, W. H. Sutherlin) |
1873-1900 |
| 3 / 1 | John W. Tattan |
1877-1882 |
| 3 / 2 | Alfred H. Terry |
1880 |
| 3 / 3 | T (correspondents include B. H. Tatem, Phil Thorpe,
E. W. Toole, Joseph K. Toole, Gordon J. Tupper, Charles W. Turner) |
1873-1884 |
| 3 / 4 | U (U.S. General Land Office; U.S. War Deptartment,
unknown) |
1873-1906 |
| 3 / 5 | Union Pacific Railroad Company |
1876 |
| 3 / 6 | V (correspondents include L. VanGorp, Henry Villard) |
1883-1884 |
| 3 / 7 | Decius S. Wade |
1879-1883 |
| 3 / 8 | Charles S. Warren |
1878-1885 |
| 3 / 9 | William F. Wheeler |
1878 |
| 3 / 10 | E.S. Wilkinson |
1873-1877 |
| 3 / 11 | Frank H. Woody |
1874 |
| 3 / 12 | A.M. Woolfolk |
1876-1885 |
| 3 / 13 | C.B. Wright |
1876-1878 |
| 3 / 14 | W (correspondents include William Wadsworth, E. B.
Waterbury, Thomas Watson, Daniel J. Welch, Gen. Whipple, A. H. Wilder, H. F. Williams,
Thomas Williams, John R. Wilson, R. H. Wilson, C. S. Woodruff) |
1873-1912 |
Outgoing Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 15 | Miscellaneous (includes letters to Secretary of the
Treasury, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, William T. Sherman, Montana Press, U. S. Post
Office Dept., Mrs. Howie) |
1874-1881, 1904 |
General Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 16 | James Callaway; Samuel T. Hauser; William L. Irvine |
1874, 1876, 1880 |
Miscellaneous Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 17 | Letters neither to nor from Martin Maginnis (includes
C. Delano to Matthew McQuirk, Benjamin F. Potts to Charles A. Broadwater, Mary
Emesrich to Margaret C. Bach, T. B. Miller to Margaret C. Bach, Nelson A. Miles to J.
D. Cameron, John Alderson to P. W. McAdow, Robert E. Strahorn to Jay Gould, Ulysses S.
Grant to H. A. Barnum, Robert L. McCulloh to Charles A. Broadwater, G. C. Swallow to
John H. McInnery, William Lochren to A. H. Runge, unnamed mother to Walter Willett,
undated postcard) |
1873-1898 |
Court Papers Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 18 | U.S. vs. Joseph Milligan and John Thomas; U.S. vs.
I've Neill |
1873 |
Legal Documents Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 19 | Affidavits to loss of horses and equipment in 1863;
power of attorney; bill of sale; petition for Western Montana Agricultural, Mechanical
and Mineral Association; Indian trader's license |
1863-1875 |
Speeches Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 20 | Miscellaneous (re personal observations on various
military campaigns, re future of Indian tribes, Army appropriation bill, statue of
Marcus Daly, World War I, Decoration Day) |
1878-1907 |
| 3 / 21 | Miscellaneous (re education, Ireland, Louisiana
Purchase, Declaration of Independence) |
undated |
Writings Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 22 | Trip to Montana from Minnesota, 1866
[incomplete] |
undated |
| 3 / 23 | Poetry |
1901-1902, undated |
Miscellany Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 24 | Certificates of appointment; election; etc. |
1883-1909 |
| 3 / 25 | Invitations; programs; passes; calling cards |
1872-1904, undated |
| Oversize Folder | ||
| 1 | Miscellaneous invitations; programs; passes [Map
Case] |
undated |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 26 | Report of the U.S. Congress Subcommittee on Military
Affairs in favor of Thomas P. Fuller |
1880 |
| 3 / 27 | Request of Legislative Assembly of Montana Territory
to U.S. Congress for land grants to railroads (includes typescript copy) |
1877 |
| 3 / 28 | Sketch of the Missouri River from Two Calf Island to
Judith River |
undated |
| 3 / 29 | Tax receipts |
1886 |
| Oversize Folder | ||
| 1 | U.S. House Joint Memorial re Crow Indian Reservation;
U.S. House Joint Resolution re cattle diseases and National Cattle Trail |
1874-1879 |
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Scrapbook of clippings re Martin Maginnis (includes
some correspondence) |
circa 1870- 1890 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Crow Indians--Government Relations
- Indian Reservations
- Indians of North America--Land Tenure
- Military Bases
- Mines and Mineral Resources--Montana
- Railroads--Design and Construction
- Trading Posts
Personal Names
- Maginnis, Martin, 1841-1919 (creator)
Geographical Names
- Helena (Mont.)
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Finding aid prepared by Brian Cockhill, circa 1975
1975
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
