Samuel T. Hauser Papers, 1862-1910

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hauser, Samuel Thomas, 1833-1914
Title
Samuel T. Hauser Papers
Dates
1862-1910
Quantity
.2 linear feet
Collection Number
Collection 0283, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Samuel T. Hauser Papers consist mainly of business correspondence and papers concerning his various mining and power company interests. Also included is a letter he wrote to his sister in 1862 during a trip up the Missouri River to Fort Benton and through the Bitterroot Mountains. Photocopies of a letter from Fanny Clark Fitzhugh to her daughter and a deed for the loan of a slave to Fanny's husband are also included in the papers. Hauser's certificate as the appointed commissioner to represent the Territory of Montana at the centennial celebration of George Washington's inauguration is also in the papers. Pictures of the 1908 wreckage of Hauser Dam and a photograph of Hauser are included.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Samuel T. Hauser was born in Falmouth, Kentucky on January 10, 1833. In 1854, at the age of 21 he moved to Missouri to work as a civil engineer for various railroad companies. He became the assistant engineer in the construction of the Missouri Pacific and Northern Pacific Railroads. By 1862, he was the chief engineer of the Lexington Branch. That same year he traveled west, arriving at Fort Benton in June, crossing the country to the headwaters of the Columbia River prospecting for gold. By the end of 1862, he had settled in Bannack. Along with M. P. Langford, he organized a bank, S. T. Hauser and Company, in Virginia City in 1865, a business endeavor that did not last long. He proved much more successful when he organized the First National Bank of Helena the following year. Banks opened in Butte, Fort Benton, and Missoula as well. In 1893, however, the silver panic and nation-wide depression caused the bank to fail, forcing Hauser to close the doors of the First National Bank for good in 1896. Hauser also became involved in various mining companies. He built the first furnace in the territory of Montana at Argenta as well as the first silver mill with the Hope Mining Company. One of his largest mining businesses was the Helena and Livingston Smelting and Reduction Company. He joined with A. J. Davis and Granville Stuart to form the gigantic DHS Cattle Company, which became the Pioneer Cattle Company in 1883. In 1907, the Hauser Dam was completed on the Missouri River. The steel-plated dam collapsed only a year later. Politically, Hauser was one of the most influential leaders of early Montana history. In 1884, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In July 1885, President Grover Cleveland appointed him as the governor of the Territory of Montana, but he resigned from the post after 18 months. Samuel T. Hauser died on November 10, 1914.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Samuel T. Hauser papers consist mainly of business correspondence and papers concerning his various mining and power company interests. Also included is a letter he wrote to his sister in 1862 during a trip up the Missouri River to Fort Benton and through the Bitterroot Mountains. Photocopies of a letter from Fanny Clark Fitzhugh to her daughter and a deed for the loan of a slave to Fanny's husband are also included in the papers. Fitzhugh was the sister of Captain William Clark and the grandmother of Hauser's wife. Hauser's certificate as the appointed commissioner to represent the Territory of Montana at the centennial celebration of George Washington's inauguration is also in the papers. Pictures of the 1908 wreckage of Hauser Dam and a photograph of Hauser are included.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The Samuel T. Hauser Papers were donated to Special Collections by Robert H. Fletcher in 1964. This collection incorporates material formerly accessioned as collection 1393.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 January 29

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Samuel T. Hauser, Letter to Susan Emeline Hauser, sister, August 26, 1862Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/1

Samuel T. Hauser, Business Correspondence, 1876-1881Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/2

Business Correspondence, 1887-1892Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/3

Business Correspondence, 1895-1899Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/4

Business Correspondence, 1901-1904Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/5

Business Correspondence, 1905-1910Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/6

Samuel T. Hauser, Miscellaneous Business Papers, 1894-1899Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/7

Business Papers, 1903-1906Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/8

Business Papers, undatedReturn to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/9

Helena and Livingston Smelting and Reduction Company, List of Stockholders:, July 16, 1895, December 13, 1897, April 20, 1900, October 8, 1903Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/10

Helena and Livingston Smelting and Reduction Company, Annual report to stockholders by president Samuel T. Hauser, 1905Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/11

Contract for loan of slave to D. Fitzhugh by Edmund Clark, January 1, 1812Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/12

Fanny Clark Fitzhugh, letter to daughter, July 6, 1820Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/13

Photographs, #1-4Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/14

Container(s) Description Dates
#1 Samuel T. Hauser
#2-4 Hauser Dam wreckage
1908

Certificate of the appointment of Governor Samuel T. Hauser to be a commissioner to represent Montana at the George Washington inauguration centennialReturn to Top

Container(s): Folder Oversize 1

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Capitalists and financiers-Montana
  • Dam failures-Montana-Photographs
  • Mines and mineral resources-Montana
  • Power resources-Montana

Personal Names

  • Fitzhugh, Fanny Clark

Geographical Names

  • Bitterroot Range (Idaho and Montana)-Description and travel
  • Hauser Dam (Mont.)
  • Missouri River-Description and travel

Form or Genre Terms

  • Business records-Montana