Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Lucy Young Ford Letter, 1877 August 8
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Ford, Lucy Young
- Title
- Lucy Young Ford Letter
- Dates
- 1877 August 81877080818770808
- Quantity
- 1 item
- Collection Number
- Collection 2432, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Lucy Young Ford Letter was written by Mrs. Ford to her husband to report to him on her activities as a schoolteacher at the Blackfeet Agency. The letter mentions many of the couple's friends back east in the context of asking about their health and activities. Other descriptions include regarding the students in her school, a description of the funeral of an Indian child who was buried in the ground contrary to the tribe's traditional method, and the social and leisure activities of the Anglo members of the agency staff like amateur theatricals and playing croquet.
- 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
John Young was assigned to the Blackfeet Indian Agency in 1876 and served through 1883 when a famine killed a number of the Indian residents. His administration was controversial, with accusations surfacing that he had misappropriated funds earmarked for the Indians and gave choice employment positions to relatives. One relative in particular was his daughter, Lucy ("Dotie") Young Ford, who joined her father during the summer of 1877 as a schoolteacher. She was the wife of Edward Lloyd Ford, a publisher, born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Ford had come to New York in his early youth and was a Civil War veteran, having served in the Union Army. In 1867 he became a partner in the newly established publishing house of J. B. Ford and Co., whose major periodical publication was the Christian Union. He invented and patented folding combinations, folding and pasting apparatus, and devices for printing two sheets simultaneously, and for folding and pasting one within the other.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Ford letter, signed only as "Dotie," was written by Mrs. Ford to her husband to report to him on her activities as a schoolteacher at the Blackfeet Agency. The letter mentions many of the couple's friends back east in the context of asking about their health and activities. Mrs. Ford's description of the Blackfeet Agency includes information regarding the students in her school, and mentions several adult Blackfeet, specifically "Fancy Jim" and "White Calf." Particularly interesting is her description of the funeral of an Indian child who was buried in the ground, contrary to the tribe's traditional method of using scaffolds. She also describes the social and leisure activities of the Anglo members of the agency staff like amateur theatricals and playing croquet. Mrs. Ford also mentions "Mr. Warner" and "Mr. Welch" as agency employees. A stamped, addressed envelope is included with the letter.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life-Montana
- Siksika Indians-Education-Montana
- Siksika Indians-Funeral customs and rites-Montana
- Siksika Indians-Montana
- Women teachers-Montana-Great Blackfeet Reservation-Correspondence
Personal Names
- Fancy Jim
- Ford, Edward Lloyd-Correspondence
- White Calf
Corporate Names
- United States-Office of Indian Affairs-Blackfeet Agency
- United States-Office of Indian Affairs-Blackfeet Agency-Officials and employees-Social life and customs
Geographical Names
- Great Blackfeet Reservation (Mont.)
Kim Allen Scott, 2009
October 8, 2019
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
