Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Helen Jane Olson Papers, 1947-1984
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Olson, Helen Jane, 1898-1984
- Title
- Helen Jane Olson Papers
- Dates
- 1947-1984 (inclusive)19471984
- Quantity
- 0.75 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 126 (collection)
- Summary
- Helen Jane Olson was a Miles City, Montana, writer who concentrated on historical fiction. The collection contains correspondence, personal items, and a few unpublished literary works.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 4062432053
Fax: 4062434067
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and the University of Montana--Missoula.
- 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
Helen Jane Olson was born in Scotland on May 29, 1898, to William and Mary Ann (Stewart) Barron. She emigrated to the western United States, and married Edward H. Olson in 1938 in Seattle, Washington. The couple settled in Miles City, Montana, where she worked as a teacher. Olson attended Miles City Community College, then transferred to the University of Montana in Missoula. In June, 1947, she graduated from the university with degrees in both history and political science, and with many credits in English as well. She went on to study writing instruction with Dr. George Savage, first at the University of Washington, then at the University of Southern California. She died in Miles City on March 1, 1984.
Olson wrote poetry, short stories, and plays. In 1974, Vantage Press published two of her plays, You Wouldn't Dare and Long to Remember. Her work reflects her interest in history and political science, concentrating on historical fiction. Several unfinished short stories, however, are both personal and emotional.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection includes correspondence (1973-1978), a few legal documents and financial records (1947-1977), memorial items (1961 and 1984), unpublished literary works (1954-1984), and research materials. Olson wrote letters to numerous publishers about her work, and received acknowledgments from universities and historical societies for donating copies of her plays. The legal documents and financial records range from a University of Washington Extension Credit Certificate, to a tax assessment receipt, to a receipt for attorney's fees. Memorial items in the collection are limited to her husband's obituary and a few items from her own funeral. Her unpublished works include poems and short stories.
The bulk of the collection is research material for a three-act play Olson was planning on the life of Robert E. Lee. The research consists mostly of transcripts of published biographies of Civil War generals: Lee the American by Bradford, Lee by Freeman, Meet General Grant by Woodward, Rise and Fall of Rebel Government by Davis, and Sherman - Fighting Prophet by Lewis. Also included are excerpts from Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows and Cheney's The Theatre.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
[Name of document or photograph number], Helen Jane Olson Papers, Archives and Special Collections, The University of Montana--Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is divided into five series:
Series I: General Correspondence, 3 folders, 1973-1978
Series II: Legal Documents/Financial Records, 1 folder, 1947-1977
Series III: Memorial Service Items, 1 folder, 1961-1984
Series IV: Unpublished Works, 2 folders, circa 1954-1984
Series V: Research/Notes, 7 folders, undated
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: General Correspondence , 1973-1978Return to Top
The correspondence is divided into three folders: letters from Vantage Press to Olson regarding publication of her plays (1973-1976), drafts of letters from Olson to various publishers promoting her plays (1978), and letters from universities and historical societies acknowledging receipt of her book (1975-1976).
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Correspondence from Vantage Press
|
1973-1976. |
| 1/2 | Drafts of letters from Olson to
various publishers |
1978. |
| 1/3 | Letters from universities and
historical societies |
1975-1976. |
Series II: Legal Documents/Financial Records , 1947-1977Return to Top
This series consists of three documents: a University of Washington Extension Credit Certificate (1947), a tax assessment receipt (1956), and a receipt for attorney's fees (1977).
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/4 | University of Washington
Extension Credit Certificate, 1947; a tax assessment receipt, 1956; and a
receipt for attorney's fees, 1977. |
Series III: Memorial Service Items , 1961-1984Return to Top
This series consists of a laminated obituary of Edward H. Olson dated November 21, 1961; as well as a program, blank thank-you card for pallbearers (with envelope), and a spiral-bound memorial record book from Helen Jane Olson's funeral (1984).
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/5 | Obituary of Edward H. Olson dated
November 21, 1961; and items from Helen Jane Olson's funeral, 1984.
|
Series IV: Unpublished Works , circa 1954-1984Return to Top
Series IV consists of unpublished literary works by Helen Jane Olson. These include a short story about a husband who is dying of cancer (ca. 1968), several copies of original poems, draft pages of a story titled "My Story," and 24 pages of a play set in the 1930s South.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/6 | Unpublished, incomplete draft of
a short story by Olson about a husband who is dying of cancer |
circa 1968 |
| 1/7 | Several copies of original poems,
draft pages of a story titled "My Story," and 24 pages of a play set in the
1930s South |
undated |
Series V: Research/Notes , undatedReturn to Top
This series includes research material for a three-act play Olson was planning on the life of Robert E. Lee. The research consists mostly of typed transcripts of published biographies of Civil War generals: five pages of Meet General Grant by W.E. Woodward, published by Horace Liverwright, Inc., 1928; 19 double-sided pages of Rise and Fall of Rebel Government by Jefferson Davis, published by Crowell-Collier Publishing Co., 1861; typewritten notes on "Allen Barker - English Author on the American Civil War"; pp. 1-3 of Sherman - Fighting Prophet by Lloyd Lewis, published by Harcourt, Brace, and Co., undated; pp. 1-165 of Lee the American by Gamaliel Bradford, published by Houghton Mifflin Company and University Press Cambridge, undated (handwritten notes on the transcription are dated October 19, 1977); pp. 1-271 Lee by Richard Harwell, abridged by Douglas Southall Freeman, n.d; and handwritten notes on generals of the Civil War, ca. 1977. Also included are a typewritten page about similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy, undated, pp. 120-136 of Cheney's The Theatre, and pp. 15-25 of Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/1 | Similarities between Lincoln and
Kennedy; Cheney's
The Theatre; and Synge's
Deirdre of the Sorrows
|
undated |
| 2/2 | Woodward's
Meet General Grant ; Davis'
Rise and Fall of Rebel Government; typewritten
notes on "Allen Barker - English Author on the American Civil War"; Lewis'
Sherman - Fighting Prophet; Harwell and Freeman's
Lee; and handwritten notes on generals of the
Civil War |
ca. 1977 |
| 2/3 | Typed transcription of pp. 1-88
of
Lee the American by Bradford |
|
| 2/4 | Typed transcription of pp. 89-165
Lee the American by Bradford |
|
| 2/5 | Typed transcription of pp. 1-86
of
Lee by Southall and Freeman; handwritten notes on
the biography of Robert E. Lee |
|
| 2/6 | Typed transcription of pp. 87-183
of
Lee by Southall and Freeman |
|
| 2/7 | Typed transcription of pp.
184-271 of
Lee by Southall and Freeman |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Scottish Americans--Montana--Miles City
- Women authors, American--Montana--Miles City
- Women dramatists, American--Montana--Miles City
Personal Names
- Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870--Drama
Corporate Names
- University of Montana--Missoula--Alumni and alumnae
Finding aid prepared by Kathryn
Hampton
1998
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
