Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Mitchell Family papers, 1869-2006
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Mitchell Family papers
- Dates
- 1869-2006 (inclusive)18692006
- Quantity
- 0.2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- 2489
- Summary
- The Mitchell Family Papers include the Campbell Mitchell diary, mounted portrait photographs of Mitchell family members, typed and handwritten memoirs and historical narratives by various family members, assorted letters between family members, a newspaper clipping history of the family in Park City, land and mine claims, genealogical information and assorted other ephemera.
- 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
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Freighting first brought William L.C. Mitchell from Kansas to Bannack and Virginia City, Montana Territory, in 1864. In 1869 Mitchell returned to Kansas where he married Mary (Molly) Cowan on February 27. On May 17, 1869 William and Molly, along with brothers Campbell and Alexander Mitchell and the William Chaffin family, journeyed by wagon train from Fort Scott, Kansas to the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana. Campbell Mitchell kept a diary during the overland journey, describing the route from Fort Scott, through Fort Kearney, Nebraska, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Montpelier, Utah, and Bannack, Montana, all while driving a herd of cattle in addition to the wagons. The Mitchells were joined in Montana by other family members who traveled up the Missouri river by boat and all eventually settled in the Bitterroot Valley until the Nez Perce War of 1877. Campbell Mitchell was killed that year in the Battle of the Big Hole, and in 1879 William L. C. Mitchell, his wife Molly, and children Emma, Maude, Minnie, Florence and Burton Luther Mitchell, left for the Yellowstone Valley and settled near present day Park City. Burton Mitchell, the donor of this collection, is the grandson of Burton Luther Mitchell.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Mitchell papers include the Campbell Mitchell diary, mounted portrait photographs of Mitchell family members, typed and handwritten memoirs and historical narratives by various family members, assorted letters between family members, a newspaper clipping history of the family in Park City, land and mine claims, genealogical information and assorted other ephemera. A published version of the Campbell Mitchell diary can be found in The Song of the Bitterroot by Leda Mitchell Reed (1986).
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Diary and related materials, 1869Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 1
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
Diary of Campbell Mitchell |
2006 | ||
History of diary location through time |
2006 | ||
Lida Mitchell Reed explanation of discovery of Park City Mitchell family for her book, "The Song of the Bitterroot" |
1986 |
Family history materialsReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 2
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
Newspaper clipping Centennial Sketch - "Mitchell family migrations ended in Park City settlement"- Stillwater Sun |
1988 June 28 | ||
Family tree |
|||
Memoir of Myra Mitchell Randall for Burton Mitchell (nephew) |
|||
Notes from Bert (Burt) Mitchell |
1929 February 21 | ||
Story of Campbell Mitchell at the Battle of the Big Hole by researched by Lida Reed |
CorrespondenceReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 3
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
Letter from Lonnie Mitchell to Maud Mitchell |
1896 | ||
Letter to Mary (Molly) Mitchell from sibling of Sugar Loaf, Colorado |
1883 October 9 | ||
Letter from cousin Charles E. Allan, American Expeditionary Force, France |
1918 | ||
Letter - Mid-Rocky Development Co. To Maud Mitchell on oil well subscription |
1927 March 31 |
Miscellaneous documentsReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 4
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
Land deed, William L.C. Mitchell 160 acres |
1895 July 9, 1896 February 8 | ||
Minnie Bell and Beasley Mining Claim |
1893 September 26, January 1894 | ||
Lon Mitchell remembrance card |
1907 April 15 | ||
Photocopy of Marriage Contract of William L.C. Mitchell and Mary E. Cowan |
1869 February 27 | ||
Biography sheet of Charles Marion Russell |
Photographs and drawingsReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 5
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
Photographic print of house where Lonnie Mitchell died |
|||
Group photographic print of Burt Luther Mitchell, Florence, Maud, Emma and Lonnie's girlfriend |
|||
Portrait, Maud Mitchell |
|||
Portrait, Burt Luther Mitchell |
|||
Portrait, Minnie B. Mitchell |
1907 January | ||
Portrait, Emma Mitchell |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
- Overland journeys to Montana--Personal narratives
- Pioneers--Montana--Bitterroot River Valley--Diaries
- Wagon trains-Great Plains
Geographical Names
- Bitterroot River Valley (Mont.)-History
- Great Plains--Description and travel
- Park City (Mont.)-History
Form or Genre Terms
- Deeds-Montana
- Diaries-Great Plains
- Family papers-Montana
- Histories-Montana
- Memoirs-Montana
- Mining claims-Montana
- Photographs--Montana