Archives West Finding Aid

In 1965 Conrad Anderson was contacted by MSU Special Collections librarian Minnie Paugh for the collection of historical information on central Montana. An amateur historian, Anderson had composed a number of essays and compiled research notes on his own life story, homesteading in central Montana, the vigilante activity of 1884, the Stuart and Fergus families, and the family experiences of many of his neighbors in Fergus County. His photocopied manuscripts include: "Early History of Roy and Community" around 1954; "Homestead Days," a brief handwritten autobiographical sketch; a typed transcription of lengthy autobiographical essay edited by Minnie Paugh; "The Last, Best West," a manuscript edited by Anna Zellick that again gives general Roy area history and autobiographical information; a small booklet of historical notes; letter from John W. Peck of Garneill Montana, March 24, 1954 explaining how Roy was named; letter from Ethel Young of Vancouver, Washington, August 22, 1965 giving a biographical sketch of her grandfather, Rezin Anderson, who worked as a ranch hand for Granville Stuart; photographs of the Rezin Anderson family and homes in Fergus County.