Archives West Finding Aid

This series is comprised of correspondence related to the publication of Fletcher's work on the Montana cattle industry. Fletcher corresponded with M.L. Wilson, the head of the University of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station in Bozeman, Everett Edwards, an Associate Agricultural Economist from the USDA, and Ray Mattison, historian for the National Park Service.

This series consists of copies of Robert Fletcher's manuscript of "The Organization of the Range Cattle Business in Eastern Montana." The first folder contains the original typed copy, the second holds a photocopy of the original.

This series is comprised of research notes on a broad range of issues related to the history of the cattle and sheep industries in Montana. Most of the material was collected from the records of the Montana Stockgrower's Association or the newspaper files at the Montana State Historical Society. Among other things, these notes cover issues such as early settlement of Montana by cattlemen, illegal fencing of lands, interactions with Indian inhabitants, early transportation of cattle by steamship and train, the depredation of cattle by wolves, biographical sketches of early cattlemen, the establishment of Indian reservations in Montana, leasing of Indian lands to cattlemen, movement of cattle to Montana from other areas in the West, and detailed lists of ranchers and brands. The majority of these notes are divided by year and complied from articles from Montana newspapers such as the Daily Yellowstone Journal and the Daily River Press. Some notes are also from books and government documents.