Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Molly Peacock Stenberg papers, 1924-1970
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Stenberg, Molly Peacock
- Title
- Molly Peacock Stenberg papers
- Dates
- 1924-1970 (inclusive)Date of CollectionDate of Collection
- Quantity
- 2.89 cubic ft. (6 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 05711
- Summary
- Papers of a historian and Wyoming native who researched and wrote about peyote use, the life of Owen Wister, oblate missionaries in the United States, and other historical topics.
- Repository
-
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Molly Peacock Stenberg was a Wyoming native, a University of Wyoming (UW) graduate, a historian, and the wife of Jack E. Stenberg, the Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division Project Manager on the Wind River Reservation. The couple spent seven years on the reservation in the 1930s and 1940s. She is most known for her UW master’s thesis, “The Peyote Cult among Wyoming Indians” (1946). She participated in rituals of the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, interviewed leaders, searched out old documents and letters, and accumulated statistics up to 1944 to give a picture of peyotism on the Wind River Reservation for her thesis. Not long after her graduation from UW, the couple moved to the state of Washington. In the 1950s, she researched along with Dr. Ruth Hudson, a UW professor in the English Department, author Owen Wister’s trips to Wyoming, particularly the history of George B. West (d. 1951) who acted as Wister’s guide and may have been an inspiration for The Virginian. Additionally, Molly Stenberg did research on early oblate missionaries in the Northwestern United States, American writer Theodore Winthrop, and Mormon history.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains material pertaining to Molly Stenberg’s master’s thesis, including the manuscript and original copy of the thesis; correspondence; photographs; U.S. Senate bills, phonograph records of Native American songs, published materials on peyote and mescaline use, and Molly Stenberg’s presentations about peyote ceremonies (1937-1967, and undated). There is also correspondence, notes, a photograph, newspaper clippings and other materials regarding Molly Stenberg’s and UW English professor Ruth Hudson’s research on Owen Wister’s visits to Wyoming and the life of George Barney West (1934, 1956-1959). The correspondence includes a 1934 letter from George B. West describing his life in Wyoming from the time he left Boston in 1880. Additionally, there is a manuscript written by Molly Peacock on the life of Theodore Winthrop that she submitted with cover letter to the Atlantic Monthly in 1961 as well as research materials and her notes on Winthrop. There is also correspondence and photographs (1958) regarding her research into the work of early oblate missionaries in the Northwestern United States. Molly Stenberg’s notes on Mormon history (undated) are also included. The collection also contains materials related to Molly Stenberg’s time at the UW Prep School and at UW as an undergraduate student, including yearbooks, class papers, and 1934 memoriam for UW Professor June Etta Downey (1924-1934 and undated). Jack Stenberg’s yearbooks from Casper High School (1925-1926) and from UW (1927-1931) are also included. There is also other printed material (1938-1970).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Preferred Citation
Preferred CitationItem Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Subordinate Component # 1Return to Top
The American Heritage Center is in the process of converting its older container lists to a more accessible format. This link is to an older version of a container list.
| Description |
|---|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Arapaho Indians -- Wyoming -- Wind River Region.
- College prose, American -- Wyoming -- Laramie -- University of Wyoming.
- Indians -- Music.
- Missionaries -- Northwest, Pacific -- History.
- Mormons -- History.
- Peyote songs.
- Peyotism -- West (U.S.)
- Shoshoni Indians -- Wyoming -- Wind River Region.
Personal Names
- Winthrop, Theodore, 1828-1861.
- Wister, Owen, 1860-1938.
Geographical Names
- Wind River Indian Reservation (Wyo.)
- Wyoming -- History -- 1890-1918.
- Wyoming -- History -- 1919-1945.
- Wyoming -- History -- To 1889.
Form or Genre Terms
- School yearbooks.
