Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Raymond A. Mentzer Research Papers, 1974-1979
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Mentzer, Raymond A.
- Title
- Raymond A. Mentzer Research Papers
- Dates
- 1974-197919741979
- Quantity
- 1.2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Collection 2428, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Ryamond A. Mentzer Research Papers consist of photocopied journal articles, transcripts of interviews, copies of published and unpublished papers, and newspaper articles on the history and physical descriptions of 19th century forts in Montana. Other items include photocopies of the 1880 census and official government documents of the Department of the Army pertaining to Montana forts, copy photographs of the original forts and soldiers, hand-drawn maps, diagrams and plans, copy slides of Camp Baker, Fort Logan, Fort Ida Thoroughman, Fort Howie and Fort Maginnis portraying surveys of the physical locations and remaining structures of these forts in the 1970s. The primary concentration of this research is the location, layouts and structural content of the original forts and their conditions at the time of the research; however there is also substantial information on the social and military experiences of the soldiers assigned to Montana forts during the active period of the 1860s -1890s including the era of the Indian Wars.
- 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
https://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/contact-form/ - Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
An alternative form of this finding aid can be found at http://www.lib.montana.edu/collect/spcoll/findaid/2428.html
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Raymond A. Mentzer, Jr. was born in Pittsburgh PA on September 20, 1945. He was married in 1968 and has two children. He received his AB in European History from Fordham University in 1967; he earned his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1970 and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1973. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1973-78. He became an Associate Professor in History at Montana State University in 1978. He was an American Council of Learned Society fellow from 1975-76 and a fellow of the National Endowment of Humanities 1981-82. Memberships include the AHA; Renaissance Society of America; and the Society of French History Studies. His research concentrated on French Protestantism and French legal history. He is the author of Heresy Proceedings in Languedoc, 1500-1560 (1983) and Blood and Belief: Family Survival and Confessional Identity among the Provincial Huguenot Nobility (1994). He also authored numerous papers in assorted professional journals. He is now retired from Montana State University.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The papers consist of photocopied journal articles, transcripts of interviews, copies of published and unpublished papers, and newspaper articles on the history and physical descriptions of 19th century forts in Montana. Photocopies of the 1880 census and official government documents of the Department of the Army pertaining to Montana forts including: legal proceedings, medical records and letters sent to and from various forts to their departments, photocopied maps, plans and drawings of physical structures of forts of Montana. Posts described are Fort Assiniboine, Camp Baker (Fort Baker)/Fort Logan, Fort C.F. Smith, Fort Custer, Fort Ellis, Fort Keogh, Fort Maginnis, Fort Missoula and Fort Shaw. Copy photographs of the original forts and soldiers, hand-drawn maps, diagrams and plans are complimented by both original slides by Raymond A. Mentzer and Lawrence C. Heberle and copy slides of Camp Baker, Fort Logan, Fort Ida Thoroughman, Fort Howie and Fort Maginnis portraying surveys of the physical locations and remaining structures of these forts in the 1970s. The primary concentration of this research is the location, layouts and structural content of the original forts and their conditions at the time of the research; however there is also substantial information on the social and military experiences of the soldiers assigned to Montana forts during the active period of the 1860s -1890s including the era of the Indian Wars. Some original 1970 pamphlets and newspaper clippings are included, but most of the material is photocopied or transcribed. Correspondence about the disposition of the buildings at Fort Maginnis; photocopied bibliographies and inventories, and handwritten research notes by Raymond Mentzer are included.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Series 1 Fort Assinniboine research
Series 2 Camp Baker/Fort Logan research
Series 3 Fort C.F. Smith research
Series 4 Fort Custer research
Series 5 Fort Ellis research
Series 6 Fort Keogh research
Series 7 Fort Lewis research
Series 8 Fort Maginnis research
Series 9 Fort Missoula research
Series 10 Fort Shaw research
Series 11 Miscellaneous research notes and materials
Series 12 Fort research photographs
Series 13 Microfilm records
Acquisition Information
Research materials and notes, microfilm and photo slides on research of Montana Military Installations were donated to Special Collections on June 8, 2001 by Ray Mentzer. The research was conducted in the early 1970s for the Bicentennial History Project while Mentzer was a member of the 50th Military History Detachment of the U.S. Army Reserve.
Processing Note
This collection was processed 2009 April 21
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description |
---|---|
Box | |
1 | Series 1: Fort Assinniboine research
Photocopies of maps, official documents, unpublished papers, newspaper articles, and
excerpts of articles pertaining to Ft. Assinniboine.
|
1 | Series 2: Camp Baker/Fort Logan research
Photocopies of maps, official government letters, reports, and documents, locations,
newspaper articles, unpublished papers, pertaining to Camp Baker/Ft. Logan. Oversize
materials retained in separate file have been indicated with an asterisk (*).
|
1 | Series 3: Fort C.F. Smith research
Photocopies of unpublished papers and newspaper articles pertaining to Ft. C.F.
Smith.
|
1 | Series 4: Fort Custer research
Photocopies of unpublished papers, newspaper articles and physical plans pertaining to
Ft. Custer.
|
1 | Series 5: Fort Ellis research
Photocopies of maps; official government correspondence, documents and reports;
unpublished papers; newspaper articles; and reminiscences pertaining to Ft. Ellis.
Oversize material retained in separate file (*).
|
2 | Series 6: Fort Keogh research
Photocopies of official government reports, maps and newspaper articles pertaining to
Ft. Keogh.
|
2 | Series 7: Fort Lewis research
Photocopies of unpublished papers and map pertaining to Ft. Lewis.
|
2 | Series 8: Fort Maginnis research
Photocopies of maps, descriptions of buildings, architectural styles, equipment, plans,
official documents, newspaper article, articles, unpublished papers and oral history
pertaining to Ft. Maginnis. Correspondence on disposition of buildings. Monument
proposal pamphlet. Oversize material retained in separate file (*).
|
2 | Series 9: Fort Missoula research
Photocopies of unpublished paper, bibliography and article on Fort Missoula. Hand-drawn
map and pamphlet.
|
2 | Series 10: Fort Shaw research
Photocopies of unpublished papers, newspaper articles and bibliography of Fort
Shaw.
|
3 | Series 11: Miscellaneous research notes and materials
Assorted research materials including: photocopies of unpublished papers; journal
articles; maps, newspaper clippings; bibliographies; official documents pertaining to
soldier's lifestyles and disciplinary actions; physical descriptions of various forts in
Montana in the 19th century. Oversize materials retained in separate file (*).
|
4 | Series 12: Fort research photographs
Copy photographs from the US Army Military History Institute, National Archives, Bureau
of Land Management and slide copies from the Montana Historical Society of selected
forts in Montana in the 19th century including buildings, interiors and soldiers. Copies
of aerial photos of fort site. Original slides taken by Raymond Mentzer and Lawrence
Heberle showing surveys of fort sites and existing buildings in the mid 1970s.
|
5-9 | Series 13: Microfilm records from the National Archives and
original holdings of the Newberry Library, Chicago Illinois
Microfilm copies pertaining to correspondence, medical histories, courts martial,
circulars and rosters for various Montana Forts in the 19th century.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976-Montana
- Fortification-Montana-History
- Fortification-Montana-Photographs
- Frontier and pioneer life-Montana
- Indians of North America-Wars-Montana
- Military historians-Montana
- Soldiers-Montana
Corporate Names
- Montana State University--Bozeman-Faculty
- United States-Army-History
- United States-Army-Military life
Geographical Names
- Camp Baker (Mont.)
- Fort Assiniboine (Hill County, Mont.)-History
- Fort C.F. Smith (Mont.)-History
- Fort Custer (Mont.)-History
- Fort Ellis (Mont.)-History
- Fort Howie (Mont.)
- Fort Ida Thoroughman (Mont.)
- Fort Keogh (Mont.)-History
- Fort Logan (Mont. : Fort)-History
- Fort Maginnis (Mont.)-History
- Fort Missoula (Mont.)-History
- Fort Shaw (Mont. : Fort)-History
- Montana-History, Military-19th century
Form or Genre Terms
- Maps-Montana
- Photographs-Montana
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Heberle, Lawrence S. (creator)