Helen Jane Olson Papers, 1947-1984
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Olson, Helen Jane, 1898-1984
- Title
- Helen Jane Olson Papers
- Dates
- 1947-1984 (inclusive)19471984
- Quantity
- 0.75 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 126 (collection)
- Summary
- Helen Jane Olson was a Miles City, Montana, writer who concentrated on historical fiction. The collection contains correspondence, personal items, and a few unpublished literary works.
- Repository
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University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
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Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and the University of Montana--Missoula.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical Note
Helen Jane Olson was born in Scotland on May 29, 1898, to William and Mary Ann (Stewart) Barron. She emigrated to the western United States, and married Edward H. Olson in 1938 in Seattle, Washington. The couple settled in Miles City, Montana, where she worked as a teacher. Olson attended Miles City Community College, then transferred to the University of Montana in Missoula. In June, 1947, she graduated from the university with degrees in both history and political science, and with many credits in English as well. She went on to study writing instruction with Dr. George Savage, first at the University of Washington, then at the University of Southern California. She died in Miles City on March 1, 1984.
Olson wrote poetry, short stories, and plays. In 1974, Vantage Press published two of her plays, You Wouldn't Dare and Long to Remember. Her work reflects her interest in history and political science, concentrating on historical fiction. Several unfinished short stories, however, are both personal and emotional.
Content Description
This collection includes correspondence (1973-1978), a few legal documents and financial records (1947-1977), memorial items (1961 and 1984), unpublished literary works (1954-1984), and research materials. Olson wrote letters to numerous publishers about her work, and received acknowledgments from universities and historical societies for donating copies of her plays. The legal documents and financial records range from a University of Washington Extension Credit Certificate, to a tax assessment receipt, to a receipt for attorney's fees. Memorial items in the collection are limited to her husband's obituary and a few items from her own funeral. Her unpublished works include poems and short stories.
The bulk of the collection is research material for a three-act play Olson was planning on the life of Robert E. Lee. The research consists mostly of transcripts of published biographies of Civil War generals: Lee the American by Bradford, Lee by Freeman, Meet General Grant by Woodward, Rise and Fall of Rebel Government by Davis, and Sherman - Fighting Prophet by Lewis. Also included are excerpts from Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows and Cheney's The Theatre.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
[Name of document or photograph number], Helen Jane Olson Papers, Archives and Special Collections, The University of Montana--Missoula.
Administrative Information
Arrangement
The collection is divided into five series:
Series I: General Correspondence, 3 folders, 1973-1978
Series II: Legal Documents/Financial Records, 1 folder, 1947-1977
Series III: Memorial Service Items, 1 folder, 1961-1984
Series IV: Unpublished Works, 2 folders, circa 1954-1984
Series V: Research/Notes, 7 folders, undated
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Series I: General Correspondence, 1973-1978
3 foldersThe correspondence is divided into three folders: letters from Vantage Press to Olson regarding publication of her plays (1973-1976), drafts of letters from Olson to various publishers promoting her plays (1978), and letters from universities and historical societies acknowledging receipt of her book (1975-1976).
The correspondence is arranged chronologically within each folder.
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Description: Correspondence from Vantage PressDates: 1973-1976.Container: Box/Folder 1/1
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Description: Drafts of letters from Olson to various publishersDates: 1978.Container: Box/Folder 1/2
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Description: Letters from universities and historical societiesDates: 1975-1976.Container: Box/Folder 1/3
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Series II: Legal Documents/Financial Records, 1947-1977
1 folderThis series consists of three documents: a University of Washington Extension Credit Certificate (1947), a tax assessment receipt (1956), and a receipt for attorney's fees (1977).
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Description: University of Washington Extension Credit Certificate, 1947; a tax assessment receipt, 1956; and a receipt for attorney's fees, 1977.Container: Box/Folder 1/4
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Series III: Memorial Service Items, 1961-1984
1 folderThis series consists of a laminated obituary of Edward H. Olson dated November 21, 1961; as well as a program, blank thank-you card for pallbearers (with envelope), and a spiral-bound memorial record book from Helen Jane Olson's funeral (1984).
The items are arranged chronologically.
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Description: Obituary of Edward H. Olson dated November 21, 1961; and items from Helen Jane Olson's funeral, 1984.Container: Box/Folder 1/5
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Series IV: Unpublished Works, circa 1954-1984
2 foldersSeries IV consists of unpublished literary works by Helen Jane Olson. These include a short story about a husband who is dying of cancer (ca. 1968), several copies of original poems, draft pages of a story titled "My Story," and 24 pages of a play set in the 1930s South.
The items are arranged in their original order.
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Description: Unpublished, incomplete draft of a short story by Olson about a husband who is dying of cancerDates: circa 1968Container: Box/Folder 1/6
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Description: Several copies of original poems, draft pages of a story titled "My Story," and 24 pages of a play set in the 1930s SouthDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/7
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Series V: Research/Notes, undated
7 foldersThis series includes research material for a three-act play Olson was planning on the life of Robert E. Lee. The research consists mostly of typed transcripts of published biographies of Civil War generals: five pages of Meet General Grant by W.E. Woodward, published by Horace Liverwright, Inc., 1928; 19 double-sided pages of Rise and Fall of Rebel Government by Jefferson Davis, published by Crowell-Collier Publishing Co., 1861; typewritten notes on "Allen Barker - English Author on the American Civil War"; pp. 1-3 of Sherman - Fighting Prophet by Lloyd Lewis, published by Harcourt, Brace, and Co., undated; pp. 1-165 of Lee the American by Gamaliel Bradford, published by Houghton Mifflin Company and University Press Cambridge, undated (handwritten notes on the transcription are dated October 19, 1977); pp. 1-271 Lee by Richard Harwell, abridged by Douglas Southall Freeman, n.d; and handwritten notes on generals of the Civil War, ca. 1977. Also included are a typewritten page about similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy, undated, pp. 120-136 of Cheney's The Theatre, and pp. 15-25 of Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows.
The items are arranged in their original order.
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Description: Similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy; Cheney's The Theatre; and Synge's Deirdre of the SorrowsDates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 2/1
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Description: Woodward's Meet General Grant ; Davis' Rise and Fall of Rebel Government; typewritten notes on "Allen Barker - English Author on the American Civil War"; Lewis' Sherman - Fighting Prophet; Harwell and Freeman's Lee; and handwritten notes on generals of the Civil WarDates: ca. 1977Container: Box/Folder 2/2
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Description: Typed transcription of pp. 1-88 of Lee the American by BradfordContainer: Box/Folder 2/3
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Description: Typed transcription of pp. 89-165 Lee the American by BradfordContainer: Box/Folder 2/4
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Description: Typed transcription of pp. 1-86 of Lee by Southall and Freeman; handwritten notes on the biography of Robert E. LeeContainer: Box/Folder 2/5
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Description: Typed transcription of pp. 87-183 of Lee by Southall and FreemanContainer: Box/Folder 2/6
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Description: Typed transcription of pp. 184-271 of Lee by Southall and FreemanContainer: Box/Folder 2/7
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Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Scottish Americans--Montana--Miles City
- Women authors, American--Montana--Miles City
- Women dramatists, American--Montana--Miles City
Personal Names
- Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870--Drama
Corporate Names
- University of Montana--Missoula--Alumni and alumnae
