Margaret Patten was born on January 30, 1903 in Helena, Montana to Lawyer George Patten and his wife Eleanor Patten. Margaret grew up in Bozeman with her two-younger sister, Mary who was 2 to 3 years younger, and Eleanor who was about 10 years younger than Margaret. Then in 1930 she moved to Chicago where she lived in a boarding house and had the occupation of stenographer. She then passed away on January 31, 1961 and was buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman, Montana.
The Margaret Patten Letter to “Alice” consists of an original letter and typed transcription dated February 10, 1921 and was titled "A Strange Disappearance". The letter was addressed to someone who can only be identified as Alice. The letter discusses her recollection of a story that was told to her by the host of her camp about the deserted cabin of Andrew Levinski. The host tells her that Levinski had come to the United States from Poland many years ago and after getting here he was quite disappointed. He came to Gallatin Canyon in hopes of hitting it big with prospecting. This was not the case and this caused him to live a hermit lifestyle. Levinski thought that he had found a gold mine in the mountains of Gallatin Canyon, but his discovery had brought more prospectors to the area. The other prospectors had grouped together, and they formed a corporation that Levinski was not included in. Levinski, from the forming of the corporation on, thought that they were out for his claims. One day while walking up the mountain he was confronted by two members of the corporation, they were supposedly armed, causing Levinski to shoot them in self-defense. Levinski confessed to the murder which caused him to go to jail until his trail occurred in the summer. Once the trail was held he was acquitted with the verdict of Self-defense and then he went back to his cabin. Then next spring, they investigated his cabin after no one had heard from him and found it deserted; Levinski was not heard from again. She then finishes the letter by saying that they were saddling the horses for a trip to a scout station on the park line.
This collection is open for research.
Original letter and hand typed transcription are addressed to Alice from Margaret Patten, were donated to the Museum of the Rockies by Mrs. Mary P. Winter. The letter was given to the Montana State University on August 21, 1973.
This collection was processed 2018 June 19
For additional information on the Patten Family, please see