James S. Spray Collection, 1925-1956

Letters written by James Spray to Merrill G. Burlingame during the course of the latter's efforts to edit the handwritten manuscript. Spray's comments include answers to questions posed by Burlingame and reaction to the edited version. A portrait of Spray, taken in 1951, has also been placed in this series.

Handwritten manuscript of "Early Days in the Madison Valley," composed by James S. Spray on ruled writing tablet paper. Pagination varies, with the final version being indicated by a more or less continuously numbered arrangement from page 1 to page 1,560. Although some numbers have been skipped and others duplicated, the manuscript appears complete and is roughly divided between the narrative history and the biographical sketches. Also included is an additional biographical sketch likely composed by Spray after he had turned over the main manuscript to Burlingame in 1938, and a brief story about a coyote. The paper, highly acidic to begin with, is extremely fragile.

Typewritten transcriptions, with handwritten corrections and addendum, prepared by Merrill G. Burlingame from the original document "Early Days in the Madison Valley" by James S. Spray. Included is a file of the transcription prepared on early schools in the Madison Valley and sent to "Mrs. Bull" of the area for comment and correction; portions of the first typewritten draft prepared by Burlingame circa 1938-40; two subsequent versions of the manuscript; indices probably prepared by Burlingame from the typescripts he created. The last typed version of the manuscript, finished in 1956, is bound.