Marguerita "Rita" McDonald was a librarian at Montana State College from 1948 to 1958 and served part of that time as University Archivist. She later served as an engineering science librarian at Oregon State University. McDonald developed a keen interest in the history of the Bozeman area coal fields and Gallatin City during her time in Bozeman and compiled reports on both subjects. These reports were later used by Merrill G. Burlingame and Albert E. Roberts, a geologist with the United States Department of the Interior, who may have added materials to her original compilation.
The papers include two typewritten reports by McDonald regarding coal deposits at Chesnut along Trail Creek, Gallatin County, Montana, Plat maps of Chesnut and Maxey's Chimney Rock Mine, a transcribed geological report of the Maxey mine originally done in 1912, research notes on Gallatin City and the Three Forks area by McDonald, transcribed records from an 1862 record book for Gallatin City, and a copy photograph of the geologic field camp of W. R. Calvert on Bracket Creek, 1908. Other place names mentioned in the research notes are East Gallatin, Gallaher Ferry, Madison Mills, Gallatin Station, Three Forks, Shedd's Bridge, Bridgeville, and Old Town.
This collection is open for research.
Typed research papers and supporting documentation created or collected by Marguerita ("Rita") McDonald were donated to Special Collections by Merrill G. Burlingame of Bozeman, Montana, in 1972. This collection incorporates accession 997, donated at the same time by Burlingame.
This collection was processed 2009 March 2