Montana Historical SocietyArchives
MC 49
Bradley, James H. (James
Howard), 1844-1877
James H. Bradley papers
1872-1877
1.4 linear feet of shelf space
James H. Bradley was a first lieutenant in the 7th Infantry
Regiment, stationed at Fort Shaw and Fort Benton, Montana Territory. Bradley was an amateur
historian who wrote about the history of Montana and the Northwest, and his own military
career. He was killed at the Battle of the Big Hole, August 9, 1877. This collection
consists of Bradley's writings, some correspondence, and miscellany. [Most of the writings
were published in Volumes. II, III, VIII, and IX of Contributions to the Montana Historical
Society.
2:5-7
English
James H. Bradley was born in Ohio in 1844. At the outbreak of the Civil War he joined a
volunteer Ohio regiment and served primarily in the Western Theater. After his discharge at
the end of the war, Bradley joined the Eighteenth U.S. Infantry Regiment as a second
lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant in July 1866, and was stationed in what is
now Wyoming. He took part in several actions along the Bozeman Trail during the Red Cloud
War of 1866-1868. After a period of service in Georgia, Bradley returned to the West with
the U.S. Seventh Infantry Regiment. While stationed at Fort Benton, Montana Territory,
Bradley, inspired by his association with men who had participated in the early fur trade,
began the study of Montana and Northwestern history. In addition to his avocation as a
historian, Bradley served as a chronicler of military activities and of the history of the
Indian tribes his regiment encountered. In 1876 Bradley was assigned to Colonel John
Gibbon's "Montana Column," and participated in the events leading to the Battle of the
Little Big Horn. The following year Bradley again served under Gibbon in his pursuit of the
Nez Perce Tribe. James H. Bradley was killed at the Battle of the Big Hole, on August 9,
1877.
Papers. 1872-1895. 1.5 linear feet. The major portion of this collection consists of the
historical writings of James H. Bradley. Included in these writings are his journal of the
Sioux campaign on the Yellowstone in 1876 and eleven volumes of writings on the history of
Fort Benton, the fur trade, several Indian tribes, and many other related topics.
Arranged by series
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection.
In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright
owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places
should search under these terms.
Bradley, James H. (James
Howard), 1844-1877
Dakota Territory
Fort Benton (Mont.)
Fort Campbell (Mont.)
Fort Pease (Mont.)
Fort Piegan (Mont.)
Fort Shaw (Mont.) [MILITARY FORT]
Fort Union (undated)
Marias River Valley (Mont.)
Mullan Road
Yellowstone River Valley--Description and
Travel
ST. Ignatius (Mont.)
Sun River Valley (Mont.)
Upper Missouri River
Assiniboine Indians
Atsina Indians
Authors--Montana
Blackfeet Indians
Cheyenne Indians--Wars, 1876
Crow Indians
Dakota Indians
Dakota Indians--Wars, 1865-1868
Dakota Indians--Wars, 1876-1877
Frontier and Pioneer Life
Fur Trade--Montana
Indians of North America--Languages
Little Big Horn, Battle of The, 1876
Steamboats--Missouri River
Missouri River--Commerce
Montana
Native Americans
Military
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Biographical Materials
1 / 1
Biographical sketches of James H. Bradley
1895, undated
1 / 1a
Military record documents photocopied from Adjutant
General records (RG 94) National Archives
1861-1977
Outgoing Correspondence
1 / 2
Wilbur F. Sanders
1875, 1877
Miscellaneous Correspondence
1 / 3
Benjamin L. Burnett to Wilbur F. Sanders
1877
1 / 4
Mrs. M.I. Bradley to Martin Maginnis and Robert E.
Fisk
1878
Diaries
1 / 5-6
"Journal of the Sioux Campaign on the Yellowstone
[River]" [handwritten and typed copies] [interspersed between sections of the
journal]: "Snow-blindness" [p. 6-9] "Missouri Fur Company" [p. 15-20] "A Glance at
Montana" [p. 23-29] "An Indian Massacre" [p. 36-37] "An Interesting Incident" [p.
38-40] "Council with Crows" [p. 47-60] "Baker's Battle of 1872" [p. 70-83] "A Sketch
of Fort Pease" [p. 90-93] "Historical Sketch of the Crows" [p. 97-115] "Yellowstone
Expedition of 1874" [p. 131-166] "The Yellowstone Fur Trade" [p. 198-204] [Several of
these articles are also reproduced at end of journal]
1876
Writings
1 / 7
"Book 1": "Affairs at Fort Benton from 1831 to 1869"
[p. 1-275] "Notes on the Business of I.G. Baker, Bro. and Co. at Fort Benton" [p.
275-285]
undated
1 / 8-9
"Book 1" [handwritten drafts and typed copies]
undated
1 / 10
"Book 2": "Miscellaneous Events at Fort Benton"
"Effects at Fort Benton of the Gold Excitement in Montana" "Drowning of Gen. Thomas
Francis Meagher" "Miscellaneous Information Obtained from Maj. Culbertson" "Adventure
of Three Wolfers" "Description of the Keel-boats and Mackinaw boats used in early days
on the Upper Missouri" "A Venturesome Steamboat" "Capture of Two Mackinaws by Indians
on the Missouri"
undated
1 / 10a
"Book 2": (continued) "Account of attempted Settlement
at the mouth of the Marias" "War with Blackfeet Bands" "Rivals of the American Fur
Company on the Missouri" "Sequel to Father De Smet's Story" "State of the Indian
tribes of the Upper Missouri about the year 1835" "Information concerning Indian
Agents on the Upper Missouri, obtained from Major Alexander Culbertson" "Tabulated
Statement of the Peltries accumulated at Fort Benton" "Edward Rose, the first white
renegade to the Crows" "Account of the building of Mullan's Military Road" "The Fabled
White Nation at the Sources of the Missouri"
undated
2 / 1-2
"Book 2" [handwritten drafts and typed copies]
undated
2 / 3
"Book 3": "Sketch of the Fur Trade of the Upper
Missouri" "Hunt's Expedition to Astoria" "Account of the attempt to build a town at
the mouth of the Musselshell River" "Steamboat navigation of the Upper Missouri" "Loss
of the Steamer Chippewa" "The Oregon Trail--Capture of an Emigrant Train by the Piegan
Chief Little Dog" "Lower River History" "A General View of the Settlement of Montana"
undated
2 / 4-5
"Book 3" [handwritten drafts and typed copies]
undated
2 / 6
"Book 4": "Extracts from the journal of the Sioux
Campaign of the Yellowstone in 1876" "Acct. of Crow Agency" "Historical Sketch of the
Crows" "The Yellowstone Expedition of 1874"
undated
2 / 7
"Book 5": "The Yellowstone Expedition of 1874, con.
from Book 4" "A Crow Indian's account of the Yellowstone fur trade"
undated
2 / 8-9
"Book 5" [handwritten drafts and typed copies]
undated
2 / 10
"Book A": "Some English words translated into
Blackfoot, Assiniboine & Sioux" "Short account of the garrison at a Fur traders
post" "Information obtained from Father Imoda and other sources, relative to the Gros
Ventres & the Blackfoot war with the whites" "Account of La Rue, or the story of a
great rascal" "St. Peter's mission" "Sun River Stampede 1866" "Some interesting events
in the trade of the Upper Missouri from 1856-1865" "Short sketches of Tullock, Harvey,
Maj. Culbertson & Mackey" "Elkhorn Monuments" "Short sketch of the Blackfoot
Indians and some early traditions" "Origin of the Gros Ventres" "An early trading
point" (re Bow River) "A large meteor" "Characteristics, Etc. of Blackfeet" "Some
Statistics of Various Tribes" "Fort Union" "Fort Campbell"
undated
2 / 11
"Book A" [second "A"]: Blackfoot vocabulary
undated
3 / 1
"Book C": "References to various works relative to
Blackfoot Indians with chief subjects of interest"
undated
3 / 2
"Book D": Scrapbook of clippings relative to the
Jocko Agency and St. Ignatius Mission (presented to James H. Bradley by Charles
Schafft, the compiler, in 1874)
1874
3 / 3
"Book E": "History of the life of Charles Larpenteur
with Many Interesting Stories, written by Himself after the Residence of Forty Years
in the Indian Country, also His Views on Indian Affairs and Suggestions for the
Government, etc. etc. etc." [unfinished]
undated
3 / 4
"Book F": "Copy of a manuscript (re history of Crows)
prepared by A.M. Quincy designed to be presented to the Smithsonian Institution" "The
Legend of the Sun" "Recollections of Bahkastahtish" "Substance of a Conversation with
Buffalo Calf, a Crow Scout" "& with Little Face, a Crow Scout" "Hieroglyphics of
the Crows" "Account of Sir Geo. George, as gathered from a conversation with Bostwick"
"What Wolf Yellow Face knows about the Phil Kearney Massacre" "Redsticks and Foxes"
"Account of the early trade on the Yellowstone by Little Face" "The story of Long Hair
as told by Little Face" "The story of the creation by Buffalo Calf" "Information
gleaned from Jack Rabbit Bull concerning whiskey, pipestone quarries, medicine and
account of the first mule seen by the Crows" "Acct. of Chief Arraapooash by Little
Face" [Arapoosh]
undated
3 / 4
"Book F" (cont'd): "The Devil of the Upper
Yellowstone as told by Little Face" "Two of Thunder Medicine's Exploits" "Thunder
Medicine's death" "More about Chief Arrappooash" [Arapoosh] "The Horse that lives in the
Yellowstone" "The Spirits of the River" "The Land of the Hereafter" "The Creation"
"Punishment for sin" "The Spectre Warriors" "The Flood" "Adventures of Three Wolfers"
"Bozeman prospecting expedition of 1874" "The Child of the Sun" "Account of the
separation of the River and Mountain Crows" "Tattooed Forehead, a Chief of early
times" "Fate of an Assiniboine expedition against the Crows" "Destruction of 500
Lodges of Crows by the Sioux" "How the Crows got Horses" "Ideas concerning the stars,
moon, thunder & lightning" "Origin of the Crows Religion" "The establishment of
Fort Piegan as told by Mr. James Kipp" "Affairs at Fort Union (from Bostwick)"
undated
3 / 5
"Book F" (typed copies)
undated
3 / 6
"Historical Sketch of the Sioux"
undated
4 / 1-2
"Historical Sketch of the Sioux" [handwritten and
typed copies, various chapters]
undated
4 / 3
"Historical Sketch of the Gold Producing Regions of
the Western Half of the United States"
undated
4 / 4
Miscellaneous
undated
Miscellaneous
4 / 5
Unidentified index
undated
4 / 6
Notes
undated