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Hazel Marsh Papers, 1866-1966

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Marsh, Hazel, 1906-1997
Title
Hazel Marsh Papers
Dates
1866-1966 (inclusive)
Quantity
3.75 linear feet and 3 oversize boxes
Collection Number
Mss 152 (collection)
Summary
Hazel Marsh was a resident of Missoula and Bearmouth, Montana. The collection contains records from the many Lannen family businesses in Bearmouth, Montana.
Repository
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

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 creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Hazel Chapin Marsh was born in Missoula, Montana, in 1913. Her father abandoned her and her brother with a family friend, Chris Lannen, in 1916. Though the Lannens never legally adopted Hazel and her brother, they accepted the children and treated them as their own. Hazel grew up on the Lannen homestead in Bearmouth, Montana, and remained connected to that land in some fashion throughout her entire life. Hazel was the only child in the Lannen household to receive an education, attending the Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula from 1928 to 1932.

Hazel married a mining engineer, George Marsh, in 1942. The two were often apart from each other. George traveled frequently for his job, and spent three years in Australia during WWII. After his return the couple lived in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington for various periods of time, always as a result of George's work. The two were divorced in the early 1950s, and Hazel moved back to Missoula to care for her dying foster parents and to attend the University of Montana. She eventually transferred to College of Great Falls. After graduation in 1958, Hazel completed a Masters degree in English at Notre Dame University. Upon returning to Missoula she was employed as a librarian at Sacred Heart Academy and rented out Bearmouth property to cattle ranchers. She died in 1993 in Missoula.

Hazel Marsh's foster father, Chris Lannen, was born 1866 on a homestead 13 miles east of Drummond, Montana. His father, John Lannen, was the first to settle the area now known as Bearmouth. According to family stories, John traded his Helena mining claim for a cow and began a ferry service across the Clark Fork River for travelers on the Mullan Road. Chris Lannen grew up with his three brothers on the Bearmouth farm, which soon became a staging point for travel to the mining town of Garnet, Montana. By the time Chris was a young man, the Lannen family owned land on both sides of the Clark Fork, a saloon, sawmill, hotel, and post office. The family also operated a gold exchange in Garnet for some time.

Around 1900, Chris Lannen's brother, Ed, moved away from the farm. His two oldest brothers had died as young men--one from an unknown disease and another from a gunshot wound. Chris decided to stay at Bearmouth and run the family business. He opened a general store near the Milwaukee Railroad station, and it remained open for the next fifty years. He married a woman named Kate from Kansas around 1908. The business slowly died off as the mining operations in and around Garnet, Montana ended. Chris Lannen died in Missoula, Montana in 1951, at the age of 85. In the late 1960s, U.S. Interstate 90 was built through the old Lannen homestead.

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Content Description

The collection contains records from the many Lannen businesses in Bearmouth. The post office, saloon, and general store ledger books are in the collection as well as financial records and legal documents from Christopher Lannen. School district records and voter registrations from Bearmouth are also in the collection. The collection also contains photographs and memorabilia.

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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], Hazel Marsh Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is divided into eleven series:

Series I: Post Office Records, 0.4 linear feet and partial oversize box, 1896-1924

Series II: Saloon Records, 0.4 linear feet and partial oversize box, 1891-1911

Series III: Lannen Brothers General Store, 1.2 linear feet and partial oversize box, 1888-1940

Series IV: General Correspondence, 1 folder, 1897-1966

Series V: Financial Records, 0.4 linear feet, 1866-1953

Series VI: Legal Documents, 0.8 linear feet, 1870-1959

Series VII: School Board Minutes, 0.1 linear feet, 1900-1911

Series VIII: Voter Registers, 1 oversize box, 1894, 1889-1892

Series IX: Lumber Mill and Livestock Ledger, 0.1 lienar feet, 1882-1889

Series X: Photographs, 0.25 linear feet, circa 1900-1942

Series XI: Artifact, 1 item, undated

Custodial History

Approximately one quarter of this collection remained with Hazel Marsh until she donated the materials in 1990. Tim Gordon acquired and donated two additional segments. Records regarding how and where Mr. Gordon acquired these materials could not be found during 1998 reprocessing. The fourth portion of this collection was donated to the Mansfield Library prior to systematic donor record procedures.

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Hazel Marsh, 1990, and Tim Gordon, 1996. An additional portion was donated to the Archives & Special Collections prior to Ms. Marsh's donation. The donor and exact date are unknown.

Processing Note

The actions of the original processor are unknown. In 1998 the donations from Hazel Marsh and Tim Gordon (formerly designated as LC 152, LC 226, and SC 346) were combined into one collection, Mss 152. In 2001, the additional portion from an unknown donor (formerly designated as SC 162) was integrated into this collection due to common origin. Many of the bound volumes in this collection were previously housed separately from the unbound documents. During re-processing all bound volumes were reintegrated into the collection. In 2003, additional materials were put into the collection.

Separated Materials

During original processing, the maps in Series X and the sheet music in Series XI were transferred to the Mansfield Library general collections.

Related Materials

James M. Scott conducted 12 interviews with Hazel Marsh between 1989 and 1990. The interviews are in the Archives & Special Collections oral history collection, OH 244.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bars (Drinking establishments)--Montana--Bearmouth
  • General stores--Montana--Bearmouth
  • Gold mines and mining--Montana--Granite County
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Granite County
  • Mining claims--Montana
  • Postal service--Montana--Bearmouth
  • Ranches--Montana
  • Sawmills--Montana--Bearmouth
  • School districts--Montana--Bearmouth
  • Schools--Montana--Bearmouth
  • Silver mines and mining--Montana--Granite County

Geographical Names

  • Bearmouth (Mont.)
  • Shamrock Mine (Granite County, Mont.)
  • Warm Springs Creek Ranch (Mont.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Artifacts
  • Business records--Montana--Bearmouth
  • Estate records--Montana--Granite County
  • Photographs
  • Voting registers--Montana--Bearmouth

Occupations

  • Businessmen--Montana--Bearmouth
  • Executors and administrators--Montana--Granite County
  • Ranchers--Montana

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Lannen, Christopher
    • Lannen, John

    Corporate Names

    • Lannen Bros. General Store (Bearmouth, Mont.)
    • Bearmouth Post Office (Bearmouth, Mont.)
    • Bearmouth Saloon (Bearmouth, Mont.)

    Family Names

    • Lannen family
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