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Minnie Paugh Madison Valley Research Papers, 1964-1975

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Paugh, Minnie Ellen, 1919-2003
Title
Minnie Paugh Madison Valley Research Papers
Dates
1964-1975
Quantity
1.6 linear feet
Collection Number
Collection 2051, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Minnie Paugh Madison Valley Research Papers consist of research notes, oral history notes, correspondence, and other materials dealing with the history of Montana's Madison Valley. The materials provide the reader with a brief history of the Madison Valley in addition to sketches of various individuals, civic groups and corporate entities. Her text also provides information on the Madison Valley's tourist trade and agricultural industry.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
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Biographical Note

Minnie Ellen Paugh was born in Virginia City, Montana on April 7, 1919 and grew up on the family ranch at Jack Creek. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Montana in Missoula, a Master's of Education degree from the University of Montana, a Master's in Library Science from the University of Denver. Paugh first worked as a school teacher in various eastern and northern Montana communities and, in 1961, joined the faculty of Montana State College (later Montana State University) in Bozeman as a reference librarian and instructor. The bulk of her time at MSU she was assigned to the Special Collections Department at Rene Library, an area she actively built to preserve collections about Montana, Yellowstone National Park, agricultural history, and Montana Native Americans. During the course of her career, Paugh interviewed many old time residents of Madison County and periodically borrowed original documents from them to photocopy. In some cases, these copied materials were given accession numbers and added to the holdings of the Special Collections department, but she kept others in her personal research files. In 1974, Paugh was granted an eight-month sabbatical to research and write a history of the Madison Valley and, while doing so, used many of the photocopies and interviews she had previously collected. The manuscript history she produced was never published. Following her retirement, Paugh was awarded the rank of associate professor emeritus of library science by the Board of Regents of Higher Education for her many contributions. Paugh also received the Blue and Gold Award for bringing national distinction and dedicated service to Montana State University, and she died in Billings, Montana on March 20, 2003.

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Content Description

Collection 2051 comprises various accessions by Paugh compiled to aid in the creation of her manuscript "History of the Madison Valley." The materials were assembled to provide the reader with a brief history of the Madison Valley in addition to sketches of various individuals, civic groups and corporate entities. Her text also provides information on the Madison Valley's tourist trade and agricultural industry. Paugh used other sources to compose her text; gleaning her information from notes based on the James S. Spray papers (Collection 2098), the livestock history series of the WPA Records (Collection 2336), and the Madisonian newspaper. She also used information culled from other family papers, business records, diaries, reminiscences, personal interviews, in addition to the MSU accessions specifically integrated into this collection. Paugh brought together her research over the course of an eight-month sabbatical in 1974 with an additional two months in 1975. She received various suggestions, critiques, and corrections from MSU personnel as well as family and friends over the course of completion of her manuscript. Most of the folder titles were provided by Paugh herself, although the logic behind the placement of materials within the context of those subject headings is sometimes difficult to discern. This is especially true with notes pertaining to individuals that can be found within folders bearing place name headings.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Series 1 Audio cassettes

Series 2 Research materials

Series 3 Manuscript drafts

Series 4 Photographs

Acquisition Information

Research notes, oral history notes, correspondence, and other materials dealing with the history of Montana's Madison Valley were collected or created by Minnie Paugh and donated to Special Collections in January 1976. This collection incorporates materials from former accessions numbered: 103, 116, 117, 125, 243, 286, 345, 415, 480, 834, 1016, and 1205.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 September 14

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Floods-Madison River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)-Photographs
  • Frontier and pioneer life-Montana-Ennis
  • Frontier and pioneer life-Madison River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)
  • Frontier and pioneer life-Montana-Virginia City
  • German Americans-Montana-Virginia City
  • Pioneers-Montana-Virginia City
  • Women-Montana-Ennis-Interviews

Personal Names

  • Jeffers, Winifred Chowning, 1895-1990-Interviews
  • Vetter, John G., 1833-1913

Geographical Names

  • Ennis (Mont.)-History
  • Ennis (Mont.)-Photographs
  • Madison River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)-History
  • Madison River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)-History-Sources
  • Madison River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)-Photographs
  • Virginia City (Mont.)-History

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs-Madison River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)
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