Craig Mathews Papers, 1961-2016

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Mathews, Craig, 1949-
Title
Craig Mathews Papers
Dates
1961-2016
Quantity
4.6 linear feet
Collection Number
Collection 2619, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Craig Mathews papers consist of correspondence, financial and legal documents, manuscript material, printed material, photographs, other media, and memorabilia and realia. Materials include: letters from prominent individuals such as President Jimmy Carter, NBC correspondent Tom Brokaw, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and fly fishing legend Lefty Kreh, various manuscript material pertaining to Mathews’ work as an author, a signed photograph of Jimmy Carter, and journals and day books in which Mathews recorded his day to day activities as well as his experiences fishing in Montana and around the world.
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

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Craig Mathews was born in 1949 in Michigan. Mathews moved to West Yellowstone, Montana in 1979 where he worked as the chief of police. In 1980, Mathews and his wife, Jacquelyn, founded Blue Ribbon Flies, a fly shop based out of West Yellowstone, Montana. The Mathews have dedicated their lives to conservation efforts and fly fishing, as well as supporting many other conservation organizations, the Mathews are cofounders of 1% for the Planet. Along with being a conservationist, businessman, and prominent angler, Mathews is also an accomplished angling author, with titles including: Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide, Western Fly-Fishing Strategies, and Fly Fishing the Madison. The Mathews sold Blue Ribbon Flies in 2014, and now reside in Cameron, Montana.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Craig Mathews papers consist of correspondence, financial and legal documents, manuscript material, printed material, photographs, other media, and memorabilia and realia. Materials include: letters from prominent individuals such as President Jimmy Carter, NBC correspondent Tom Brokaw, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and fly fishing legend Lefty Kreh, various manuscript material pertaining to Mathews’ work as an author, a signed photograph of Jimmy Carter, and journals and day books in which Mathews recorded his day to day activities as well as his experiences fishing in Montana and around the world.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Series 1 Correspondence

Series 2 Financial and legal documents

Series 3 Manuscript material

Series 4 Printed material

Series 5 Photographs

Series 6 Realia and memorabilia

Acquisition Information

Original correspondence, manuscripts and photographs created or collected by Craig Matthews of Cameron, Montana were donated to Montana State University by him on January 30, 2017.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2017 September 25

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1:  CorrespondenceReturn to Top

This series includes personal correspondence with clients and friends of the Mathews family. Notable correspondents include: Tom Brokaw, Yvon Chouinard, President Jimmy Carter, Brian Schweitzer, John Tester and Max Baucus. There is also a wealth of letters received from Nick Lyons of the Lyons Press, as well as from Herbert Wellington. This series is organized alphabetically, in situations where one sender has a wealth of letters, that sender was designated his/her own folder.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
A
1/2
Atkin, Darwin
1/3
B
1/4
Baker, Palmer
1/5
Bitton, Dennis
1/6
Boyle, Robert
1/7
Brokaw, Tom
1/8
Brooks, Charlie and Gracie
1/9
Brown, Dick
1/10
C
1/11
Carter, Jimmy
(President)
1/12
Yvon, Chouinard
1/13
D
1/14
Droetto, Angelo
1/15
E
1/16
F
1/17
G
1/18
Gartside, Jack
1/19
Goddard, John
1/20
H
1/21
Hall, Dave
1/22
I
1/23
J
1/24
K
1/25
Klinkenborg, Verlyn
1/26
Kreh, Lefty
(Bernard)
1/27
L
1/28
Luallen, Wayne
1/29
Lyons, Nick
1/30-34
Lyons, Nick (cont.)
1/35
M
1/36
N
1/37
O
1/38
P
1/39
R
1/40
S
1/41
Schaplow, Barry
1/42
T
1/43
V
1/44
Voelker, John
2/1
Voss-Bark, Conrad and Anne
2/2
W
2/3
Wellington, Charles
2/4
Wellington, Herbert
2/5-6
Wellington, Herbert (cont.)
2/7
Wilson, Dermot
2/8
Woods, Robert
3/1
Y
3/2
Z
3/3
Zackheim, Hugh
3/4
Unidentified Correspondence
3/5
Outgoing Correspondence
1981
3/6
Outgoing Correspondence
1990
3/7
Outgoing Correspondence
1995
3/8
Outgoing Correspondence
1998
3/9
Outgoing Correspondence
2000
3/10
Outgoing Correspondence
2002
3/11
Outgoing Correspondence
undated

Series 2:  Financial and legal documentsReturn to Top

This series includes invoices and ledgers pertaining to Blue Ribbon Flies, hunting licenses and fishing permits, publishing contracts, tickets and warnings Mathews received over his lifetime, and other material pertaining to Mathews’ life as a business man and author.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
4/1
Brief on "Waterborne"
4/2
Fly Tyer's Licensing Agreement, Umpqua Feather Merchants
4/3
Greycliff Publishing: Contracts
4/4
Invoices
4/5
Ledger
1983
4/6
Licenses/Permits/Tags/etc.
4/7
Licenses/Permits/Tags/etc. (cont.)
4/8
Lyons and Burford Publishers
4/9
Lyons Press
4/10
Miscellaneous Membership Cards
4/11
Publishing Agreements and Briefs
4/12
Receipts and Bills
4/13
R.L. Winston Co. Pro Staff Agreement
4/14
Tickets and Warnings
4/15
Trout Report Forms

Series 3:  Manuscript materialReturn to Top

This series includes material pertaining to Mathews’ work as an angling author, such as drafts of books and articles, as well as correspondence with publishers and editors pertaining to these works. Included are drafts of articles and books written by Mathews such as Fly-Fishing the Madison, and “A Letter from Yellowstone Country.” Along with material written by Mathews, there are also edited drafts sent to Mathews by other authors such as John Juracek.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
4/16
1988 in Review and 1989 New Fly Patterns: Drafts
4/17
Adult Nature Stones: Edited Draft
4/18
"An Annotated List of Yellowstone Area Trout Stream Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera, with Reference to Emergence Dates" by John Juracek: Edited Drafts
1986
4/19
Author Bios
4/20
Author Notes and Miscellaneous Drafts
4/21
Caddis Flies III: Notes
4/22
The Complete Fly-Fisherman's Guide to Stoneflies: Draft and Correspondence
1990
4/23
Crabs, the #1 Bonefish Food, Effective and easy to Tie Patterns: Draft
4/24
Draft Material on Bonefish, Crab, Shrimp and Clam Patterns
4/25
Draft, Notes, and Correspondence on Sparkle Duns and X-Caddis Patterns
4/26
An Early Season Letter from Yellowstone: Draft
4/27
An Early Season Letter from Yellowstone and Southwestern Montana: Drafts
4/28
Exploring Yellowstone's Underfished and Overlooked Waters: Draft
4/29
Fishing Yellowstone Waters: Revisions for Revised Edition
4/30
Fly Fishing for Bonefish: Draft with Note from Dick Brown
4/31
Fly-Fishing the Madison: Correspondence
4/32
Fly-Fishing the Madison: Audio Tape Transcription
4/33
Fly-Fishing the Madison: 1st Draft
4/34
Fly-Fishing the Madison: Edited Draft
2000
4/35
Fly-Fishing the Madison: Edited Draft
4/36
Fly-Fishing the Madison: Dummy Copy with Edits from the Editor
2001
4/37
Fly-Fishing in Ireland: Edited Draft
(Unknown Author)
4/38
Fly Patterns of Yellowstone 2nd Edition: Draft
4/39
Fly Patterns of Yellowstone 2nd Edition: Edited Draft
4/40
Great Fly Fishing Areas Yellowstone National Park: Draft
4/41
Innovative Flies and Conservation from Slough Creek to the Salt: Draft
4/42
A Letter from Yellowstone Country: Draft
4/43
"The Law": Handwritten Poem
4/44
Miscellaneous Author Notes
4/45-46
Miscellaneous Author Notes (cont.)
4/47
Miscellaneous Drafts
4/48-49
Miscellaneous Draft on Nymph Fishing
4/50
Montana Paradise: Edited Draft
4/51
The Professionals' 100 Favorite Fly Patterns: Draft
4/52
The Professionals' 100 Favorite Fly Patterns: Correspondence
4/53
The River Rap Series the Madison River with Craig Mathews and Gary LaFontaine
4/54-56
Simple Fly Fishing Techniques for Tenkara and Rod and Reel: Draft
4/57
Simple Fly Fishing Techniques for Tenkara and Rod and Reel: Draft with Notes
4/58
Simple Fly Fishing Techniques for Tenkara and Rod and Reel: Correspondence
4/59
So You're Coming to Yellowstone Country: Drafts
4/60
A Spring Letter from Yellowstone Country: Draft
4/61
Synthetic and Natural Materials in Fly Tying: Draft
1990
4/62
Underfished and Overlooked Waters of Yellowstone Country: Drafts
4/63
The Waters of Yellowstone with Rod and Fly: Intro Draft and Correspondence
1999
4/64
The Waters of Yellowstone with Rod and Fly: Edited Draft and Notes
4/65
Wild Trout Journal: Dummy Copy
1995
4/66
Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide: Edited Draft
4/67
In Yellowstone, A Sacred Trust Betrayed, by Mike Finely: Edited Draft

Series 4:  Printed materialReturn to Top

This series consists of published material Mathews collected over his lifetime. Included material: fishing and hunting catalogues, business cards, posters, magazines and magazine articles, Blue Ribbon Flies catalogues and fishing maps, invitations, brochures, pamphlets, material on the Federation of Fly Fishers, along with other material pertaining to fishing, hunting and Mathews’ life. This series contains oversized materials that have been separated from the series, the separation is denoted by an asterisk (*) next to the folder from which the material was removed.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
4/68
Adams Angling and Hunting Books and Paraphernalia: Catalog
1990
4/69
Address List
4/70
American Association of Professional Fly Tyers
4/71
Anglers’ Club of New York: Member Lists, Invitations, etc.
4/72
The Anglers’ Club of New York Auction Catalogues
1988-2001
4/73
The Anglers’ Club of New York Auction Catalogues
2003-2016
4/74
Angling
September 1988
4/75
Bank Notes
Spring 2007
4/76
Blue Ribbon Flies: Catalogues and Newsletters
1983-2009
4/77
Blue Ribbon Flies: Fishing Maps
4/78
Bob Jacklin’s Fly Shop Catalogue and Newsletter
1984
5/1
The Boone and Crocket Club: Invitation
5/2
Bud Lilly's Catalogue
1979; 1982
5/3
Business Cards
5/4
Class Reunion Brochure
1967
5/5
Confluence: Art and the Trout Fly: Brochure
1999
5/6
The Covered Wagon Ranch
5/7
DePuy's Spring Creek: Fishing Map and Hatch Chart
5/8
DePuy's Spring Creek Regulations
5/9
Ducks Unlimited: Banquet Program
5/10
Ennis Fly Fishing Festival: Brochure
5/11
Federation of Fly Fishers
5/12
Field and Stream
February 1993
5/13
Fly Tying Materials Conclave
1991
5/14
Funeral Programs and Memorials
5/15
Gallatin River Celebration
5/16
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
5/17
Guardians of the River Gala Banquet
5/18
Head Waters Fly Fishers: Festival of Fly Fishing
2007
5/19
Hebgen Reservoir Fisheries Management History
1954-1979
5/20
Henry's Fork Anglers Inc.
1982
5/21
HMH Tying Tools
5/22
Hunter's Angling Supplies
1985
5/23
Invitations
5/24
Judith Bowman Books: Catalogues
5/25
Kaweah Flyfishers: Newsletters
1989
5/26
Madison River Foundation
5/27
Magic Valley Fly Fishers 30th Annual Banquet
1999
5/28
Mari Lyons: Show Announcement
5/29
Mending the Line
1990; 2001
5/30
Miscellaneous Magazine Articles
5/31
Miscellaneous Printed Material
5/32
The Montana Fly Fishing Report
5/33
Montana's Three Seasons: George Roemhild
5/34
Montana Trout Foundation
5/35
MSU Library 2016 Trout and Salmonid Lecture: Brochure
2016
5/36
Natural Habitat: Catalogue
5/37
NBC's Smith River Calendar*
1994
5/38
News Clippings
1961-1992
5/39
News Clippings
1992-2015
5/40
News Clippings
undated
5/41
Nick Lyons Acceptance Words
5/42
One Percent For the Planet
5/43
Pamphlets
5/44
Patagonia
5/45
Paul Pursell Outdoor Books: Catalogue
Fall 1987
5/46
Poems
5/47
Post Cards
5/48
Posters
5/49
Publicity
5/50
River Rap Series
5/51
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
5/52
Slacklines
1996
5/53
Some Call It Madness: Bob Jackson
5/54
Spanierman Gallery, LLC
5/55
Stickers
5/56
Suncoast Sportsmen's Association: Program
1989
5/57
Thoughts on Angling
5/58
Three Dollar Bridge Project: Pamphlet/Maps/etc.
5/59
Trout Unlimited
5/60
Trout Unlimited: Big Blackfoot Chapter
5/61
The Trust for Public Land
5/62
Wedding Announcements
5/63
West Yellowstone Fly Fishers
5/64
Wild Trout Symposium
5/65
Yellowstone Art Center's 27th Annual Art Auction: Brochure
1995
5/66
Yellowstone National Park
5/67
Yellowstone Park Foundation

Series 5:  PhotographsReturn to Top

This series includes Compact Discs containing photographs as well as printed photographs. Images of fishing trips Mathews took, a signed photograph of President Jimmy Carter, photographs of Craig and Jackie in front of Blue Ribbon flies, as well as photographs of the wildlife and scenery of Montana are the subjects of these pictures. Other media collected by Mathews includes: PowerPoint presentations, promotional videos, and videos pertaining to the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
5/68
Compact Disc: 206 Photographs of a 1% for the Planet Dinner: New York
2009
5/69
Compact Disc: 7 Photographs of Nick Lyons and Photo Index
5/70
Compact Disc: 76 Photographs of Sadler Wedding, 2006 and 51 Photographs on Separate Disc
2006
5/71
Compact Disc: 69 Photographs of Moonlight Basin
5/72
Compact Disc: One Photograph of Dan Callaghan
5/73
Compact Disc: 5 Images of Craig and Jackie Mathews
5/74
Compact Disc: 164 Images of Yellowstone in the 1900's
5/75
Compact Disc: 36 Photographs of Yellowstone in the 1950's
5/76
Compact Disc: 141 Photographs of fishing in Yellowstone National Park
5/77
Compact Disc: 84 Photographs of a Alaska Fishing Trip
2006
5/78
Compact Disc: 87 Photographs of fishing and Wildlife in Montana
2006
5/79
Photographs
5/80-84
Photographs (cont.)
5/85
Signed Photograph of Jimmy Carter
5/86
Slides
5/87
Compact Disc: Wild Trout 30th Anniversary PowerPoint
5/88
DVD: 7 Videos and a Slideshow on Buffalo in Yellowstone
5/89
DVD: Promotional Video for Montana
5/90
DVD: Promotional Video for Papoose Creek Lodge and Two Power Points on Separate Disc
5/91
DVD: Video of Charlie Brooks Tying Flies in 1985
5/92
DVD: Video of Wolverine Capture and Release
5/93
DVD: The Wildlife of Yellowstone

Series 6:  Memorabilia and realiaReturn to Top

This series includes collected memorabilia and realia pertaining to Mathews' life as an angler. Included are appointment books, journals, fishing logs, flies tied by Mathews, day books, certificates and awards, Mathews' bachelor degree, and artwork. This series contains oversized materials that have been separated from the series, the separation is denoted by an asterisk (*) next to the folder from which the material was removed.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
5/94
Appointment Book
1981-1982
5/95
Appointment Book
1987
5/96
Art Print from Mark Steele
6/1
Calendar/Desk Diary
1986
6/2
Certificates/Awards/Degree
6/3
Day Book
1972
6/4
Day Book
1973
6/5
Day Book
1974
6/6
Day Book
1975
6/7
Day Book
1976
6/8
Day Book
1977
6/9
Day Book
1978
6/10
Day Book
1979
6/11
Day Book
1980
6/12
Drawing with Inscription
6/13
Elk Ivory
6/14
Family Calendar
1996
6/15
Feathers
6/16
Federation of Fly Fishers: Ribbons and Patch
6/17
Fishing Log
1968
6/18
Fishing Log
1968-1977
6/19
Fishing Log
1981
6/20
Fishing Log
1993-1994
6/21
Fishing Log
1995-1996
6/22
Flies
6/23
Flies (cont.)
6/24
Flies in Leather Case
6/25
Journal
circa 1982
6/26
Journal
1995-2002
6/27
Lee Wulff's Flies of the Future Tying Kit
6/28
Name Tags and Placards
6/29
Picture of Trout with Inscription
6/30
Spool of Fishing Line Sent by Nick Lyons
6/31
Wool Tie with Embroidery *
Box
7
Oversize Material

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top