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Simeon R. Buford papers, 1872-1911

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Buford, Simeon R., 1846-1905
Title
Simeon R. Buford papers
Dates
1872-1911 (inclusive)
Quantity
48 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 260 (collection)
Summary
Simeon R. Buford was a Virginia City, Montana, merchant, stage line operator, and rancher. Papers include incoming correspondence (1872-1911) and outgoing correspondence (1878-1906) concerning his various business enterprises, and with family and friends. In addition, there are financial records (1872-1912), legal documents (1879-1903), and other records. There are subgroups for Buford's political activities (1886-1904), for his brother C.H. Buford (1884-1909).
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
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

Simeon R. Buford was born on a farm in Lewis County, Missouri, on March 2, 1846. He was the third of fifteen children of Wellington and Amanda (Staples) Buford. In 1865 he drove an ox team across the plains to Virginia City, Montana Territory. He established a freighting business driving ox teams between Virginia City and Fort Benton. With the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad he shifted his freight business to the profitable Virginia City to Corinne, Utah, route. In 1872 he began working as a clerk in the Raymond Brothers store. Using experience gained in this job, he opened his own store in 1878 in partnership with Henry Elling. S.R. Buford and Company became the largest store in Virginia City, gradually expanding its trade from wholesale groceries and liquor to general merchandise. Buford and Elling were close personal friends and became partners in other enterprises as well as the store. Buford was one of the founders of the Elling State Bank and served as its president after the death of Henry Elling in November 1900. The two men also operated a hardware store under the name Elling, Knight and Buford and were partners in a stage line, a horse and cattle ranch in Custer County, and hay and sheep ranches at Valley Garden and the #9 Ranch in Madison County.

During the Nez Perce War of 1878, Buford served under General Howard at the Battle of Camas Creek. In politics, Simeon Buford was an active Democrat. He was a member of the 1889 Constitutional Convention and served in the 1891 and 1893 Legislatures. In the Senate he promoted the location of the State Orphanage at Twin Bridges. For fourteen years he headed the Madison County Democratic Central Committee. Simeon Buford was also active in several fraternal orders, including the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.

Simeon R. Buford's younger brother Charles H. Buford (1860-1926) assisted his brother in his freighting business and had a livery stable in Virginia City. He took over the mercantile business, under the name Buford Mercantile Company, on the death of his brother.

On January 4, 1877, Buford married Kate Cooley, daughter of William A. Cooley. The couple had eight children of whom four survived to adulthood: Henry W., Effie, Simeon R. Jr., and Ruth. Simeon R. Buford died January 15, 1905.

Henry W. Buford, (b.1878) oldest son of Simeon R. Buford, was an active participant in his father's business helping to run the store and managing the Valley Garden Ranch.

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Content Description

This collection documents the transition of Virginia City, Montana, from mining camp and territorial capital to marketing center for the ranching and mining region of Madison County and southwest Montana.

The major portion of the collection consists of incoming correspondence (1872-1911) and outgoing correspondence (1878-1906) of Simeon R. Buford and of several of his business enterprises. The businesses include S.R. Buford and Company general mercantile; the Buford Horse and Cattle Company; Buford and Elling cattle business; The Virginia City and Sappington Stage Line, his sheep ranches at Valley Garden, Norwegian Gulch, and #9 Ranch; and Buford's postal contract. The largest portion of the correspondence is with merchandise suppliers and with rural customers. There is considerable correspondence with the managers of the Valley Garden and #9 Ranches concerning operation of the sheep and hay businesses.

Financial records include cash books (1881-1920), cash sales books (1880-1897), general ledgers (1878-1914), journal/daybooks (1880-1905), and documenting the day-to-day operations of the S.R. Buford and Company store. In addition there are bills of lading and freight bills (1878-1911) from several freighting companies and railroads. These document who the drivers were, what merchandise was transported by what route, and how much it cost. There are also invoices, orders, price lists from wholesale suppliers, receipts, and other scattered records.

The Simeon R. Buford Political Subgroup consists primarily of correspondence (1886-1904) concerning Buford's service in the Constitutional Convention and Legislature and his work for the Democratic Party.

The Charles H. Buford Subgroup consists of incoming correspondence (1885-1886, 1905-1909) primarily concerning his handling of the financial affairs of R.N. Hawkins.

The Buford Stage Lines Subgroup includes items from the Montana Stage Company, the Virginia City and Red Bluff Stage and Express Company, and the Virginia City and Sappington Stage Line, all owned by S.R. Buford and Company.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes and Oversize Box. See inventory below for more information. NOTE: Volumes are not arranged in numerical order. See shelf listings in Manuscript Volumes.

Location of Collection

13:4-2

Location of Collection

7:3-5 (Oversize Box 47)

Location of Collection

147:3-3 (Volumes)

Preservation Note

Some material extrememly fragile. Access restricted to use copies for portions of collection. See inventory below for more information.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Processing Note

The Simeon R. Buford Papers are a portion of the manuscript material collected by Charles Bovey in Virginia City. Bovey and his staff intermingled the papers of Buford, Henry Elling, Flora McNulty, and others, and arranged the correspondence by town of origin. The original provenance of the records was thus destroyed. The staff of the Montana Historical Society Archives has attempted to restore the original order of the papers, but many errors are possible. It is not known how Buford maintained his correspondence files. There is no way of knowing whether he kept the files of his various businesses and personal interests separate or interfiled them. It is probable that, like most 19th century businessmen, he kept incoming correspondence in letterboxes, arranged alphabetically within a variety of date spans depending on the quantity of correspondence. It was decided to arrange the letters entirely by alphabet to maintain continuity of individual correspondents. There are several peculiarities to the arrangement that researchers should be aware of:

Buford died in 1905. After his death his brother and son continued the business under the name Buford Mercantile Company. Records of the company before and after Buford's death are intermingled since the business was continuous.

Buford carried on several other businesses in conjunction with the store. He was a partner in Henry Elling's bank and in his hardware store; he had a stage and express business; he had a sheep ranch with headquarters at several locations; and he had a horse and cattle business. Correspondents wrote to Buford addressing the letters to him as an individual or under any one of the various corporate names, without regard to which of the businesses were involved. Correspondents, including family and friends, often intermingled business and personal matters in the same letter. For this reason all of the correspondence has been interfiled.

The one exception is Buford's political correspondence which has been filed separately as the SIMEON R. BUFORD POLITICAL SUBGROUP.

The incoming correspondence includes a small number of outgoing letters, primarily those returned by the post office as not deliverable and those in which the correspondent wrote his reply on the original letter.

The subgroup for Charles R. Buford includes some of his personal business correspondence, but also includes some Buford Mercantile Company correspondence.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Agricultural implements--Trade and manufacture--Montana--Virginia City
  • Capitals (Cities)--Montana
  • Chinese--Montana--Virginia City
  • Coffee trade--Montana--Virginia City
  • Farmers--Montana--Madison County
  • Freight and freightage--Montana--Madison County
  • General Stores--Montana--Virginia City
  • Grocery trade--Montana--Virginia City
  • Horse Industry--Montana--Madison County
  • Liquor industry--Montana--Virginia City
  • Postal service--Montana--Virginia City
  • Ranches--Montana--Madison County
  • Retail trade--Montana--Sheridan
  • Retail trade--Montana--Virginia City
  • Sheep dogs--Montana
  • Sheep ranches--Montana--Madison County
  • Wholesale trade--Montana--Virginia City

Personal Names

  • Buford, Simeon R., 1846-1905 (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Butte (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Cameron (Mont.)
  • Dillon (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Ennis (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Flatwillow Ranch (Mont.)
  • Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Madison County (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Madison County (Mont.)--Politics and government
  • Meadow Creek (Mont.)
  • Norris (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Pony (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Puller Springs (Mont.)
  • Red Bluff (Mont.)
  • Sheridan (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Silver Star (Mont.)--Commerce
  • St. Paul's Church (Virginia City, Mont.)
  • Utah--Commerce
  • Valley Garden Ranch (Mont.)
  • Virginia City (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Wyoming--Commerce

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau
2006

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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