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John A. "Del" Stark Papers, 1887-2008

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Stark, John Adelbert "Del," 1905-1982
Title
John A. "Del" Stark Papers
Dates
1887-2008 (inclusive)
Quantity
18.8 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 046
Summary
This collection contains personal diaries, correspondence, financial records, legal documents, writing samples, family records, research files, photographs, and personal memorabilia created or collected by John A. "Del" Stark during his life as a central Montana sheep rancher, World War II soldier, seasonal coal mine worker, and member of the Roundup, Montana community.
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

John Adelbert "Del" Stark was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 17, 1905 to Lew and Signa Stark. In 1912, the family moved to a ranch in Roundup, Montana where Del Stark, his parents, and his brother, Ben, lived and worked until Lew Stark's death in 1939. The family usually maintained between 400 and 600 head of sheep and, in spite of incidental setbacks, managed to keep the business profitable.

Del Stark never married and lived most of his life in central Montana, except for a year-long trip to seek work in California when we was 23 and a stint in the Army from June of 1942 to October of 1945. He spent most of World War II in England, but was in Frankfurt, Germany after D-Day.

Most of Stark's time was spent on the ranch, but he spent the winter months working in coal mines near Roundup between 1935 and 1942. Other winters were spent working in a combination service station-garage and other businesses in and around Roundup.

Del Stark died in 1982.

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Content Description

This collection contains personal diaries, correspondence, financial records, legal documents, writing samples, family records, research files, photographs, and personal memorabilia created or collected by John A. "Del" Stark during his life as a central Montana sheep rancher, World War II soldier, seasonal coal mine worker, and member of the Roundup, Montana community. This collection is particularly significant for the extensive sequence of personal diaries Stark maintained. These diaries, spanning most of the twentieth century, provide a detailed record of daily events and weather patterns in central Montana; Stark's personal observations and social commentaries; working/living conditions among ranchers, soldiers, coal miners, and freelance handymen of the period; as well as both the subtle and dramatic transformations of rural Montana lifestyles.

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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], John A. "Del" Stark 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 arranged in ten series:

Series I: Diaries, 12.5 linear feet, 1922-1978

Series II: Correspondence, 0.5 linear feet, 1887-1978

Series III: Financial Records, 0.25 linear feet, 1903-1972

Series IV: Legal, 1 folder, 1911-1975

Series V: Writings, 1.25 linear feet, 1917-1973

Series VI: Personal, 0.5 linear feet, 1912-1976

Series VII: Printed Material, 0.25 linear feet, 1906-1983

Series VIII: Clippings, 4 folders, 1909-1973

Series IX: Photographs, 1.0 linear feet, 1900-1978

Series X: Artifacts, 2 items, undated

Accession 2017-004: Additional Materials, 0.3 linear feet, 1897-2008

Acquisition Information

Materials received by Archives and Special Collections from Stuart Conner in 1970, 1982, and 2016.

Processing Note

The collection was originally processed in two parts, LC 46 and LC 104, in 2004, the collections were combined and re-described. In 2016, additional materials were added to the collection as Accession 2017-004 in a single box, an inventory of the materials is available at Archives and Special Collections. Additionally, instances of the usage of the nickname "Dell" in the guide were changed to reflect the correct spelling of "Del."

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Jodi Allison-Bunnell and Jack Rowan
2004

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

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