Robert S. Fletcher was born in Forestville, New York, on November 3, 1900. After graduating from Forestville Free Academy, Fletcher went on to study history at Oberlin College. Upon graduating he earned his living teaching at a high school in Michigan, until be enrolled in the doctoral program in history at Harvard University. At Harvard, Fletcher studied with Frederick Jackson Turner, Edward Channing, and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. During these years he served as an Assistant in History at Harvard (1923-1924), an Instructor in History at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an Assistant Professor of History at Tufts University (1926-1927). In 1925-1926 Fletcher was an Associate Agricultural Economist for the United States Department of Agriculture, where he produced a number of studies. Fletcher returned to Oberlin in 1927 as an assistant professor of history and he quickly developed a reputation as an outstanding and inspiring professor. While best known for his two-volume history of Oberlin College, Fletcher also published several articles on the history of the cattle industry in Montana. In 1959 Duke University Press published his book,
This collection is comprised of correspondence and research notes for Robert Fletcher's work on the history of the cattle industry in Montana. The correspondence, with various officials from the USDA, deals mainly with the publication of his books and articles on Montana. The bulk of the collection, however, consists of the extensive research notes that Fletcher compiled while working on "The Organization of the Range Cattle Business in Eastern Montana," and "That Hard Winter in Montana, 1886-1887," which were both published in the early 1930s. The majority of this research was conducted with records from the Montana Stockgrower's Association and the newspaper files at the Montana State Historical Society. Well-organized and thorough, Fletcher's notes cover a wide range of issues involved with the establishment of the cattle and sheep industry in Montana. The collection also contains copies of one of Fletcher's original manuscripts, as well as copies of a few articles by other historians of the High Plains.
The collection is divided into three series:
Series I: Correspondence, 1 folder, 1928-1949
Series II: Manuscripts, 2 folders, circa 1930
Series III: Research Notes, 2.5 linear feet, circa 1930
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.
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.
[Name of document or photograph number], Robert S. Fletcher Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
The provenance of the collection is unknown.
The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 1999, the collection was re-described. For many years, the collection was attributed to Robert H. Fletcher, another historian of the Montana range.
The Oberlin College Archives holds 8.1 linear feet of Fletcher's papers, mostly relating to his history of the College.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
This series is comprised of correspondence related to the publication of Fletcher's work on the Montana cattle industry. Fletcher corresponded with M.L. Wilson, the head of the University of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station in Bozeman, Everett Edwards, an Associate Agricultural Economist from the USDA, and Ray Mattison, historian for the National Park Service.
This series consists of copies of Robert Fletcher's manuscript of "The Organization of the Range Cattle Business in Eastern Montana." The first folder contains the original typed copy, the second holds a photocopy of the original.
This series is comprised of research notes on a broad range of issues related to the history of the cattle and sheep industries in Montana. Most of the material was collected from the records of the Montana Stockgrower's Association or the newspaper files at the Montana State Historical Society. Among other things, these notes cover issues such as early settlement of Montana by cattlemen, illegal fencing of lands, interactions with Indian inhabitants, early transportation of cattle by steamship and train, the depredation of cattle by wolves, biographical sketches of early cattlemen, the establishment of Indian reservations in Montana, leasing of Indian lands to cattlemen, movement of cattle to Montana from other areas in the West, and detailed lists of ranchers and brands. The majority of these notes are divided by year and complied from articles from Montana newspapers such as the