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Norman Fox Papers, 1941-1982

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Fox, Norman, 1911-1960
Title
Norman Fox Papers
Dates
1941-1982 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.5 linear ft.
Collection Number
Mss 114 (collection)
Summary
Norman Fox was a Great Falls, Montana, writer of Western fiction. The collection consists of ingoing and outgoing correspondence between Fox and various Western writers from 1941 to 1960.
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 encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Norman Fox was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, May, 26, 1911, and raised in Great Falls, Montana. After graduating from Great Falls High School in 1919 he went on to work as a bookkeeper and accountant for various Great Falls firms from 1929 until 1938, when he dedicated himself to writing full time. A prolific writer of western novels, short stories, screenplays and radio scripts, Fox produced more than thirty novels and over 400 short stories before his untimely death of cancer at the age of 48. An avid supporter of other Western writers, Fox co-founded Western Writers of America and served as director and vice president of the organization. He was also an active member of the Montana Institute of Arts and was the "motivating spirit" behind meetings of Montana authors such as A.B. Guthrie, Dan Cushman, and Robert McCaig. After his divorce from his first wife, Pat, Fox married Rosalea Spaulding in 1949. Fox and his second wife spent their summers in Virginia City, Montana.

Almost all of Fox's novels use Montana and its history as a backdrop. While his earliest novels, such as Lord Six-Gun (194 ) and The Six-Gun Syndicate (194 ), fall under the category of pulp westerns, many of his later works achieved critical acclaim. Some of his numerous books are, The Thundering Trail (1944), Dead End Trail (1946), Shadow on the Range: a Realistic Tale of the Old West (1949), Stormy in the West (1950), Ghostly Hoofbeats (1952), The Badlands Beyond (1957), Rope the Wind (1958) , Reckoning at Rimbow (1959), and The Trembling Hills (1960). He also published one novel, Winchester Cut (1951), under the pseudonym Mark Sabine. This novel was later revised and published as Stranger from Arizona (1956), which was named one of the best westerns of 1956. Several of his short stories were collected in The Valiant Ones (1957). Four of Fox's novels were turned into films: Gunsmoke (1953), based on his novel Roughshod (1951); Tall Man Riding (1955); The Rawhide Years (1956); and Night Passage (1957).

Norman Fox died in Great Falls, Montana, on March 24, 1960.

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Content Description

The collection consists of ingoing and outgoing correspondence between Fox and various Western writers from 1941 to 1960. Much of the correspondence relates to issues surrounding Western Writers of America, and the Montana Institute of Arts. A great deal of correspondence also relates to the world of publishing and the sale of Western stories and novels rights to radio, movie, and television producers. The correspondence charts the rise and gradual decline of consumer demand for Westerns. Fox and his correspondents discuss the changing attitudes of publishers, and television and movie producers toward the genre. The letters trace the growth of Fox's writing career, his camaraderie with other writers, and his commitment to promoting and supporting Western writers.

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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], Norman Fox 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 divided into three series:

Series I: Biographical Information, 2 folders, 1953 and 1981

Series II: Correspondence, 24 folders, 1941-1960

Series III: LeRoy Stahl - Commentary, 1 folder, 1982

Custodial History

Robert McCaig obtained the collection from the Great Falls branch of the American Association of University Women who found it in a cardboard box at a book sale in the fall of 1981, then added his own files of correspondence with Norman Fox to the collection. Eventually, the entire collection reached LeRoy Stahl, who compiled the collection.

Acquisition Information

Gift of LeRoy Stahl, 1982.

Processing Note

In 1982, LeRoy Stahl organized the collection into individual folders according to correspondent, putting the contents in chronological order, unless the continuity of the subject matter would be destroyed. In 1999, the collection was re-described. Folders containing the correspondence of more than one correspondent were separated, and Stahl's commentary was made into a third series.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Series I: Biographical Information, 1953 and 1981

    2 folders

    This series is divided into two folders. One contains biographical information on Norman Fox, including a copy of his obituary from the Great Falls Tribune, and "Backwards in Time: Memories of Norman Fox, written by LeRoy Stahl in 1981. The second folder contains a copy of a February 8, 1953 newspaper story about the opening of Gunsmoke in Great Falls, Montana.

  • Series II: Correspondence, 1941-1960

    24 folders

    This series contains Fox's ingoing and outgoing correspondence with numerous Western writers, from well-known authors such as Dan Cushman to several young writers who appealed to Fox for advice as they began their careers. Several folders contain original carbon copies of Fox's letters. Copies of WWA conference programs also appear in some folders. This series includes correspondence with other Montana writers such as Robert McCaig, and Cushman, as well as colleagues from Western Writers of America such as Harry Sinclair Drago, and Noel Loomis, and New York Times book reviewer, Hoffman Birney. While most folders consist of original letters and original carbon copies made by Fox, the Robert McCaig folder contains several photocopies of correspondence from McCaig's personal files. Correspondence with Noel Loomis id divided into two folders: Noel Loomis, July, 1954 - November, 1958, and Noel Loomis to WWA Board Members, September, 1957 - September, 1958.

  • Series III: LeRoy Stahl - Commentary, 1982

    1 folder

    This series contains prefatory comments by LeRoy Stahl, a close friend of Fox's and the original compiler of the collection. Stahl also provides commentary on the collection, which includes some background information of several of the correspondents.

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Subject Terms

  • Authors, American--Montana
  • Western films
  • Western radio programs
  • Western stories
  • Western television programs

Personal Names

  • McCaig, Robert J.--Correspondence

Corporate Names

  • Montana Institute of the Arts
  • Western Writers of America

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Stahl, LeRoy

Finding aid prepared by Erin Kennedy Pelger
1999

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

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