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
Norman Fox died in Great Falls, Montana, on March 24, 1960.
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.
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
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], Norman Fox Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
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.
Gift of LeRoy Stahl, 1982.
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.
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
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
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.