Dave Tuttle brought the youngest five of his 12 children to the Jefferson Valley in 1866 and settled on Fish Creek near Whitehall, Montana. Sherman Ferson Tuttle, who was 15 and Miles L. Tuttle, his younger brother were two of those children. Sherman later moved to Boulder, Montana and was a prominent businessman and rancher. Miles was also a cattleman and rancher in Jefferson County.
In the mid-1920s, the history classes of Whitehall High School interviewed pioneers of the area for a book History of Jefferson Valley, published in 1928 by the local newspaper, the Jefferson Valley News. The book indicates that Ruth Jendresen interviewed Sherman in 1925 and Marie Datres interviewed Miles (date unknown). The entire interview with Sherman was published in the Jefferson Valley News in March 1928. Typed copies of two reminiscences: "Jefferson Valley Sixty Years Ago" (author unknown) and an untitled piece by Miles L. Tuttle are in this collection. Information in the interviews includes: crossing the Jefferson River on a ferry boat; the first schools and teachers; first religious services, churches and preachers; first Cemetery near Fish Creek and the stories of two deaths; the first store at Parsons Bridge and other businesses; the first Post Office; the first railroad and the primary occupations of the settlers. Both manuscripts have been placed in one file folder.
This collection is open for research.
Typed copies of two reminiscences where donated by the Museum of the Rockies in 1985. No information on the original donor(s) is available.
This collection was processed 2009 April 3