Open to public research.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the John N. Downing family business records must be obtained from the
The donor of this collection is Paul W. Richelson. He is the great-grandson of John Newton Downing, the founder of the Burgoyne Hotel and Downing Apartments. This collection came in two installments, the first in June 1997, and the second in December 1999.
John N. Downing family business records, 1903-1956. (COLL MSS 264). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.
This collection contains the financial records of John Newton Downing (1866-1941) and his various businesses: the Burgoyne Hotel, the Downing Apartments, and the Downing Ranch, all located in Montpelier and Georgetown, Idaho. A local history of Montpelier discusses both the hotel and apartments:
The original Burgoyne Hotel was in a building constructed by Edward Burgoyne for a Y.M.C.A. After some years, the building reverted to Mr. Burgoyne, who sold it to J. N. Downing in 1898. He retained the pioneer name of Burgoyne to designate what became the three-story hotel on Washington Street with seven business rentals. The original building was moved from Washington Street to North Ninth Street and converted into the Downing Apartment. In 1908 the east wing of the new building was built, followed in 1915 with the construction of the west wing. The space between the two wings was enclosed in 1925. (Rich 76)
John Newton Downing was married to Hannah Katherine Nelson Downing. They had a son named Edgar L. Downing, who by 1937, was also a partner in the Burgoyne Hotel. The bank records from First Security Bank of Idaho appear in Edgar's name after the death of J. N. Downing, suggesting that Edgar took over his father's businesses. Paul N. Richelson, a grandson to J. N. Downing, is also listed in these records by 1954. Paul W. Richelson, who donated this collection, is a great-grandson to John Newton Downing.
There are references to several other Montpelier banks in this collection: The Bank of Montpelier, The First National Bank, and the Eccles-Browning Bank. J. N. Downing had accounts and interactions with each of these institutions. The Bank of Montpelier was started in 1891 by G. C. Gray and survived until 1924. The First National Bank was opened by E. A. Burrell in 1904 and remained open until 1925. The Eccles-Browning Bank began in 1925, after the other banks had closed. In this collection, the Eccles-Browning Bank records are for the years of 1925 and 1926.
Many of the names and businesses mentioned in this collection appear in the A. McKay Rich thesis cited below, which also contains photographs of the Burgoyne Hotel and the Downing Apartments. There is another photo of the Hotel in Earl F. Passey's book,
Sources: Rich, A. McKay. The History of Montpelier from 1864 to 1925. Thesis. Utah State Agricultural College. Logan, Utah: 1957.
This collection offers a picture of Montpelier, Idaho history. The collection consists of the financial documents and records of J. N. Downing, his son, Edgar, and his grandson, Paul N. Richelson, which started in 1903 and continued until 1956. Included in this collection are warranty deeds and mortgage papers that were turned over to J. N. Downing. There is also a series of bank statements and checks from several banks. Most are from the First Security Bank of Idaho (1941-1956). From 1941 to at least 1943, the accounts (and other records) are in Edgar L. Downing's name. By 1954 the accounts had been transferred to the name of Paul N. Richelson. There are checks from the Bank of Montpelier, The First National Bank, and the Eccles-Browning Bank. The collection contains loan statements from the Federal Land Bank of Spokane as well as correspondence and records dealing with Utah Light and Power, the State of Idaho, life insurance companies, and other businesses. Additionally, there are tax papers from 1918-1950. Eight ledger books are included in this collection which are the financial records for Downing's businesses. Ledger 3 in box 3 is labeled "Apartment House Rent Book" with records for the Downing Apartments. The other ledgers are not clearly labeled and seem to be a mix of all his accounts and expenses. Some of the ledgers are indexed in the front tab section of the book.
The first box consists of tax papers, separated by year. Following the tax papers are various legal-size documents including deeds, mortgage papers, loan papers, and the guest register for the Burgoyne Hotel. The second box consists mostly of bank statements and checks from the First Security Bank of Idaho. (Account no. 2 at the First Security Bank of Idaho is the Ranch Account.) Also in this box are more records for the hotel and the Downing Apartments, along with correspondence from the Department of Agriculture and several life insurance companies. The third box holds four ledgers. The fourth box holds four more ledgers and some oversize items including tax papers and financial figures. The fifth box contains loose papers that were tucked in the pages of the ledgers. These papers are in folders labeled with the ledger and page number indicating where they were found originally.
Grouped by document type and chronologically.
Box 5 contains loose papers found in books
[pages not numbered] business card for Hardy-Gaines Realty and letter to Paul Richelson from Elton D. Minkler, Wackrli and Co. May 29, 1952