Francis L. Niven was born and raised in the Gallatin Valley. After attending grade school near Manhattan he graduated from Gallatin County High School in Bozeman in 1928. In 1929 his father, William W. Niven, opened a butcher shop in Bozeman, the North Side Market. Francis worked at the family business throughout the following years, eventually buying out his father's interest in December 1944. Niven married Ethel Scheytt, a former resident of Maudlow, Montana and the couple continued operating the North Side Market while Francis attended college during the Depression. In 1933 he graduated from Montana State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Industry and earned a Master's Degree in 1934. He was a member of the Montana State College Livestock Judging team to the Pacific International Livestock Exposition in 1931 and in 1932 he received the highest score ever given an Agronomy Judging Contest member. Francis was a county Extension Agent from 1936-1944. The Nivens also raised registered Columbia sheep for many years on their property near Bozeman. Frances stayed active in a number of community organizations throughout his life. He served as a director of the Montana Winter Fair for twenty two years, served as president of the Montana Archaeological Society from 1958 until 1959, and served as director of the Gallatin County Historical Society from its inception in 1977. His interest in Montana history, especially the Manhattan area, resulted in the gathering and writing of a history of the town. Niven was also active in the Masonic fraternity and the Rotary.
The Francis L. Niven papers have been arranged in two major groups: business records and family papers. The business records include: North Side Market records of financial accounts of the store and feed lot as well as slaughter records; correspondence with the United States Office of Price Administration/Stabilization and Montana's Congressional delegation; copies of North Side Market newspaper advertisements; records and correspondence concerning a shipment of live cattle and sheep to Turkey in 1958. The family papers include those of Scheytt and Niven families, particularly household lists and financial accounts, including some from the Sheytt Brother's store in Maudlow; Francis Niven's official report on homesteads in Musselshell County for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1935 and his history of the North Side Market; photographs of Francis Niven's championship sheep, livestock intended for shipment to Turkey, and snapshots taken by Ethel Scheytt Niven of unidentified friends in the Maudlow, Montana area in the 1920s.
This collection is open for research.
Business records and family papers created or collected by Francis L. Niven were donated by him to Special Collections in seven separate accessions from 1964 to 1992. This collection incorporates accession numbers 1174, 1334, 1341, 1342, 1351, and 2272.
This collection was processed 2009 February 5
Livestock purchase records, meat processing records, business correspondence, and other papers dealing with the operation of the North Side Market of Bozeman, Montana.
Series 1 Business Financial and Inventory Records, 1944-1963
Series 2 Business correspondence, 1944-1952
Series 3 Advertising and Turkish sales records, 1946-1962
Records detailing the purchase of live animals and their slaughter for sale at the North Side market; payroll and retail sales records. Information includes the names of suppliers, live weight, dressed weight, and prices paid. Also included are records for the operation of livestock feedlots, inventory lists, and payroll information. The personal account book in box 3, folder 5, was kept by Spokane, Washington resident W. L. Trump, who may have worked for the North Side Market as a butcher.
Primarily letters to the United States Price Administration office, with accompanying report forms, detailing the North Side Market's compliance with federal regulations. Also included are letters received from Senator Zales Ecton and Congressman Wesley D'Ewart in response to Niven's complaints on dealing with the federal meat price controls.
Clippings, mounted and loose, of advertisements placed by the North Side Market in Bozeman newspapers. Special pricing of selected meats are displayed, and many of the clippings are dated. An additional folder of materials dealing with the shipment of live cattle and sheep to Turkey, coordinated by the United States General Services Administration in 1958, is included with this series.
Household financial records, related papers, and photographs pertaining to both the Scheytt family of Springhill and Maudlow, Montana, and the Niven family in Bozeman, Montana.
Series 1 Scheytt Family papers, 1901-1933
Series 2 Niven family papers, 1937-1982
Series 3 Literary productions, 1935-1950
Series 4 Photographs, circa 1920-1960
Papers created by members of the Scheytt family of Springhill and Maudlow, Montana. Included are F.A. Schyett's farm account book detailing his expenses and income; Ethel Scheytt's memoranda book listing letters sent or received by her in the 1920s; ledger entries pertaining to the Scheytt Brother's general store in Maudlow.
Primarily household expense accounts, detailing all domestic expenses incurred by the Niven family beyond the operation of the North Side Market. Ledger in folder 4 records personal expenses kept by Ethel Scheytt Niven which includes lists of gifts (probably received at her wedding) and books that she read. Expense record in folder 6 includes ration books and coupons used during World War II.
Report on homestead activity in Musselshell County, Montana, prepared by Francis Niven for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1935; manuscript history of the North Side Market written by Francis Niven around 1950.
Photographs of Francis Niven and his prize winning sheep shown at various gatherings including the Montana Winter Fair; photographs of the 1958 shipment of livestock to Turkey; snapshots of unidentified people in the Maudlow, Montana area probably taken by Ethel Scheytt Niven, circa 1920s.
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