Gary D. Svee Papers, 1959-2009

Series I contains manuscripts of seven novels, with handwritten edits by Svee and his editors. Some manuscripts appear to be for books which were never published.

Series II contains correspondence and research notes about a book Svee proposed to write about the Landless Indians of Montana. This group was comprised primarily of Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa, Cree, and Métis families who did not have reservation lands of their own. Although there were communities of landless Indians across Montana, the most well-known settlement was Hill 57, outside of Great Falls, Montana. The inhabitants of Hill 57 had been pushed out of Great Falls by the white community there, and their resulting poverty and poor quality of life began attracting national attention in the 1950s and 1960s. This series contains correspondence between Svee and Sister Providencia, a sociology professor at the College of Great Falls who spent her career lobbying on behalf of the Landless Indians, and the Little Shell in particular. It also contains Svee’s correspondence with publishing houses to try and find a publisher for his book, and some records of the Little Shell Chippewa struggle for federal tribal recognition.

Series III contains personal and professional correspondence between Svee and Dorothy Johnson. It also contains multiple obituaries for her, many of which she composed herself. The correspondence reveals Johnson’s wry humor and strong personality. The series also contains a manuscript version of her final, unpublished novel No Bombs Fell.