Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Gary D. Svee Papers, 1959-2009
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Svee, Gary D., 1943-
- Title
- Gary D. Svee Papers
- Dates
- 1959-2009 (inclusive)1959-20091959-2009
- Quantity
- 1.8 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 908
- Summary
- This collection contains manuscripts and correspondence generated by Montana author Gary D. Svee. The correspondence includes communications about the the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa (the "Landless Indians" of Montana), and communication with author Dorothy M. Johnson, Svee’s mentor and colleague.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
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.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Gary Svee was born in 1943, in Billings, Montana. He attended the University of Montana, where he took classes from author and journalist Dorothy Johnson, who became a mentor to him. He worked as a journalist for the Billings Gazette, and contributed articles to other papers in Montana, including the Missoulian. He also wrote several novels, most officially categorized as Westerns. His novel Sanctuary won the 1990 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Svee himself did not classify his works as Westerns, stating that he simply wrote about Montana. He also taught creative writing at Montana State University Billings.
Svee was an active member of his community, and took an interest in social injustices. In the early 1980s, he became interested in the struggles of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa, referred to as the Landless Indians of Montana, particularly the community living on Hill 57, just outside of Great Falls, Montana. He worked to raise awareness of their situation and poor living conditions, including writing an article for the Missoulian and outlining a book about the community, which was never published. In 1993, when a wave of racially-motivated hatred swept Billings, he was an editorial director for the Billings Gazette, which participated in community-wide efforts to offset the hatred.
Svee died in July, 2019. He and his wife Diane had two children, Darren and Nathan.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection contains unpublished manuscripts, research notes, and correspondence generated by Gary Svee. The collection spans 1971-2009, with most of the materials concentrated between 1980 and 1990. The collection includes materials about the Little Shell Chippewa and the larger population of Landless Indians in Montana, and correspondence with and about author Dorothy Johnson. The collection also includes manuscripts of some of Svee’s books, including Sanctuary, which won the 1990 Spur Award for Best Western Novel, as well as a manuscript of Johnson’s final, unpublished novel No Bombs Fell.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
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. Copyright to Gary Svee's writings is held by Gary Svee. McIntosh and Otis, Inc. of New York serves as Dorothy M. Johnson's literary agent and handles all requests related to publication and republication of her works.
Preferred Citation
Gary D. Svee Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection has been divided into three series.
Series I: Svee Manuscripts, 1986-2009, 1.2 linear feet
Series II: "Landless" Indians and Hill 57, 1959-1982, 0.2 linear feet
Series III: Dorothy M. Johnson Correspondence and Manuscript, 1971-1984, 0.4 linear feet
Custodial History
The materials in this collection were held by Gary Svee until their transfer to Archives and Special Collections.
Acquisition Information
This collection was transferred to Archives and Special Collections at the University of Montana in 2003 and 2009.
Processing Note
Materials were refolded by Archives personnel and arranged into series during processing.
Related Materials
The University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections holds a collection of Dorothy M. Johnson Papers (Mss 127).
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Svee Manuscripts, 1986-2009Return to Top
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.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | A Ghost Story, unpublished manuscript manuscript is not complete: chapter 3 exists only as an outline, and there are two copies of chapter four. Manuscript put in order during processing
|
undated |
| 1/2 | And the Green Grass Grew All Around, unpublished manuscript Published as Incident at Pishkin Creek in 1989. Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
1988 |
| 1/3 | Moonshine, unpunished manuscript, first version Manuscript contains light handwritten edits
|
undated |
| 1/4 | Moonshine, unpublished manuscript Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
undated |
| 2/1 | Sanctuary, unpublished manuscript Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
circa 1990 |
| 2/2 | Single Tree, unpublished manuscript folder 1/2: prologue-chapter 8. Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
circa 1990s |
| 2/3 | Single Tree, unpublished manuscript folder 2/2: chapter 9-epilogue. Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
circa 1990s |
| 2/4 | Single Tree, unpublished manuscript folder 1/2: prologue-chapter 7. Chapter 8 is missing. Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
circa 1990s |
| 2/5 | Single Tree, unpublished manuscript folder 2/2: chapter 9-epilogue. Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
circa 1990s |
| 3/1 | Spirit Wolf, unpublished manuscript Manuscript contains handwritten edits
|
1986 |
| 3/2 | Spirit Wolf, unpublished manuscript |
1986 |
| 3/3 | The Peacemaker and the Parasol, unpublished manuscript folder 1/2: prologue-chapter 16. Published as The Peacemaker's Vengeance in 2003
|
circa 2000s |
| 3/4 | The Peacemaker and the Parasol, unpublished manuscript folder 2/2: chapter 17-epilogue.
|
circa 2000s |
| 3/5 | Untitled poems, unpublished |
undated |
| 3/6 | Henry's Christmas, short story Published in The Saturday Evening Post magazine. Story begins on page 37
|
2009 |
Series II: "Landless" Indians and Hill 57, 1959-1982Return to Top
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.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | Research correspondence, landless Indians |
1980-1982 |
| 4/2 | Publication correspondence, landless Indians |
1981-1982 |
| 4/3 | Little Shell Chippewa federal recognition efforts Includes maps of Hill 57, a letter to James Murray from 1959, and a statement from the Little Shell tribe.
|
1959 and circa 1982 |
| 4/4 | Research notes, drafts, and outlines, landless Indians |
circa 1980s |
| 4/5 | "My Heart Is On The Ground” landless Indians manuscript proposal |
circa 1980s |
| Box | ||
| OS 5 | “A century of Despair”, newspaper article laminated newspaper article
|
1980 |
Series III: Dorothy M. Johnson Correspondence and Manuscript, 1971-1984Return to Top
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.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/6 | Dorothy Johnson correspondence with Gary and Diane Svee Includes a flyer for Natalie B. Manicke's campaign for president in 1984
|
1980-1984 |
| 4/7 | Dorothy Johnson professional correspondence |
1978-1980 |
| 4/8 | Correspondence about Dorothy Johnson; obituaries |
circa 1984 |
| 4/9 | “Charles Marion Russell, Cowboy Artist”, book proposal |
1971 |
| 4/10 | No Bombs Fell, unpublished manuscript folder 1/3: title page-pg. 149
|
circa 1980s |
| 4/11 | No Bombs Fell, unpublished manuscript folder 2/3: pg. 150-pg. 299
|
circa 1980s |
| 4/12 | No Bombs Fell, unpublished manuscript folder 3/3: pg. 300-end
|
circa 1980s |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Cree Indians--Montana
- Landless Indian tribes--Montana
- Metis--Montana
- Ojibwa Indians--Land tenure--Montana
- Ojibwa Indians--Montana
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Geographical Names
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
Finding aid prepared by Anna Smyrl
2018
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
