University of Wyoming
Putnam was a businessman who invested in the Chicago, Peoria, and St. Louis Railroad Company and was also involved in an irrigation project in Escondido, California. Putnam received a patent in 1876 for inventing a machine to make barbed wire.
Collection contains materials related to Putnam's business interests from 1844-1898. The collection includes correspondence, legal and financial materials, and patents related to his barbed wire machine (1844-1893). Most of the correspondence is with his lawyer, Thomas H. Dodge, involving several litigation cases between Putnam and Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, who used the machine.
The collection also includes correspondence between Putnam and his business partners and bankers and their investment in the Chicago, Peoria, and St. Louis Railroad between 1889-1898, along with information regarding the condition of the railroad and company lines.
Contained in the collection are correspondence, contracts, litigation and other business records dealing with Putnam's investment in an irrigation project in Escondido, California. Most of the correspondence is between Putnam and his brother H.A. Putnam, his son H.W. Putnam Jr. relating to the purchase of bonds between 1876 and 1897. Putnam's brother and son served as his business partners for the project.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no known other archival collections created by Henry W. Putnam at the date of processing.
Finding aid available in repository.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
The American Heritage Center is in the process of converting its older container lists to a more accessible format. This link is to an older version of a container list.