The originals may be in Collection 107, the Maynard Family Papers at the Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.
Ethel Augustus Maynard was born on the family farm in Portland, Michigan, on October. 4, 1841, the fourth child of Gardner and Parnell Maynard, both originally from New York state. He had three brothers and four sisters, but four of these siblings died in their youth. He began his career as a local schoolteacher and then opened a trading post in 1861.
In 1864 he set out in search of gold in the West with his brother-in-law, James G. Bower, and his nephew, Alexander Bower. They had a new wagon and three horses, but not many supplies. They walked or rode their horses and rode the rails, stopping in Omaha, Nebraska, and then Virginia City, Montana, before arriving in the Madison Valley of Montana in late 1864. On the trail they saw a party of Native Americans kill two U. S. soldiers, but the Maynards escaped.
Maynard pioneered his homestead in Montana by squatter’s rights, and built a ranch near Ennis Lake and Jeffers in the Madison Valley where he farmed and lived for the next fifty years. By 1900 he had 410 acres under cultivation and 75 head of horses. On April 5, 1870, he married Helen L. Briggs of Clinton County, Michigan. The couple had two daughters and one son. The son, Bert A. Maynard, was born on December 13, 1872. He lived on the ranch until his death in 1956. Helen Maynard died in 1931 and Ethel Maynard died in Bozeman on 15 May 1939.
This microfilm collection contains a biographical sketch about Ethel Augustus Maynard and his reminiscences in four chapters. Chapter One, the biographical sketch, was written by Leolyn Howard, his granddaughter, in 1933 as a U. S. History paper at Montana State University. Chapter Two was written by Maynard himself and describes his experiences during his first winter in Montana (1864-1865). Chapter Three continues this autobiography, describing how his family came to Madison County, Montana. Chapter Four is the reminiscence that Maynard wrote in 1935. It is a detailed account of his 1864 journey to the Madison Valley of Montana and his early visits to Yellowstone National Park. Edited abstracts from this reminiscence were published as E.A. Maynard's "Great journey to a new county" and life as a Montana pioneer (1988)
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.
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-Missoula
[Name of document or photograph number], Ethel Augustus Maynard Reminiscence, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Chain of ownership unknown.
Donated by Carl Yeckel, 1969
The Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, holds Collection 107, the Maynard Family Papers.
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