Wilbur Edgerton Sanders was born in Ohio in 1861, the son of Wilbur Fisk Sanders and Harriet Peck Fenn Sanders. At the age of two, in 1863, he journeyed with his parents to Bannack, Idaho Territory, as part of the Edgerton party. His father practiced law, first in Virginia City and, later, in Helena. Wilbur Fisk Sanders was one of the leading Republicans in the territory and state and held several elective offices, culminating in his selection as one of the first U.S. Senators from Montana. Wilbur E. Sanders was educated at public schools in Helena; at the Philips Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire; and at the Columbia School of Mines in New York City. He returned to Montana after graduation in 1886. He worked in the field of mining as a mine superintendent, a shift boss, an assayer, a laborer, and a mine owner in Helena, Butte, and the surrounding area. Wilbur Edgerton Sanders retired to Berkeley, California, in 1923. He died there August 6, 1935.
Papers. 1875-1896. 1 linear foot. The collection consists of two series: Incoming Correspondence (1879-1894) and Diaries (1875-1896). The Incoming Correspondence is from several correspondents, including Wilbur E. Sanders' brother, James U. Sanders, and their father Wilbur Fisk Sanders. The Diaries begin in 1875, when Sanders was still a young boy, and chronicle his education and youth to 1882. The series resumes in 1887 and depicts his early career in mining to 1890, including trips to the area that became Yellowstone Park. There is an additional diary for 1896 describing a trip to the Blackfeet Reservation.
Arranged by series
Collection open for research.
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Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
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