Edward Donlan was born on July 28, 1867, in Chapeau, Quebec. As a youth, he worked in the woods of Quebec. At age 18, he came to the United States and spent five years in various parts of the country before coming to Montana. He received his first job as a Great Northern Railway section hand at Neihart in the spring of 1890. Later that same year, he came to Missoula, Montana, and worked in the Hanratty and Tillman sawmill near Frenchtown, Montana. This property later became part of the Donlan family ranch. Donlan opened a sawmill in 1905 and for the next 25 years, was engaged in western Montana logging operations. He formed a partnership with Joe Moderie and the two contracted for William A. Clark's Milltown, Montana, sawmill beginning in 1917. Around 1930, Donlan retired from the logging business. He expanded the ranching operations he undertook around 1910 near Frenchtown. In 1946, he relinquished part of this property to his son, Arthur, and sold the rest. Donlan established the Frenchtown Irrigation District in 1936, through which 5000 acres were brought under cultivation. In 1940, Edward Donlan passed his position to Arthur.
Edward Donlan represented Missoula County in both houses of the Montana Legislature. He was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican in 1900. Between 1902 and 1912, he was elected to the Senate. He was reelected in 1918 and 1920. He also ran in the 1908 gubernatorial race. Materials related to Donlan's political career appear in the Mansfield Library's edition of
Donlan married Josephine Tickler in Butte, Montana, on October 8, 1895. They resided in Missoula until Josephine's death in 1950, after which Edward Donlan lived with Arthur on the family's Frenchtown ranch. Edward Donlan died on May 1, 1952.
Arthur T. Donlan was a farmer in the Frenchtown Valley for fifty years. He was born on November 20, 1902 in Missoula, Montana, to Edward and Josephine Donlan. He attended grade school in Missoula and Gonzaga Prep School in Spokane, Washington. He later attended the University of Montana. He worked with his father in the lumber business before he began his fifty year career as a farmer.
Donlan was active in the Missoula and Frenchtown communities. He worked to bring electricity, irrigation, and telephone services to the Frenchtown Valley. He was a board member of the Frenchtown Irrigation District and the first president of the Frenchtown Fire District. He was co-editor of the book
The bulk of the collection is materials Arthur Donlan collected about Missoula, Hellgate, and particularly Frenchtown, Montana, history from the 1850s to the 1970s. These historical materials include clippings from newspapers and other publications, pamphlets, published and unpublished manuscripts, an oral history transcript, and notes and chronologies compiled by Arthur Donlan. The collection also contains a one volume scrapbook of Ed Donlan's political career from about 1912 - 1920. A smaller portion of the collection contains official documents, correspondence, and photographs. The collection contains photographs of the Montana Senate and the Thirty-Third degree members of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, 1909 to 1926.
The collection is divided into four series:
Series I: Official Documents, 0.1 linear feet, 1860-1937
Series II: Correspondence, 0.1 linear feet, 1971-1975
Series III: Histories, 0.3 linear feet, 1850s-1970s
Series IV: Photographs, 8 photographs and 6 oversize containers, 1909-1926
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.
[Name of document or photograph number], Donlan Family Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.
The farm abstract in the collection was donated by Marjorie Donlan. The other materials were donated by an unknown party.
Gifts of Marjorie Donlan, 1985, and an unknown donor, unknown date
The actions of the original processors are largely unknown, although a portion of the photographs were separated to the photograph collection. In 2002, the collection was reprocessed. Unprocessed materials such as photographs and other materials were combined with a previously processed collection containing a farm abstract. Nothing from the collection was discarded. The materials were kept in order by subject. The scrapbook of Ed Donlan's political career was separated from the K. Ross Toole Archives scrapbook collection and integrated into this collection.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The series contains the abstract for the Donlan family's Frenchtown, Montana farm. The abstract traces the history of the property's holders from 1883 until 1937. The series also contains a copy of poll lists for the Willow Creek District, 1864, and data for the Bitterroot Valley extracted from the 1860 federal census.
The series is arranged chronologically.
The series contains letters to Arthur and Marjorie Donlan. One letter is from the National Archives to Marjorie Donlan with a complete list of Frenchtown, Huson, and Stark, Montana, postmasters appointed until 1971. Other letters have to do with Frenchtown history inquiries. There is also a letter concerning the Missoula City Electric Company
The series is arranged chronologically.
The series contains historical information on Montana and in particular, Frenchtown history, collected by Arthur Donlan. There are unpublished manuscripts concerning history and biographies pertaining to individuals and families in the Frenchtown area. There are also clippings from books, newspapers, and magazines concerning Montana history and Frenchtown history, in addition to pamphlets on subjects such as missionaries, mining and fur trapping. There is a manuscript of data collected by Arthur Donlan for a talk he delivered in 1976. There is also a history of the Frenchtown School District. One notable item is a St. John's Day scrapbook from St. John's Catholic Church in Frenchtown, containing budget information, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia from annual celebrations, 1952-1961. Another notable item is an oral history transcript entitled
The series also contains a scrapbook of Edward Donlan's political career, circa 1912-1920. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings of campaign advertisements, columns, and editorial cartoons. Other notable items include the resolution passed by the Montana Senate in 1952 in memory of Ed Donlan, a mounted newspaper article entitled
The series is arranged by subject and chronologically, wherever possible.
The series includes photographs of Montana legislative and Thirty-Third Degree members of the A & A.S.R. Edward Donlan appears in some of these photographs. There is also a photograph of the Sherburne Mercantile in Browning, Montana, undated.
See also Arthur Donlan photographs: #75-6098 through #75-6108.