Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Alfred E. Aiken Papers, 1885-1890
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Aiken, Alfred E. (Alfred Euclid), 1858-1943
- Title
- Alfred E. Aiken Papers
- Dates
- 1885-189018851890
- Quantity
- 1 folder
- Collection Number
- Collection 2580, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Alfred E. Aiken Papers consist of eight original letters he wrote from 1885 to 1890 to his sister, Sabra Jane "Jennie" Aiken who was living in Frewsburg, New York. The letters were sent from Poplar Creek and Dawson County, Montana, and Fort Buford, North Dakota, and describe his impressions of the country, the military garrison at Poplar Creek, members of the tribes on the nearby reservation, incidents of ranch life, and family news. The letters are supplemented by a biographical essay, "A Cowpuncher's Prairie Romance," written by Aiken's granddaughter, Evelyn J. Aiken Jones.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Alfred Euclid Aiken was born in Chautaqua County, New York on May 8, 1858. He came to Montana when he was twenty-six years old and first worked at a T.C. Powers company trading post at Poplar Creek and as a wood cutter along the Missouri River. Eventually he worked as a cowboy in Dawson County and was appointed sheriff by the county commissioners in 1898. He went on to become a prominent businessman in Glendive. Around 1900, Aiken married Cora Miskimen and the couple had three children: Lloyd, Ford, and Helen. Alfred Aiken died in Glendive on March 22, 1943.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Alfred E. Aiken papers consist of eight original letters he wrote from 1885 to 1890 to his sister, Sabra Jane "Jennie" Aiken who was living in Frewsburg, New York. The letters were sent from Poplar Creek and Dawson County, Montana, and Fort Buford, North Dakota, and describe his impressions of the country, the military garrison at Poplar Creek, members of the tribes on the nearby reservation, incidents of ranch life, and family news. The letters are supplemented by a biographical essay, "A Cowpuncher's Prairie Romance," written by Aiken's granddaughter, Evelyn J. Aiken Jones, when she was a student at Montana State University.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Kim Allen Scott, 2014
August 25, 2015
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
