Caroline McGill (1879-1959) was a Butte, Montana physician and collector of historical memorabilia. Born in Mansfield, Ohio on May 18, 1879, McGill moved to Lebanon, Missouri with her family at the age of five. She attended normal school at nearby Springfield and eventually Missouri State University at Columbia where she earned a doctorate in anatomy in 1908. In 1909 she left for Europe to study medicine. In 1911 McGill began her work at the Murray Hospital in Butte, Montana, but shortly thereafter left to earn her MD at Johns Hopkins University. She returned to Butte in 1913 and continued to practice medicine until her retirement in 1956. She purchased the 320 Ranch in Gallatin Canyon, near Bozeman, Montana, in 1936 and took a keen interest in the area's history. Collecting antiques complemented her research on Gallatin Canyon's past and she stored much of her growing collection of objects and memorabilia at the ranch as well as her apartment in Butte. She eventually moved the collection to the Montana State University campus where it formed the core of the Museum of the Rockies' collections. Caroline McGill died on February 4, 1959.
The papers in this collection consist of autobiographical materials, including a transcription of travel notes originally kept by McGill on the back of postcards during her 1909-1910 European tour, her reminiscences of Gallatin Canyon prior to her purchase of the 320 Ranch in 1936, and notes on the establishment of the Museum of the Rockies; an original manuscript history of Gallatin Canyon prepared by McGill from various interviews, letters, and research readings supplemented by an index prepared by Harriet Cushman and members of the Montana Institute for the Arts; subject files pertaining mostly to personalities associated with the history of Gallatin Canyon; tourist information brochures and pamphlets; general personal and research correspondence. Persons mentioned include: Andrew Levinski, Bert Stillman, Charles Franklin High, Cunningham and Behring, Dr. L.E. Safely, Henry Sapplington, Lew Bartholomew, Pete Karst, Plenty Coups, Ralph Oliver, Richard A. Harlow, Sam Wilson, Stanley Davis, Story Ranch, Thomas Michener, Vick Smith, Walter Cooper, and Zachariah Sales.
Series 1 Autobiographical materials, 1909-1956
Series 2 Gallatin Canyon History manuscript
Series 3 Subject files
Series 4 Tourist ephemera collection, circa 1930-1950
Series 5 Correspondence, 1931-1958
This collection is open for research.
Original and photocopied personal papers, literary manuscripts, and printed ephemera pertaining to Dr. Caroline McGill were added to Special Collections by: Mrs. James Goodrich of Gallatin Canyon in 1965 (accession number ACC-0025); Dr. Merrill G. Burlingame of Bozeman in 1971 and 1972 (accession numbers ACC-0945 and ACC-0990); estate of Harriet Cushman (accession number ACC-1245); Helen M. Johnson of Missoula in 1984 (accession number ACC-1403); Museum of the Rockies in 1973 and 1985 (accession numbers ACC-0945 and ACC-1418); Dorothy Vick of Bozeman in 1992; Marian Stephens of Bozeman in 1994 (accession number ACC-2296).
This collection was processed 2009 February 27
[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT
Spirit duplication transcription of European travel notes made by McGill while studying in Europe during 1909-1910, prepared by Helen Berg from the original notes kept on the back of postcards. An original handwritten reminiscence, and subsequent photocopies of typed transcriptions with corrections made by Merrill G. Burlingame, of McGill's experiences in Gallatin Canyon prior to her purchase of the 320 ranch in 1936; positive photocopy of typewritten reminiscence of McGill's experiences establishing the Museum of the Rockies.
Original rough draft manuscript, consisting of sequentially numbered pages of handwritten, typescript, and carbon copy text, of a historical study of Gallatin Canyon, Montana, apparently started by McGill but never completed. The first four folders consist of an index, prepared by Harriet Cushman and members of the Montana Institute of the Arts History Group, which refers to the manuscript pagination.
Letters, interview notes, and miscellaneous research notations compiled by Caroline McGill during the course of her research for her intended history of Gallatin Canyon and other historical projects. Some of the material in the subject files duplicates the numbered pages from Series 2, but bear additional marginalia added by either McGill or Merrill G. Burlingame. The files have been alphabetically arranged.
Brochures, pamphlets, and other printed ephemera pertaining to the tourist trade in Gallatin County, Montana, the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountains. Dude ranch materials especially predominate.
Miscellaneous correspondence, both personal and research related, received or created by Caroline McGill. Some of the letters are from people named in the subject files of Series 4, but the content pertains to a wide variety of personal and research related subjects. Alphabetically arranged by the name of the letter writer with McGill responses interfiled.