Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Francis Foster Powell Photographs of the Bitterroot Valley, Montana, 1910-circa 1922
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Powell, Francis Foster, 1885-1934
- Title
- Francis Foster Powell Photographs of the Bitterroot Valley, Montana
- Dates
- 1910-circa 1922 (inclusive)19101922
- Quantity
- 13 photographs
- Collection Number
- Mss 968
- Summary
- The Francis Powell Photographs of the Bitterroot Valley, Montana consist of 13 images of orchard operations and irrigation techniques from 1910 to the early 1920s. A few additional photographs depict the Bitter Root Inn, which was commissioned by the Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Company and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1909.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
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.
- Languages
- visual
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Francis Foster Powell was born on September 17, 1885 in Oregon. Powell's father was a lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who specialized in irrigation, and Francis pursued a similar career path. Around 1909, he moved with his family to Stevensville, Montana in the Bitterroot Valley and worked as an orchard superintendent and irrigation engineer. There Powell helped organize the Bitter Root Irrigation District, which grew to become the largest private irrigation system in the country by 1922. In 1924, Powell and his family moved to Seattle, where he died on September 11, 1934.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Francis Powell Photographs of the Bitterroot Valley, Montana consist of 13 images of orchard operations and irrigation techniques from 1910 to the early 1920s. A few additional photographs depict the Bitter Root Inn, which was commissioned by the Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Company and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1909. The structure was ultimately destroyed by a fire in 1924. One other image shows the Lone Rock School, which opened in response to the apple boom. The format of the photographs is 4" x 5" negative.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
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.
Preferred Citation
Francis Foster Powell Photographs of the Bitterroot Valley, Montana, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by photo number.
Custodial History
The collection was held by Marbeth Sedgwick Powell, daughter-in-law of Francis Powell, before she shared it with the University of Montana in 1981 for duplication. The original photographs were returned to the donor in 1982.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Marbeth Powell, November 1981.
Processing Note
The photographs in this collection were loaned to the University of Montana in 1981 for copying. The Archives made duplicates of the individual images, assigned each a photo number, and placed them into its general photograph collection. The originals images were returned to Marbeth Powell. In 2022, the photographs were processed as the Francis Foster Powell Photographs of the Bitterroot Valley, Montana (Mss 968).
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
photo_number | ||
82-0173 | Bitterroot Inn near Three Mile Creek Right to left: Bitterroot Inn, R. A. Terry residence, Union Church, Caldwell residence; photo taken two years before the inn burned down
|
circa 1922 |
82-0174 | Bitterroot Inn Inn was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Photo by Francis Powell. Powell's wife, Mildred, is seated besiside the driver of the wagon.
|
1910 |
82-0175 | Ranch field hands and orchard crew Mildred Powell at left with Mamie, the bunk-house cook, partly hidden behind her. 30 field hands and orchard crews working at the same time
|
circa 1910-1920 |
82-0177 | Watering machines in fruit orchard Western Triplex Merchantile Company
|
circa 1910 |
82-0178 | Watering machines in fruit orchard | circa 1910 |
82-0179 | Orchards in Bitterroot Valley | circa 1910 |
82-0181 | Lone Rock School in the Bitterroot Valley The Stevensville history states that the brick Lone Rock School at Three Mile is the third building since organization of the district in 1885. It adds, "Three Mile community had grown with the apple boom, and in 1913 bonds in the amount of $5,900 were sold... in 1915 an additional $1,700 was raised to complete and furnish the school."
|
1922 |
82-0182 | Bitterroot Valley farms near Hamilton, Montana | circa 1920 |
82-0183 | Bitterroot Valley irrigation flume | circa 1920 |
82-0185 | Farmhouse and fruit trees in the Bitterroot Valley | circa 1920 |
82-0186 | Farm crew removing rocks in the Bitterroot Valley | circa 1920 |
82-0187 | Francis Powell (right) beside a cherry tree in the Bitterroot Valley Other men unidentified
|
circa 1920 |
82-0188 | Fruit packers in the Bitterroot Valley | circa 1920 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Irrigation engineering--Montana--Bitterroot River Valley--Photographs
- Orchards--Montana--Bitterroot River Valley--Photographs
Personal Names
- Powell, Francis Foster, 1885-1934--Archives
Geographical Names
- Bitterroot River Valley (Mont.)--Buildings, structures, etc.
- Bitterroot River Valley (Mont.)--Photographs