Elizabeth Berger Swan papers, 1967-1971

The Elizabeth Berger Swan papers consist of two stories written by Swan documenting her Red River Metis family, her Catholic faith, and the community of Lewistown, Montana. "A Brief History of the First Catholic Pioneers of Lewistown, Montana," which was written with her sister, Margaret LeTerelle Lattrey, is a narrative of her family's settlement in Lewistown, the early development of the town, and the activities of the Catholic Church. Many early settlers are named in the narrative including Pierre Berger and his many descendents, Frank Azure, Irene Desy, Frank Day, and Alexander Wilkie. Also mentioned are the Gladeau, Turcotte, Ouellette, Fleury, LaFountaine (or La Fountain), Janeaux, Morase, Laverdure, and Bowes families. The second essay, "Sporty and the Bear Claw," is a Cree Indian story regarding a young man's conversion from native religion to Catholicism, told in the first person. The Swan papers also include a newspaper article by her, which was published in the Lewistown News-Argus on December 22, 1968, giving details on her childhood and school days at St. Peter's Mission School. The documents in this collection are photocopies of the original typescript stories, which Swan subsequently donated to the Lewistown Public Library.