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Gallatin Valley Female Seminary essay, circa 1934

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Burlingame, Merrill G. (Merrill Gildea), 1901-1994
Title
Gallatin Valley Female Seminary essay
Dates
circa 1934 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 item
Collection Number
2301
Summary
The Gallatin Valley Female Seminary essay, by Dr. Merrill G. Burlingame, records the history of the institution from its establishment in 1872 by Presbyterian minister Lyman B. Crittenden to its closing in 1878. The essay quotes extensively contemporary newspaper accounts of the school and presents two lists of former students, one for 1872 and the other for 1874. The essay describes the activities of the teachers and students, the curriculum, and the physical description of the school's buildings and their location.
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
Collection materials are in English
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Biographical Note

Merrill G. Burlingame (1901-1994) joined the faculty of Montana State College (now Montana State University) at Bozeman, Montana, in 1929. He became chair of the history department in 1935 and actively began research into many local history topics in Gallatin County, Montana, including the Gallatin Valley Female Seminary. Mrs. Mary Crittenden Davidson, the former principal of the school, wrote Burlingame a letter on April 19, 1934, giving her memories of the school based on her reminiscence published in 1902. Later, Burlingame interviewed Mary Lee Hunter Doane, whose sister, Lizzie Hunter Rich, had also attended the school. By combining the information from these two sources, Burlingame prepared this essay around 1934, although he preserved the first-person voice of Mary Doane in parts of the work. In 1984, Burlingame completed his definitive essay on the seminary and cited only the 1934 Davidson letter as his source for the list of students.

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Content Description

The essay, "Gallatin Valley Female Seminary" by Dr. Merrill G. Burlingame, records the history of the institution from its establishment in 1872 to its closing in 1878. The essay include lists of former students for 1872 and 1874 and details the activities, curriculum, and physical description of the buildings and location. Burlingame was a member of the history faculty at Montana State College (now Montana State University) from 1929-1969 and actively researched local history topics in Gallatin County, Montana, throughout his career.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

A typescript prepared by Merrill G. Burlingame was donated to Montana State University by him in the spring of 1967 after an initial loan of the document to the Museum of the Rockies in 1960.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2011 November 3

Names and Subjects

Subject Terms

  • Girls--Education--Montana--Manhattan (Mont.)
  • Private schools--Montana--Manhattan

Personal Names

  • Crittenden, Lyman B., -1892
  • Davidson, Mary Crittenden
  • Doane, Mary Hunter, 1859-1952

Corporate Names

  • Gallatin Valley Female Seminary--History
  • Gallatin Valley Female Seminary--Students
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