Hazel W. (Rennie) Christiansen was born in Brookings, South Dakota on March 14, 1897 to John St. Clair and Daisy Rennie. Christiansen attended schools in Minnesota and Montana until graduating from high school in Hobson, Montana. She attended Rocky Mountain College before earning a degree in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin. In 1928 Hazel married Kenneth Christiansen in Hardin, Montana. She was the Big Horn county librarian and he was a wheat farmer and cattle rancher. In the early 1960s, Christiansen put considerable work into a proposed history of Big Horn County and compiled notes from a variety of printed and manuscript resources. The history was never published, and Christiansen died in Powell, Wyoming on March 22, 1990.
The Hazel Christiansen papers consist of typed transcriptions or photocopies of correspondence, notes, and manuscripts dealing with the history of Hardin and Big Horn County, Montana. Letters contained in this collection deal with requests by Christiansen for information and reminiscences of Big Horn County settlers and the Old Mormon Trail, establishment of services in the county, and a former residents reunion. Christiansen's local history research focused on Hardin and Big Horn County, along with Crow Indians, forts, battles, churches, libraries, schools, and local activities.
This collection is open for research.
Transcribed research papers and correspondence regarding the history of Hardin and Big Horn County, Montana gathered by Hazel Christiansen were deposited with the Montana State College library in February 1962. An additional folder of material, originally assigned collection number 67 in 1964, has been incorporated into this collection.
This collection was processed 2009 August 6
(photocopies)