The Paul R. Wylie Family papers include family history, Paul and Arlene Wylie's personal papers, Paul Wylie's patent law papers, and Paul Wylie's author's papers. The family history includes genealogical materials, family charts, photographs, written recordings of family stories and correspondence. These materials encompass the Wylie, Dredge, Richter, Hollier, and Klem families, as well as some additional families who are also related to the Wylie family.
The Paul and Arlene Wylie personal papers reflect their immediate family, philanthropic investments, and personal achievements. The Paul R. Wylie patent law papers reflect his career as a patent lawyer including witness testimonies given, correspondence, and supplemental information on the Polaroid v. Kodak case. His author's papers include research for his books, plays and scripts for projects associated with his books, and drafts as well as correspondence, reviews, and announcements related to his books.
Paul R. Wylie, or Nick Wylie, was born in Montana in 1936 to Paul R. Wylie Sr (1899-1987), and Alice H. (Allice Hazel) (Dredge) Wylie (1904-2007). His nickname (Nick) is derived from St. Nicholas because he was born on Christmas day. Paul grew up in White Sulphur Springs, Montana and graduated from Montana State College (MSC, now Montana State University (MSU)) in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. After graduating, he worked as a rocket engineer for Morton Thiokol in Utah. He then moved to Washington D.C., where he worked as an examiner for the U.S. Patent office and obtained his law degree from American University in 1965. He worked as a patent lawyer in Utah, New Jersey, California, and Montana. He worked in corporate practice until 1981 then started a private practice, which he operated until his retirement. One of his major cases in private practice was to present as an expert witness in the 1980's Polaroid v. Kodak case which involved determining the measure of financial damages owed to Polaroid by Kodak for infringement of their patents on instant color photography. He married Arlene Marie (Klem) Wylie in Los Angeles, California, in 1982. They have two sons, John Michael Wylie (1984-) and Thomas Robert Wylie (1986-). Paul Wylie also has a daughter (Lynne Catherine Wylie (1966-)) from a previous marriage to Susanne Frances Cleevely. Paul Wylie and Arlene returned to Montana in 1990. After retiring from legal practice, Paul R. Wylie began researching Montana history and produced three books,
Arlene Marie (Klem) Wylie was born 23 May 1948 in Los Angeles California to Paul M. Klem (1905-1978) and Vesta A. (Petersen) Klem (1913-1986). She attended San Gabriel High School, Pasadena City College, California State Northridge, and California State Los Angeles. She worked as a registered nurse (RN), at Long Beach Memorial, and in allergy, orthopedics, and cardiology practices in Beverly Hills, California. After her retirement, she volunteered for the non-profit Liberty Place in Whitehall, Montana. In 1998, Arlene and 4 others began Bosom Buddies, a support community for women with breast cancer. The community helped build the Cancer Support Community Montana (CSCMT) in 2004 which (as of 2020) has another chapter in Missoula and resource centers throughout Montana. Arlene served as secretary on the CSCMT board. In 2011, she and her husband (Paul Wylie) also established the Paul R. and Arlene M. Wylie Scholarship fund, which supports Native American students pursuing degrees in engineering at MSU.
Paul R. Wylie (Paul Richter) Sr. (1899-1987) was the son of John M. (John McCartney) Wylie (1857-1937) and Minnie C. (Wilhemina Carolina) (Richter) Wylie (1865-1937). Paul Wylie Sr. attended MSC (now MSU) where he enlisted in the Student Army Training Corps. After serving in World War I, he graduated from Iowa State College in 1923. He held graduate degrees in education from MSC and the University of Southern California. Throughout his life, Paul Sr. experimented with photography. His photographs record trips taken with classmates, ranch life, and daily life in places where he lived in Montana and California. He worked as the superintendent of schools in Clyde Park, Montana, and spent at least one summer working as a ranger in Yellowstone National Park. In addition to his work in education, he was also a supervisor at the Dupont Chemical Plant in Waynesborough, Virginia (1928-1931), and the state director of the Farmers Home Administration (1957-1962). In 1931, Paul and his wife Alice moved to Bozeman, Montana, to operate the Wylie Ranch was owned by his father. After Paul's father (John M. Wylie) died in 1937, the ranch was left to his oldest child, Mary Wylie, and entrusted to support John Wylie's youngest daughter, Betty Wylie. In 1949 they sold the Bozeman ranch, and the proceeds went into a trust to support Betty. In 1950 Paul purchased another ranch in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, where he had been superintendent of schools since 1942. In 1981 Paul and Alice moved to Seal Beach, California, where they lived until Paul Wylie's death in 1987.
Alice H. (Alice Hazel) (Dredge) Wylie (1904-2007) was the daughter of Homer Percy Dredge and Elma Freeman Dredge and was born in Sandstone, Minnesota. She obtained her teaching credentials at St. Cloud Normal School (now St. Cloud State University) in Minnesota, and taught elementary school in Duluth, Minnesota. She Met Paul R. Wylie when they were both working summer jobs in Yellowstone National Park--Alice while she was teaching in Duluth, and Paul while he was Superintendent in Clyde Park, Montana. They were married in 1929 and had two children, Robert (1934-1980) and Paul Jr. "Nick." The family moved to White Sulphur Springs, and Alice taught at the elementary school until 1952. Alice was also an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the Gold Chapter of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization), the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Presbyterian church. In 1990 Alice moved from Seal Beach, California back to Bozeman, Montana, where she lived until her death in 2007.
Other members of the Wylie and Richter families were important to the history of Montana and Yellowstone National Park. Christen Richter (1824-1889), a German immigrant, was the brewmaster and part owner of the first brewery in Montana: Gilbert Brewery in Virginia City, founded in 1864. He was married to Mary Ann (Ecker) Richter, also a German immigrant. Their daughter, Mrs. T. H. Vincent (Lora Mary Richter) recorded her remembrance of a trip into Yellowstone in 1882 when she was 19 years old. John M. (John McCartney) Wylie (1857-1937) established the Wylie Ranch in Bozeman, Montana, and also owned stock in the Chicago and Mexico Coffee and Fruit Company in Mexico. The ranch used the 5Y brand which was later also used on Paul R. Wylie's ranch in White Sulphur Springs. W. W. (William Wallace) Wylie (1848-1930), John M. Wylie's brother, established the Wylie Permanent Camp Company in Yellowstone National Park in 1893 and operated the camps and the Wylie Way Stations until 1905. He also had camps in Zion National Park in Utah. In addition to running camps in Yellowstone and Zion National Parks, W.W. Wylie was also the first Montana Territory superintendent of schools. Robert H. (Harold) "Gus" Wylie (1904-1986), John M. Wylie's son, and brother of Paul R. Wylie Sr., was a ranger in Yellowstone National Park.
Paul R. Wyile and Arlene M. Wyile retain any intellectual property rights and have not transferred them to the MSU Library, nor granted any license to the library or its patrons. Permision for use of these materials must be granted by the donors.
Collection is open for research.
Gift of Paul Richter Wylie Jr. and Arlene M. Wylie, 2023
The collection was processed in 2025. Paul and Arlene Wylie contributed to photograph identifications and descriptions.
[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT
This collection contains a copy of an autobiography for W.W. Wylie. An additional copy of this document is also available in the MSU Archives and Special Collections as Collection 343, "W.W. Wylie Autobiography."
The Paul Wylie Family Papers also contains copies of Mrs. T. H. Vincent (Lora Mary Richter)'s remembrance of a trip to Yellowstone National Park in 1882. Mrs. Vincent's original diary, a transcript, and additional materials on her father "Chris" Richter, can be found in Collection 0064, "Our Geyser Trip."
During collection processing, duplicated materials were removed. Verdict forms for
Many of the folder titles in this collection were provided by the donor, and an effort was made to maintain the original order of items. However, some groups of folders were rearranged to form more defined series and to improve discovery. Folder names were occasionally adjusted for clarity. The photographs within the Family History series were arranged by the archivist to keep family members and eras of photographs together.
This series contains material relating to the members of the Wylie, Richter, Dredge, Hollier, and Klem families, as they relate to Paul R. Wylie Jr. and Arlene (Klem) Wylie. The contents include genealogical charts, stories and remembrances shared by family members, newspaper clippings, legal documents such as deeds and wills, photographs, correspondence, and articles and research on the lives and businesses of family members over time. The family photographs span 128 years (1887-2015) and include samples of different methods of photography created between 1888 and the 2010s.
Folders in this series are roughly grouped by family and time period, but materials are not in any strict chronological order to keep as close as possible to the original order supplied by the donor. The arrangement and folder names for family photographs in this series were mostly created by the archivist, but the individual names and labels for those photographs were created by the family.
Includes: Telepone Directory for Livingston, Clyde Park, White Sulphur Springs, and Wilsall, Montana, winter 1954-54; "Come Join the K.K.K. in the Old Town Tonight" by Christine K. Erikson in
Christmas Visit to the Madison, Our Trip to Yellowstone Park, Old Smiles, Some of our Horses, Old "Andy," The Shooting of Tip, The Porcupine and the Pigs, Huckleberrying, John's Story of the Lost Sheep, Paul's Trip to Yellowstone Park, One of Gus's Bear Stories, Mrs. A's Story, Mrs. B's Story, Mrs. C's Story, and Our Geyser Trip (Mrs. T. H. Vincent).
Publication has photographs tucked into it.
Brother of W. W. Wylie and John M. Wylie.
Contains a draft of "Our Geyser Trip" by Lora Mary Richter.
Includes rememberences by Minnie Richter Wylie and Lona Richter Vincent.
Contains a draft of "Our Geyser Trip" by Lora Mary Richter.
Issued by W. W. Wylie who was his teacher.
From verso: November 24, 1898. Lawrence Wylie, Mary Wylie, Eleanor Wylie, cousin Ralph Fredrick, sitting John Wylie. The Wylies are the children of John M. and Minnie C. Wylie.
Two school photos from Gallatin County High School (GCHS) in 1936.
Two albums.
Includes multiple family photographs and negatives.
Two albums.
Note on verso indicates that Minnie Carolin Richter married John McCartney Wylie in 1887, Lora Mary Richter married Thomas H. Vincent in 1887, and Charles Richter was unmarried. There is also an error listing the dates in the 1900's.
Some of these are represented in the "Wylie Yellowstone" scrapbook.
Wylie Ranch at White Sulphur Springs Montana. Established about 1950.
Includes trip to Las Vegas Mirage Cassino; Flagstaff, Arizona; the Grand Canyon; the Hoover Dam; and sites in Eastern Montana connected to the book
Includes Fort Peck Dam and Reservoir; Yellowstone National Park; Nevada City, Montana; Avondale at Hayden Lake; Newport, Washington; and the Wylie cabin.
Includes a Seattle Seahawks game featuring Allen Iverson.
Includes photographs of Arlene Wylie, Alice Wylie, and family friends: Dale Beland, Greg Morgen, Bob Evans, and Paris Fremont who was Arlene's "Little Sister" with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Also includes a trip to Skagway Alaska, and artistic shots of two Montana barns. One photograph, taken by Paul R. Wylie Jr won at the Gallatin County Fair, the other is of the Gjerd House which is located between Wilsall, Montana, and Ringling, Montana.
Includes images from the 2004 Festival of Trees (Bozeman), John Wylie's birthday, and photographs of the VanDusen Botanical Garden (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada).
Includes "The Dudes are Always Right" by Dr. Dena Sabin (unpublished).
HG maps (Proofs).
The materials in this series reflect the lives of Paul R. Wylie Jr. (Nick Wylie) and Arlene Marie (Klem) Wylie. Items include newspaper clippings about Paul, Arlene, and their children reflecting important moments in their family, documentation on art purchased by the family, records from Paul's time at MSC (now MSU), items relating to the Paul R. and Arlene M. Wylie Scholarship fund, and Paul's certificates, awards and diplomas, as well as the submissions for Paul's 2024 honorary doctorate. The series also includes newspaper clippings, documents, and ephemera relating to Arlene's actions as one of the founders of the Cancer Support Community Montana.
This series includes materials related to Paul R. Wylie's career as a patent lawyer. Included are correspondence files, autobiographical materials distributed to clients and potential clients, speeches and testimony given by Wylie, files related to operating his private practice, and patent applications and documentation.
In 2007 the University of Oklahoma Press published Wylie's first book
Paul R. Wylie Jr.'s second book,
In 2022 Paul R. Wylie Jr.'s third book,
This series contains material relating to Paul R. Wylie Jr.'s career as an author. Materials include research files connected to each book, publicity in local and national publications, correspondence, and both drafts and finished works. Research files include copies of archival material from a number of archives and journal articles on related topics. Publicity includes book announcements, performance announcements and reviews of the books and play. The correspondences include those with publishers, marketing, acquaintances and other authors. One correspondence of note is the files relating to Timothy Egan's 2016
Archive of Paul Wylie's website.