Alexander Leggat Collection, 1864-1964

Correspondence contains letters written or received by Alexander Leggat, John A. Leggat, Claribel A. Leggat (Alexander's mother), Claribel A. Leggat (Alexander's sister), Eliza Leggat, E. H. Ament, William Ament, and LaRiene Leggat. Some folders with Alexander Leggat letters also include John A. Leggat's letters as addenda and include John Leggat's name on the folders. Letters are arranged alphabetically and chronologically by folders, and chronologically within folders. Letters include descriptions of Mrs. Claribel A. Leggat's 1880 journey from [Grand Haven], Michigan to Leggat's Mill on the Big Hole River, Montana; details of life in 1880 Butte, Montana; the death of Mrs. Claribel A. Leggat after birth of her daughter in 1881; Alexander's childhood in Montana and Michigan; Alexander's relationship with his grandmother; school life at College of Deer Lodge; the 1889 fire in the Anaconda and St. Lawrence mines which resulted in several deaths; operations on Alexander's nose in New York; Alexander and school friends boating in northern Michigan; Alexander's job at a mine in Calumet, Michigan.

General legal documents pertaining to specifically to the Leggat family. Legal documents that were collected by Alexander Leggat for their historical or display value can be found in Group 2.

Diaries kept by Alexander Leggat recording his activities while traveling to and attending college in Houghton, Michigan. Entries deal with travel, schoolwork and social activities.

Original manuscript poetry and essays created by Claribel Ament Leggat or others; school memorabilia pertaining to Alexander Leggat; funeral, birth, and wedding announcements; original and photocopied newspaper clippings collected by or pertaining to all generations of the Leggat family.

Legal and financial documents pertaining to a wide variety of early Montana and western personalities, collected primarily for their historical and display value. Materials include original manuscript treaties with Montana Indian tribes, mining claims and leases, bills of sale, and court documents. More substantial collections of manuscripts created or pertaining to specific subjects or persons can be found in series 2.

Legal and financial documents pertaining to a wide variety of early Montana and western personalities, collected primarily for their historical and display value. Materials include original manuscript treaties with Montana Indian tribes, mining claims and leases, bills of sale, and court documents. More substantial collections of manuscripts created or pertaining to specific subjects or persons can be found in series 2. Fragile materials which have been photocopied are restricted and have been marked with the symbol (R). The files have been alphabetically arranged.

Topical files of manuscript materials created by a wide variety of Montana persons and collected by Alexander Leggat. Authors include: Charles A. Broadwater, J.E. Clayton, James A. Garfield, Randall Henry Hewitt, and Oliver O. Howard. Subjects include Montana history, Butte history, the Montana State Legislature, and drafts of Across the Plains and Over the Divide (New York, 1906).

Inventories and lists of manuscript and printed materials collected by Alexander Leggat.

Photographs collected by Alexander Leggat pertaining to Montana history, the Leggat family, or western art. Photographs 1-29 are primarily of Montana communities and activities, including Butte, Missoula, Virginia City, and Walkerville. Images 30-35 are of original Indian treaties found in Series 1 and images created by Charles M. Russell and Frederick Remington. Images 36-48 are either lithographs of Montana scenes taken from an unidentified publication or original caricature drawings. Photographs 59-67 pertain directly to the Leggat family. Negatives have been placed in folder 8. An asterisk (*) indicates an oversize photograph which has been removed to separate storage.