Describing Archives: A Content Standard

MZFCollection0781.xml Guide to the Alexander Leggat Collection 1864-1964 Leggat (Alexander) Collection Kim Allen Scott, 2009 Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Montana State University-Bozeman Library

Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections P.O. Box 173320 Bozeman, MT 59717-3320 United States Phone (406) 994-4242 Fax (406) 994-2851 http://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/ University Archivist spcoll@www.lib.montana.edu

Finding aid encoded by ArchProteus2012 Finding aid written in English Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard) Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections

P.O. Box 173320 Bozeman, MT 59717-3320 United States Phone (406) 994-4242 Fax (406) 994-2851 http://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/ University Archivist spcoll@www.lib.montana.edu

Collection 781, MtBC, us Leggat, Alexander, 1876-1961 Alexander Leggat Collection 1864-1964 2.2 linear feet The Family Papers consist of correspondence, diaries, legal papers, and scrapbook memorabilia all pertaining to Alexander Leggat and his extended family. The Collection papers consist of: collecting correspondence created or collected Alexander Leggat while purchasing books and manuscripts on Western Americana; inventories and lists of books collected; historic Montana legal documents collected for their historical or display value; historic Montana manuscript files of documents collected for their historical or display value; and photographs. Collection materials are in English Biographical Note

Alexander Leggat was a Butte, Montana mining engineer, hotel owner, and collector of western Americana. He was born in Owasso, Michigan, on December 22, 1876, to John A. Leggat and his wife, Claribel Ament Leggat. He came to Butte, Montana with his mother in 1880 and attended public schools in Butte, graduating from the Butte High School in 1894. He next attended the college of Montana at Deer Lodge, and also the Michigan School of Mines in Houghton. He worked as a mining engineer in Montana and served in many Butte civic organizations. Leggat purchased a hotel in Butte in the early twentieth century and became active in the Montana Hotel Association in 1923. He began collecting books and manuscripts pertaining to Montana and the West in the 1920s and eventually compiled an impressive private library. Following his death in 1961, his widow began negotiations with Montana State College for the sale of the collection.

The Leggat collection has been divided into two large groups, Family Papers and Collection Papers. The Family Papers consist of correspondence, diaries, legal papers, and scrapbook memorabilia all pertaining to Alexander Leggat and his extended family. The family correspondence includes letters from: Alexander Leggat: his parents, John A. Leggat and Claribel A. Leggat; his sister, Claribel A. Leggat: and other relatives in Michigan, Montana, and Missouri. The 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 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.

The Collection papers consist of: collecting correspondence created or collected Alexander Leggat while purchasing books and manuscripts on Western Americana; inventories and lists of books collected; historic Montana legal documents collected for their historical or display value; historic Montana manuscript files of documents collected for their historical or display value; and photographs. Subjects or creators of manuscripts include: Charles Bechner, Charles A. Broadwater, William H. Clagett, James M. Cavanaugh, J. E. Clayton, Sidney Edgerton, W.R.M. Edwards, Kate Hammond Fogarty, James A. Garfield, Randall Henry Hewitt, Oliver O. Howard, Thomas Francis Meagher, George Miles, Henry Plumer, J. E. Richard, John S. Rockfellow, D. W. Tilton. The manuscripts also pertain to the following subjects: Bozeman, Butte, Virginia City, Madison County, Silver Bow County, Beaverhead County, mining, Montana political campaigns, Herschell Mining Company, Montana Indian Treaties for Blackfeet, Blood, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, and Piegan tribes. The papers of Randall Henry Hewitt include a substantial portion of his original manuscript for Across the Plains and Over the Divide, published by the Broadway Publishing Company in 1906. Photographs include copy prints and original images of Butte, Virginia City, Missoula, and Pioneer City, Montana; photographs of original paintings and drawings by Frederick Remington and Charles Russell; lithograph illustrations of Montana scenes taken from an unidentified publication.

Group 1 - Family Papers, 1869-1961

Series 1 Correspondence, 1876-1961

Series 2 Legal Documents, 1872-1890

Series 3 Diaries, 1895-1897

Series 4 Scrapbooks and Scrapbook Materials, 1869-1961

Group 2 - Collection Papers, 1864-1964

Series 1 Collecting Correspondence, 1927-1964

Series 2 Legal/Financial Documents, 1864-1885

Series 3 Subject Manuscript Files, 1871-1950

Series 4 Collection Inventories, circa 1950s

Series 5 Photographs, 1870-1950

Some original manuscript materials in group two are fragile and have been photocopied. Permission to access the original documents must be obtained from the Special Collections staff.

Personal papers, collected manuscripts, and photographs were purchased from Mrs. Alexander Leggat, Butte, Montana, in 1966 following a lengthy fund raising effort on the part of Montana State University. Materials in these papers were previously accessioned under separate numbers of 413 and 752. Brochures, pamphlets, broadsides, and other printed materials have been separated from these manuscripts and incorporated into Collection 2369.

This collection was processed 2009 February 10

Bechner, Charles Broadwater, Charles A. (Charles Arthur), 1840-1892 Cavanaugh, James Michael, 1823-1879 Clagett, William H. (William Hezekiah), 1848-1926 Clayton, J. E. (Joshua Elliot) Edgerton, Sidney, 1818-1900 Edwards, W. R. H., b. 1833 Fogarty, Kate Hammond Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881 Hewitt, Randall H. (Randall Henry), b. 1840 Howard, O. O. (Oliver Otis), 1830-1909 Leggat, Claribel A. (Claribel Ament), b. 1881 Leggat, John A., 1832-1902 Meagher, Thomas Francis, 1823-1867 Miles, George M., 1854-1935 Plummer, Henry Amos, d. 1864 Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909 Rickards, J. E. (John Ezra), 1848-1927 Rockfellow, John S. Russell, Charles M. (Charles Marion), 1864-1926 Tilton, D. W. (Daniel Webster), 1839-1919 Hewitt, Randall H. (Randall Henry), b. 1840-Across the plains and over the divide College of Montana Herschel Mining Company Michigan Mining School-Students-Diaries Beaverhead County (Mont.) Bozeman (Mont.) Butte (Mont.) Butte (Mont.)-Photographs Madison County (Mont.) Missoula (Mont.)-Photographs Montana-History-Sources Montana-Pictorial works Montana-Politics and government Pioneer (Mont.)-Photographs Silver Bow County (Mont.) Virginia City (Mont.) Virginia City (Mont.)-Photographs West (U.S.)-History-Sources Americana-Collectors and collecting-Montana-Butte Assiniboine Indians-Montana-Treaties Blackfeet Indians-Montana-Treaties Blood Indians-Montana-Treaties Gros Ventre Indians (Montana)-Montana-Treaties Gros Ventres Indians-Montana-Treaties Indians of North America-Montana-Treaties Kainah Indians-Montana-Treaties Mine accidents-Montana-Butte Mines and mineral resources-Michigan-Calumet Mines and mineral resources-Montana Overland journeys to Montana Piegan Indians-Montana-Treaties Political campaigns-Montana Siksika Indians-Montana-Treaties Civic Activism Mines and Mineral Resources Native Americans Overland Journeys to the Northwestern United States Pioneers Montana Bozeman Missoula Photographs Group 1 Family Papers 1869-1961 Series 1 Correspondence 1876-1961

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.

1/1 Ament, William--Correspondence 1890-1891 1/2 Leggat, Alexander; Leggat, John A.--Correspondence 1887-1888 1/3 Leggat, Alexander; Leggat, John A.--Correspondence 1889 1/4 Leggat, Alexander, Leggat, John--Correspondence 1890-1892 1/5 Leggat, Alexander--Correspondence 1895 1897 1/6 Leggat, Alexander--Correspondence 1898-1899 1/7 Leggat, Alexander--Correspondence 1900 1/8 Leggat, Alexander--Correspondence 1904-1905 1908 1925 1927 1952-1951 1954 1/9 Leggat, Claribel A. (Alexander's Mother)--Correspondence 1876 1880-1881 1/10 Leggat, Claribel A. (Alexander's Mother)--Correspondence 1900 Undated 1/11 Leggat, John A.--Correspondence 1876-1877 1879 1881-1882 1/12 Leggat, John A.--Correspondence 1883-1885 1/13 Leggat, John A.--Correspondence 1888-1889 1892 1895 1/14 Leggat, LaRiene--Correspondence 1958 1961 Series 2 Legal Documents 1872-1890

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.

1/15 Leggat Family Miscellaneous Legal Papers 1/16 Leggat, John A. and Leggat, Alexander J.--Register of Birth 1/17 Leggat, William--Citizenship Series 3 Diaries 1895-1897

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.

1/18 Leggat, Alexander August 10 to November 8, 1895 1/19 Leggat, Alexander 1897 Series 4 Scrapbooks and Scrapbook Material 1869-1961

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.

2/1 Sentimental verse and essays 1869 Undated 2/2 Alexander Leggat school papers 1897-1901 2/3 School papers 1870-1895 2/4 Membership cards and memorabilia 2/5 Birth and death announcements 2/6 Invitations and calling cards 2/7 Lists, bible verses 2/8 Newspaper clippings 2/9 Photocopied scrapbook Group 2 Collection Papers 1864-1964 Series 1 Collecting correspondence 1927-1964

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.

3/1 1927-1929 3/2 1930 1933-1936 3/3 1937-1939 3/4 1940 3/5 1941 3/6 1942-1944 3/7 1948-1949 1951 1953-1954 1957-1959 3/8 1960-1964 Series 2 Legal/financial documents collection 1864-1885

4/1 Bechner, Charles--Bill of Sale 1865 4/2 Carico, John--Summons for probate court 1867 4/3 Daniels, James B.--Pardon from Governor Thomas Francis Meagher 1866

(Copy)

4/4 Daniels, James B.--Pardon from Governor Thomas Francis Meagher (R) 1866 4/5 Edgerton, Sidney--Mining claims 1864 4/6 Herschel Mining Company--Deeds 1865 4/7 Indian Treaties--Blackfeet, Blood, and Piegan 1875

(copy)

4/8 Indian Treaties--Blackfeet, Blood, and Piegan (R) 1875 4/9 Indian Treaties--Piegan and Assiniboine 1874

(copy)

4/10 Indian Treaties--Piegan and Assiniboine (R) 1874 4/11 Indian Treaties--Piegan and Gros Ventre (R) 1874 4/12 Indian Treaties--Piegan and Gros Ventre 1874

(copy)

4/13 Irvine, Caleb E.--Appointment as probate judge 1865 4/14 Irvine, Caleb E.--Certificate of election as probate judge 1884 4/15 Johnson, S. C.--Mining discovery claims in Madison County 1865 4/16 Madison County Mining Claims--Sheriff sales 1867 4/17 Maltby, T. D.--Quit claim deed 1865 4/18 Montana Mineral Land and Mining Co.--Summons regarding estate of George Carhartt 1868 4/19 Montana Mining Law--Laws of Summit Valley District, Deer Lodge Co. 1880 4/20 Montana Territory Appointment Form

[blank]

4/21 Murphy, John G. and Baldwin, Edward Jr.--Copartnership arrangement 1866 4/22 Oregon Short Line Railroad--Right of way and stations 1882 4/23 Orem, Con and Marly, Patsy--Articles of agreement 1865 4/24 Plumer, Henry--Deed to Sidney Edgerton (R) 1863 4/25 Plumer, Henry--Deed to Sidney Edgerton 1863

(Copy)

4/26 Pollinger, E. M., Wells Fargo and Co.--Agreement for stage station 1867 4/27 Rockfellow, John S.--Bills, Bill of sale, shipments, promissory note, check, payments 1865-1868 4/28 Sanders, W. F.--Check 1877 4/29 Sims, H. D.--Receipt 1885 4/30 Tilton, D. W.--Agreement, bill, balance sheet, receipts, letters 1865-1868 4/31 Tuthill, Robert--Summons for Beaverhead County probate court 1867 4/32 Utah Northern of Montana--Articles of incorporation 1881 4/33 Vipond, John and Brother--Warrant 1865 Series 3 Manuscript Subject Files 1871-1950

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).

4/34 Braley, Berton--Poem "Butte" (R)

printed on copper

4/35 Braley, Berton--Poem "Butte"

photocopy

4/36 Broadwater, Col. Chas. A.--Invitation to funeral 1882 4/37 Cavanaugh, James M.--Note regarding "Daily Globe" 4/38 Clagett, Wm. M.--Biographical information 1872 4/39 Clayton, J. E., letters 1883 4/40 Clayton, J. E.--Letterbook 1881-1882 1887 4/41 Clayton, J. E.,--Working notebook 1888-1889 4/42 Courtenay, William--Letter regarding livestock to S. B. Hawks 1892 4/43 Daniels, James B.--News clippings regarding pardon and aftermath 5/1 Edwards, W. R. M.--"Pioneer Days in German Gulch" 5/2 Fogarty, Kate Hammond--"A History of Butte, Montana" 5/3 Fort Laramie Treaty, newspaper articles copied from the St. Louis Republican 5/4 Garfield, J. A.--Letter to W. H. Claggett regarding associate judgeship 1871 5/5 Hartwick, Tolley--Henry J. Zorn Miller execution 5/6 Haynes, Isabel, Jack, and Lida, greeting cards 1934-1952 5/7 Helena, Montana--Hangman's Tree 5/8 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Correspondence 1899 1902 1906 1913 5/9 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Introduction and Chapter 1 5/10 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Chapters 2, 3, 4 5/11 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Chapters 5, 6, 7 5/12 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Chapters 8, 9, 10 5/13 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Chapters 11, 12, 13 5/14 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Chapters 14, 15, 16 5/15 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Manuscript "Across the Plains and Over the Divide," Chapters 17, 18, 19, 20 5/16 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Scrapbook 5/17 Hewitt, Randall Henry--Small manuscripts 1905 1907 1913 5/18 Howard, O. O.--Letter to W. H. Prescott, M.D. 1896 5/19 Lincoln, Abraham--Contribution list for inaugural celebration, Virginia City 1865 5/20 Miles, George--Interview for "History of Miles City" 5/21 Miller, C. E. and Family--Card with verse "Big Hole Skies" by Mary Narby 5/22 Newcomen Society of England--Montana Dinner 1950 5/23 Newspaper clippings, various topics 6/1 Rickards, J. E.--Montana Legislature Clipping Book 1889-1890 6/2 Rickards, J. E.--Montana Legislature Clipping Book 1890-1891 6/3 Russell, C. M., letter to Alexander Leggat January 19, 1918

(Facsimile)

6/4 Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethnology--letter 1891 6/5 U.S. 20th Infantry; Fort Assiniboine, Montana 1883 March 1886 6/6 Weaver, David B., letter to C. N. Kessler; "Montana Pioneer Prospectors." 1918 6/7 Weston, D. H., letter from Manning, Harding and Martin 1886 6/8 Wilcox, W. J. News items on Butte, Montana 1864-1868

Typescript

Series 4 Collection inventories circa 1950s

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

6/9 Inventory lists 6/10 Library catalogs

(2 volumes)

Series 5 Photographs 1870-1950

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.

7/1 Photographs #1-10 #1 Dredge on Alder Creek 1898 #2 Dredge at Ruby, Montana 1910 #3 Frozen Dredge 1910 #4 Old Steam Dredge 1910 #5 Historic Chimney Rock on the Oregon Trail #6 Eureka Baseball Team 1906 #7 D. J. Hennessy and Co. #8 Theodore Roosevelt in Downtown Butte 1903 #9 North Side of Butte City 1890s #10 Butte from the Roof of the Leggat Hotel 1953 7/2 Photographs #11-20 #11 World War I Welcome Home Arch [Meaderville Gate?] 1918 #12 Main Street from Quartz, Butte 1877 #13 Butte, Montana circa 1905 #14 American Bison in Butte #15 The Big Explosion #16 Butte Shriners' Parade circa 1900 #17 4 Jack's Mess Club (*) #18 Columbia Gardens Newswriters' Convention 1901 #19-20 Columbia Gardens 1905 7/3 Photographs #21-30 #21 Cutting Wood after March Snow #22-24 Virginia City, Montana #25 Missoula, Montana #26 Mount Jumbo, Missoula #27 East Front Street, Missoula #28 Walkerville, Montana #29 Three Crossings Stage Station #30 Indian Treaties

(from box 4, folders 7-12)

7/4 Photographs #31-40 #31 Frederick Remington painting, Cowboys Fighting over a Stolen Herd #32 Charles M. Russell painting, Cowboy on Horseback, (on nailkeg top) (*) #33 Charles M. Russell Drawing, Cowboy in Stampede #34 Charles M. Russell drawing, Cowboy at dance #35 Charles M. Russell Drawing, Cowboy knife fight #36 Herds of Bisons and Elks #37 Hot Springs on Gardiners River #38 Big Blackfoot Valley #39 Clark's Fork and the Mission Mountains #40 Entrance to the Bitter Root Mountains 7/5 Photographs #41-50 #41 Great Falls of the Missouri #42 Hot Spring Mound #43 Main Chain of the Rocky Mountains #44 Blackfeet Indians Hunting Bison from Horseback #45 Coeur D'Alene Mission, St. Ignatius River #46 Nez Perce Indians #47 Animal Caricature 1903 #48 Dunce cap caricature 1904 #49 Van Zorn Miller, prison photograph

(from box 5, folder 5)

#50 Unidentified Indian woman 7/6 Photographs #51-60 #51 Pioneer City, Montana

(Haynes Stereograph)

#52 Montana Press Association, Yellowstone National Park 1886 #53 Photograph of letter to Richard Potts #54 Photograph of Daniels pardon

(from box 4, folder 4)

#55 Photograph of unidentified mountains #56 Unidentified man sitting on rock #57 Hanging at Helena

(Box 5, folder 7)

#58 Composite photograph, Montana pioneers (*) #59 Miles J. Cavanaugh family circa 1889 #60 Alexander Leggat in field 1903 7/7 Photographs #61-67 #61 Alexander Leggat at Patterson Creek, Idaho 1911 #62 Alexander Leggat in field at Butte 1922 #63 Alexander Leggat, portrait circa 1930s #64 Alexander Leggat, portrait circa 1940s #65 Alexander Leggat, portrait circa 1950s #66 Leggat Hotel, Butte 1920 #67 Photograph of steamship ledger page 7/8 Negatives: 6, 7, 10, 54, 55, 56, 65