Myrtle May Crosby letters, 1918
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Crosby, Myrtle May, 1888-1980
- Title
- Myrtle May Crosby letters
- Dates
- 191819181918
- Quantity
- 2 items
- Collection Number
- 2605
- Summary
- Myrtle May Crosby was an Illinois-born teacher who homesteaded near Reidel, Montana, in early part of the 20th century before moving to Michigan after her marriage to a fellow homesteader. The Myrtle May Crosby letters were written to her parents in April 1918 and describe her life on a homestead near Riedel, Montana. Additional topics discussed include teaching, family life, farm sales, her brothers' military service in World War I, and community events in Blaine County, Montana.
- 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
Biographical Note
Myrtle May Crosby was born on March 21, 1888, in Illinois, one of at least seven children of Jacob N. Crosby and Lou Cook Crosby. Myrtle moved to Montana with some of her brothers during the homestead boom of the early twentieth century and they filed a claim near Riedel in Blaine County, Montana. Crosby taught school nearby and helped run the claim when two of her brothers were drafted to serve during World War I. She met another homesteader in the area, Frank H. Rivest (1889-1970), and they married at Kankakee County, Illinois, on December 8, 1918. The couple returned to homestead in Blaine County after their marriage, but by 1930 they had moved to Michigan where Rivest's family lived. Myrtle died on February 19, 1980.
Content Description
The Myrtle May Crosby letters were written to her parents in April 1918 and describe her life on a homestead near Riedel, Montana. Crosby wrote specifically to her mother, Lou Cook Crosby, on the latter's birthday and recounted some family memories. She also discussed her concern over her brothers in the Army during World War I, and their assignment to a remount station. She described her school and teaching contract, discussing the upcoming elections that would determine a permanent site for the area schoolhouse. Her engagement to Frank Rivest, along with some information on his background, was also part of Crosby's letters, along with news about horses that had strayed in the area, farm sales, and mention of her neighbors, the Volkman family.
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
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Two original letters written by Myrtle May Crosby to her parents in Momence, Illinois, were purchased from Kirby and Cindy Pringle of Tuscola, Illinois, on August 14, 2015.
Processing Note
This collection was processed 2016 January 29
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Agriculture
- Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
- Women pioneers--Montana
- Women--Montana--Blaine County
Geographical Names
- Montana
