Helen Brooke Herford Papers,

Transcription

1 Overview of the Collection Creator Herford, Helen Brooke, Title Helen Brooke Herford Papers Dates Quantity 2.8 linear feet Collection Number Collection 2109, MtBC, us (collection) Summary The Helen Brooke Herford Papers consist of family letters, ranch operation documents, and photographs all pertaining to the Herford family and the Swinging H ranch. Topics include family activities, early education, ranch operation, Spanish American War service, ranch guests and employees, Levi Strauss and Company's introduction of women's pants in Repository Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Montana State University-Bozeman Library Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections P.O. Box Bozeman, MT Telephone: Fax: spcoll@ Access Restrictions This collection is open for research. Languages Sponsor English Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Historical Note Helen Brooke Herford ( ) was the daughter of John ("Jack" Brooke Herford and Susan Whitney Herford of Yellowstone County, Montana. Jack Herford ( ) was one of nine children of Rev. Brooke Herford ( ), an English clergyman. Jack's oldest brother, William, immigrated to the United States in the early 1870s where he established a New Mexico sheep ranch. By 1876 the rest of the Herford family temporarily settled in Chicago. Jack soon joined William in New Mexico while two other siblings pursued careers that would bring them national prominence: Oliver Herford became a writer famous for his wit and sarcasm while Beatrice Herford achieved fame as a Broadway actress. Jack and William eventually moved on to Kansas and Nebraska where they continued ranching. By the early 1880s Jack had located in Montana Territory where he established a ranch of his own on the Mussellshell River. He studied for the bar and held several government positions in Montana including: Yellowstone County Attorney, ; Yellowstone County Sheriff, 1908; Billings City Attorney, Jack also served in the Third United States Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish American War and in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He married Susan Whitney, daughter of Billings postmaster Lucius Whitney, around 1885 and the couple had three children; Nye, Whitney, and 1

2 Helen, the principal creator of this collection. Following her education in Germany and Massachusetts, Helen Herford returned to Montana where she taught school in Carbon County and worked on her parent's ranch. In 1929, she and a cousin, Helen Underwood Wellington, entered into a partnership to establish a dude ranch near Limestone (Stillwater County) Montana. The Swinging H Ranch operated until 1937 when financial pressures forced Helen Herford to suspend operations and sell. She returned to teaching afterwards and died in Columbus, Montana in Content Description The Herford papers consist of family letters, ranch operation documents, and photographs all pertaining to the Herford family and the Swinging H ranch arranged in four series. Series one consists of family letters, written from various locations in Montana, Massachusetts, England, and elsewhere pertaining to Herford family activities, Helen Herford's early education, the operation of the Jack Herford Ranch, and Jack Herford's Spanish American War service. Ranch letters in series two specifically relate to the operation of the Swinging H ranch, ranch guests and employees, and Helen Underwood Wellington, Helen Herford' business partner. Series three, Ranch Operation Files, document the financial transactions of the Swinging H, promotional essays written by Helen Herford for publication, and subject files for facilities, livestock, and the Levi Strauss and Company's introduction of women's pants in individually numbered photographs and seven photograph albums in series four pertain to the Herford family and relatives, Montana towns and natural features, Yellowstone National Park, and ranch life. Administrative Information Arrangement Series 1 Herford family letters, Series 2 Ranch letters, Series 3 Ranch operation files, Series 4 Photographs, Acquisition Information Personal papers and ranch records created or collected by Helen Herford were donated to Special Collections by Richard K. Slayton of Billings, Montana on May 22, Processing Note This collection was processed 2009 May 8 Related Materials Researchers are advised that the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana holds the John B. Herford Papers, MC

3 Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1: Herford Family Letters, Letters exchanged by members of the Herford family and friends pertaining mostly to family and personal matters. Included are letters from Beatrice Herford, Rev. Brooke Herford, Helen Herford, Jack Herford, Susan Whitney Herford, Oliver Herford, William Herford, Dolly Whitney, Harvey W. Louther, Sue Larabie Cunningham, and Kula Thuss. Letters were written from various locations in Massachusetts, Montana, England, and elsewhere. Included are letters written by Jack Herford while serving in the Spanish American War and related documents. For letters between Helen Herford and her business partner, Helen Underwood Wellington see series two, ranch letters. Many of the letters are undated, and the identification of many writers is unclear. The letters have been loosely arranged by the name of the supposed writer or recipient. Container(s) Description Dates Box/Folder 1/1 Beatrice Herford /2 Beatrice Herford /3-4 Beatrice Herford undated 1/5 Reverend Brooke Herford /6 Reverend Brooke Herford /7 Helen Herford (sister of Jack, William, and Oliver) /8 Helen Brooke Herford /9 Helen Brooke Herford January- February, /10 Helen Brooke Herford March-April, /11 Helen Brooke Herford May-August, /12 Helen Brooke Herford October- December,

4 1/13 Helen Brooke Herford /14 Helen Brooke Herford /15 Helen Brooke Herford 1947; undated 1/16-17 Helen Brooke Herford undated 1/18 Sue Larabie Cunningham undated 1/19 Jack and Susan Herford /20 Jack and Susan Herford /21 Jack and Susan Herford /22 Jack and Susan Herford /23 Jack and Susan Herford /24 Jack and Susan Herford 1905; undated 1/25 Dolly Whitney /26 Oliver Herford_ undated 1/27 William Herford /28 Other Herford relatives /29 Other Herford relatives /30 Harvey W. Louther undated 1/31 Kula Thuss undated Series 2: Ranch Letters, Letters created or collected by Helen Brooke Herford pertaining to the establishment and operation of her dude ranch, the Swinging H, near Limestone, Montana. Included are: letters to and from her partner, Helen Underwood Wellington, that were written before and during the ranch establishment; letters from various guests who stayed at the ranch or requested information regarding its facilities; 4

5 notes and memorandum regarding employees; personal letters of Helen Brooke Herford written after the closing of the ranch in Container(s) Description Dates Box/Folder 2/1 Helen Underwood Wellington letters /2 Helen Underwood Wellington letters /3 Helen Underwood Wellington letters /4 Helen Underwood Wellington letters /5 Helen Underwood Wellington letters, transcripts /6 General correspondence /7 General correspondence /8 General correspondence /9 General correspondence /10 General correspondence /11 General correspondence /12 General correspondence /13 General correspondence /14 General correspondence /15 General correspondence /16 Christmas cards Series 3: Ranch Operation Files, Financial records, promotional essays, diaries and subject files pertaining to the operation of the Swinging H ranch. Papers include: bank statements and tax records; promotional essays written by Helen Brooke Herford for submission to dude ranch magazines; brief memoranda diaries from

6 and 1934; subject files pertaining to the ranch automobiles, livestock, legal matters, facility construction, and the development of women's pants by Levi Strauss and Company in Container(s) Description Dates Box/Folder 3/1 Bank statements /2 Bank statements /3 Bank statements /4 Bank statements /5 Bank statements /6 Bank statements /7 Petty cash ledger /8 Tax assessments /9 Essay, Dude Rancher 3/10 Essay, Dude Ranching 3/11 Essay, Reminiscences 3/12 Essay, Montana Ranch Women 3/13 Essay, Moose and Moose 3/14 Essay, What does a dude rancher do? 3/15 Essay, What Oliver Herford might call a woman's view of the west 3/16 Essay, With only one woman 3/17 Diary /18 Diary

7 3/19 Automobiles 3/20 Cabin plans 3/21 Lawsuit /22 Levi Strauss and Company 3/23 Ranch operations 3/24 Sheep Dogs 3/25 Cambridge Country School pamphlets 3/26 Helen Brooke Herford diaries; blank pocket calendar Helen Brooke Herford diaries, 1898, 1903; blank pocket calendar ; 1903; /27 Brooke Herford eulogy 1904 Series 4: Photographs, individually numbered prints, six albums, and multiple negatives of images taken by Helen Brooke Herford, the Herford family, or commercial photographers of a wide variety of subjects and people. Included are images of: The Herford family and residences; Montana communities; Yellowstone National Park; Montana lakes, rivers, and mountains; vacation and leisure activities; ranch life on both the Herford and Swinging H ranches. The photographs have been arranged in alphabetical order based on broad subject headings. Photograph albums and negatives have been stored in separate containers. The negatives for prints found in the photograph albums are collected in small booklets bearing the same volume number. Loose negatives which have no corresponding prints have been gathered in similar subject headings as the numbered prints in boxes 4 and 5. Container(s) Description Dates Box/Folder 4/1 Photos #1-13 #1-2. Agricultural Extension Service, Women #3. Alpine, Montana 1914 #4-9. Arnold, John B. Ranch 7

8 (a number of pictures identified as Herfords were taken here) # Artist's Carnival 4/2 Photos #14-27 # Automobile 1914 #25. Avalanche Lake # Barn 4/3 Photos #28-40 # Beartooth Mountains - scenic 4/4 Photos #41-53 # Beartooth Mountains - scenic #48. Beartooth summit # Cody rodeo parade (?) #51. Billings - railroad siding #52. Billings - Paradise Park #53. Billings - Riverside Park 4/5 Photos #54-67 #54. Billings roundhouse crew # Billings parade (55956 Chapple's Petek photo) 1940 #58. Boulder River (Bray Photo) # Branding cattle # Bridge - Glendive 8

9 #65. Broken bridge (Yellowstone) # Buffalo 4/6 Photos #68-79 # Buffalo Bill traveling show # Butchering a bear # Camping in Beartooth Mountains # Camping on West Rosebud 4/7 Photos #80-92 # Camps # Cattle Range (Herford Ranch) # Chickens (Herford Ranch) # Children 4/8 Photos # # Clark Fork Canyon area # Cody Rodeo Parade # Cooke City 1930 # Cooke City area 4/9 Photos # # Corrals # Crow Fair 9

10 #118. Deer #119. Demet Maybelle, Fishing on West Fork #120. Demet Maybelle, Riding 4/10 Photos # # Ditching on Herford Ranch # Dude Ranch (Beartooths) # Dude Ranch Publicity 4/11 Photos # # Dudes 4/12 Photos # # Dudes, camping # Dudes, fishing # Dudes, hunting # Dude in the mountains 4/13 Photos # # Dudes, older ladies # Dudes on horseback 4/14 Photos # # Dudes on the trail (Modern Studio, Columbus, Montana, LA Maxson) # Dudes on the trail 10

11 4/15 Photos # # Dudes on the trail 4/16 Photos # # Dudes picnicking (216, 217 Modern Studio, Columbus, LA Maxson) 4/17 Photos # # Dudes swimming # East Rosebud 4/18 Photos # East Rosebud # East Rosebud Lake #244. Eaton: Alden, Bill, and Willis 4/19 Photos # # Elk # Farm yards # Fences # Fishing # Flathead Lake # Flood - Yellowstone River 4/20 Photos # # Glacier National Park, Set from: Redshirts, Pahaska Tepee, Cody, Wyoming 11

12 4/21 Photos # #277. Goose Lake # Granite Peak #280. Grass Mountain # Grasshopper Glacier 4/22 Photos # # Haying #296. Hell-Roaring Falls # Herford, Brooke # Herford, Helen Brooke 4/23 Photos # # Herford, Helen Brooke 4/24 # Herford, Helen Brooke # Herford, J.B. and Ivan #321. Herford, J.B. - Warehouse # Herford, Mrs. J.B. #325. Herford, Mrs. J.B. and Brooke 4/25 Photos # # Herford, Rose # Herford family # Herford friends (men) 12

13 4/26 Photos # B # Herford Ranch (+348A and 348B) 4/27 Photos # # Herford Residence # Herford station wagon # Homestead fun 4/28 Photos # # Horsemen 5/1 Photos # # Horses 5/2 Photos # # Horses 5/3 Photos # # Horses (Brooke Herford) not the same man identified as Brooke Herford in photos 297, 298 and 325 # Horses, standing 5/4 Photos # # Horses, Morgans in Vermont 5/5 Photos # #422. Indian Craft Shop - St. Mary's (?) #423. Indian Cave, Billings 13

14 #424. Jacobn's private car # Lillian's cards (Beartooth and family) #429. Limestone Post Office # Log bridges 5/6 Photos # # Log cabins 5/7 Photos # # B. Logging (446 Photo Service, Newport, Washington) #447. Lowther, H.W. #448. Mammoth, Wyoming #449. Mary's Lake #450. Milking a cow #451. Mill (aluminum mill on the Stillwater - maybe) #452. Montana State College laboratory #453. Mount Aeneas, Jewel Lakes #454. Mount Lockhart and Mount Reargard, Red Lodge 5/8 Photos # # Oil wells #459. Oil well workers (?) # Pack horses in winter 14

15 # Pack outfits 5/9 Photos # # Pack outfits # Pets (dogs) # Picnics 5/10 Photos # # Pigs # Chief Plenty Coups # Railroad, Wyoming and Southern # Ranch hands at work 5/11 Photos # # Ranch houses # Rattlesnakes 5/12 Photos # # Red Lodge (set of commercial photos) 5/13 Photos # # Red Lodge area (set of commercial photos) #521. Red Lodge area #522. Red Lodge - Cooke City Highway #523. Road in winter 15

16 #524. Rock Creek 5/14 Photos # # Rodeos (Photos by R.R. Doubleday) #536. Saloon #537. Sawmill in Beartooth Mountains #538. Shadow Lake (composite print) 5/15 Photos # # Sheep # Sheep camp #548. Shoeing a horse #549. Slough Lake #550. Skiing 5/16 Photos # # South Fork Ranger Station, Big Horn Mountains 555. Spring wagons # Stillwater canyon and Basin 5/17 Photos # # Stillwater Basin 5/18 Photos # #578. Stillwater Meadows 16

17 # Stillwater River and West Fork 5/19 Photos # # Stocking fish in Beartooth Mountains Surveying from Beartooth Plateau 5/20 Photos # # Swimming in the Yellowstone #608. Telephone line #609. Tennis #610. Train #611. Train wreck (L.G. Webber, Silesia, Montana) 5/21 Photos # # Wagons and buggies #620. Wash day, bachelor camp 5/22 Photos # # West Rosebud 5/23 Photos # # Westfork (635 is same bridge I.D. as Kerwin's Ranch in another negative) # Women 1915 # Yellowstone Canyon 5/24 Photos #

18 # Yellowstone Park 1921 # Yellowstone River #663. Boulder R. 5/25 Photos # # Camping trip 1919 #668. Fleming, Dave 1919 # Hay drag # Lewis Ranch on the Clark Fork Box-volume 6/1 Photograph album Pack outfit; Beartooth Mountains; Yellowstone National Park, ca. 1925; Herford Ranch; Native Americans; Buffalo 6/2 Photograph album Jack Herford family; Billings; Germany; England; Salt Lake City; Beatrice Herford 6/3 Photograph album Chesnut, 1914; Bozeman parade, 1914; Indian Cave, Billings, 1914; Kirby Ranch, 1915; Prior Agency, 1915; Glendive bridge, 1915; World War I training camp, location unknown. 6/4 Photograph album Beartooth Mountains 7/5 Photograph album Daily's Ranch; Woods Ranch; Stillwater River; Stillwater basin; Woodbine Falls; Devil's Washtub; Sioux Charley Lake; Big Park Ranger Station; Horseshoe Creek; Wounded Man Lake; Lake of the Woods; Lake Abundance; Daisy Pass; Cooke Ranger Station; Broadwater River; Kersey Lake; Fox Lake; Rock Island Lake; Clark's Fork Falls; Cooke City; Elk Park; Beartooth Lake; Deep Lake; Mirror Lake circa 1920s circa 1920s /6 Photograph album circa 1930s 18

19 Beartooth Mountains; Herford Ranch; Stillwater River; Swinging H Ranch; Rosebud River; Sheep 7/7 Photograph album Lame Deer Reservation; Indian Caves; Kirby Ranch; McCormick Cabin; Rosebud Lake; Shadow Lake; Slough Lake; Snow Lake; Miles City Roundup Box 8 Negatives for volumes Numbered image negatives: 4, 5, 6, 8, 26, 27, 98, 100, 102, 121, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 157, 167, 168, , 201, 202, 214, 215, 216, 292, 297, 298, 302, , 321, 326, a, , , , 422, 424, , , 462, 463, 431, 482, 521, , 544, 548, 550, 551, 605, 635, 639, 647, Loose negatives by subject: Arnold, John B. Ranch Automobiles 1914 Beartooth Mountains Big Timber Billings - railroad siding Cattle Feeding Cattle Range Children Cody, Woming Corrals Dead Indian panorama 19

20 Deer Dude Ranch Dude Ranch Publicity Dudes Dudes, fishing Dudes in the mountains Dudes on horseback Dudes on the trail Dudes picnicking Dudes swimming Farm show Geese Goat cart Haying Herford, Brooke Herford, Helen Brooke Herford, J.B. in office Herford, Mrs. J.B. Herford, Mrs. J.B. and Brooke Herford friends Herford Ranch Herford Residence 20

21 Herford station wagon Horsemen Horses Indian Craft Shop - St. Mary's (?) Kerwins Ranch Log cabins Mckay, Mary Ellen Milk Cows Navajo rugs Mystic Lake Oil Wells Pack Mules Pack Trip Picnic Ranches on Stillwater Ranch Houses Red Lodge Russell, Charles M., painting Rosebuds near Red Lodge Sheep Wagon Skiing 21

22 Stillwater River Tennis Wading Wellington, Helen White, Dudley, ranch Wright, Eleanor Wright, Fred Wright, George Wright, Harr Yellowstone National Park Names and Subjects Subject Terms : British Americans-Montana Businesswomen-Montana-Stillwater County Dude ranches-montana-stillwater County Ranch life-montana-photographs Ranchers-Montana-Yellowstone County Ranches-Montana-Stillwater County Ranches-Montana-Yellowstone County Spanish American War, 1898-Personal narratives, American Spanish American War, 1898-Veterans-Montana-Yellowstone County Women ranchers-montana-stillwater County Personal Names : Herford, Jack, Corporate Names : United States-Army-Cavalry, 3rd Geographical Names : Jack Herford Ranch (Mont.) Swinging H Ranch (Mont.) Yellowstone National Park-Photographs Form or Genre Terms : Business records-montana-stillwater County Family papers-montana 22

23 Photographs-Montana Other Creators : Personal Names : Wellington, Helen Underwood (creator) Family Names : Herford family (creator) Kim Allen Scott,