African Americans in Montana
Following is an alphabetical listing of collections or portions of collections about or by African-Americans who lived in Montana. For more complete descriptions or copies of inventories please contact the Archives staff.
Adair, Genevieve S.
Oral History 1278
Interview, 1992.1 tape
Genevieve Squires Adair (born 1911) discusses her family and growing up in Plainview, Nebraska; relocating to Butte, Montana, in l916; attending the Normal College in Dillon; her enlistment in the Women's Auxiliary ArmyCorps (WAAC) in l943; officers training; work classifying female recruits at Fort Des Moines WAAC training center; transfer to Fort Meade, Maryland; Black military personnel at Fort Meade and the lack of discrimination; pay scale; nursing at Warm Springs State Hospital; and life after military service.A typed summary of the interview is available.
Aiken, Joseph
Small Collection 354
Records, 1858..1 linear foot.
This collection consists of a bill of sale, August 25, 1858, transferring ownership of a seven-year-old Black slave from Thomas F. Smith to Joseph and Priscilla Aiken, pioneer Montana Territory residents.The transaction took place at Independence, Missouri. A short, one-page description is available.
Barth, Glen R.
Oral History 124
Public presentation, 1976.1 tape (tape no. 3)
Professor Barth discusses his experiences as chairman of the Ad Hoc Black Studies Review Committee at he University of Montana, where he attempted to assess the universityââ'¬â"¢s needs and obligations regarding Black Studies.Conclusions reached by the Committee included efforts to increase the number of Black teachers and students at the University of Montana.A minority committee report played down the importance of importing Black students to a state that does not have a large Black population.The minority report also suggested that Black Studies courses lacked academic content.Although the Faculty Senate accepted the majority report, the Black Studies Program was never funded. Part of the Montana History Conference proceedings (1976:Helena), from a session on Ethnic Immigration to Montana. A summary of the presentation is available.
Clark, Albert J.
Oral History 412
Interview, 1982. - 3 tapes (tape no. 3, side A).
Albert Clark (born 1912) discusses welding and other work for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company smelter in Anaconda, Montana, from l928 to the 1960s.He also describes an Opportunity, Montana, area ranch leased from the Anaconda Company, the depression years of the l930s, and his participation in the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers.Clark talks about the Black air line workers in the smelter and how they got the dirtiest jobs. He also discusses how Blacks and whites worked together, how the Austrian foremen were hard on the Black workers, and how the Company laid off Blacks to create jobs for white workers. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Colley, Mary Duncan
Oral History 1812
Interview, 1999.2 tapes.
Mary Colley (born 1927) discusses growing up in Butte, Montana, in the l930s and l940s as part of a Black family; her father's work as a podiatrist and as editor of The New Age, a Black newspaper in Butte; her mother's volunteer work, including membership in the Montana Federation of Colored Women's Clubs; her parents hosting students of color from the Butte School of Mines; how her community sheltered her from racism; differences between her experiences with race and that of her brothers and sisters(Walter, Perdita, and John Duncan); making the transition from the all-white culture of Butte to an all-Black college; and her views on why the Black community dwindled in the years following World War II. See also Oral History 483, an interview with Colley's brother and sister, Walter and Perdita Duncan. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Community Council of Cascade County
Small Collection 1989
Records, 1948-1968..3 linear foot.
The Community Council of Cascade County, Montana, developed from the American Association of University Women's Great Falls Branch Social Studies Committee.It was organized to promote cooperation between various groups working for social change in Cascade County.Records consist of general correspondence, minutes and bylaws, constitutions, membership lists, reports, and subject files.
The Council had a Negro Affairs Committee, later the inter-racial Committee, which was to receive for study and recommendation all matters pertaining to inter-racial programs which may be presented before the Council; and to bring to the attention of the Council matters of inter-racial importance. In 1954-55, the Council reviewed the presented plans to make the public aware of House Bill 52, regarding Negro acceptance in public places. A short, one page description is available.
Cox, Eugene G.
Oral History 934
Interview, 1986.2 tapes.
Eugene Cox (born 1908) discusses his work as clerk and personnel manager for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's Great Falls Reduction Department from 1926 to 1971. He also discusses company managers, worker relations, the Depression, the community of Black Eagle, Great Falls politics, the Mine-Mill Union, and his African-American heritage. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Duncan, Walter and Perdita
Oral History 483
Interview, l983.3 tapes.
Walter Duncan, Perdita Duncan (died 1985), Elmo Fortune, and William Fenter discuss the Black community in Butte, Montana, from 1910 to 1940s, particularly employment, social life, churches, clubs, and white attitudes towards Blacks. See also Oral History 1812, an interview with the Duncans' sister, Mary Duncan Colley. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Dunne, Mother Amata
Oral History 1388
Interview, ca. 1968.1 tape.
Mother Amata Dunne discusses her life, including religion and being a nun, and her experiences as a teacher, including teaching Black children.Note: The sound quality on this tape is poor and the interview is difficult to understand. No summary of transcript is available.
Dutrieuille Family
Small Collection 1584
Papers, 1857-1980..1 linear foot.
The Dutrieuille family was a pioneer Black family that lived in Helena, Belt, and Great Falls, Montana. The collection is primarily related to John Lambert Duke Dutrieuille, a barber, and his wife, Maria Adams Dutrieuille. Included are photocopies of a newspaper editorial, dated September 25, l892, that Dutdrieuille wrote explaining his conversion to the Democratic Party; a letter, dated March 15, l857, of recommendation from a barber school in Philadelphia; and miscellaneous biographical materials concerning the family. No inventory is available for this collection.
Fenter, William
Oral History 483
Interview, 1983.3 tapes.
William Fenter, Walter Duncan, Perdita Duncan, and Elmo Fortune discuss the Black community in Butte, Montana, from 1910 to the 1940s, particularly employment, social life, churches, clubs, and white attitudes towards Blacks. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Fort Assiniboine
Manuscript collection 46
Microfilm 54 Records, 1877-1911.
Microfilm 281 18 linear feet + 7 reels of microfilm.
Fort Assiniboine was a military post located near present-day Havre, Montana.It was established in 1879 and was the largest military installation built in Montana. The fort was established primarily to control the movements of the northern Indian tribes and to police their movement across the Canadian border.In 1896 a Black regiment, the 10th Cavalry, was stationed there and remained until the fort was decommissioned in 1911.
Manuscript Collection 46 contains incoming correspondence, 1879-1905, regarding the Riel Rebellion, Canadian Indians, and other topics about the fort and military businesses; outgoing correspondence, 1887-1905; correspondence registers, 1879-1905; daily consolidated morning reports, 1880-1901; daily post guard reports, 1879-1910; duty rosters, 1902-1905; general post orders, 1880-1904; individual military records, 1905-1906; and miscellaneous other material. A typed inventory is available for Manuscript Collection 46.
Microfilm 54 consists of a correspondence register, 1886-1887, for incoming correspondence; three outgoing correspondence register, 1888-1889, l896-1900, and 1903-1904; a letterpress book, 1904, of general correspondence and financial records, primarily concerning construction of and facilities on the post; a record book 1905,of buildings and specifications; and incoming correspondence 1881-1887, concerning Indian border forays, the Metis Rebellion, and other routine affairs. A short, one-page description is available for Microfilm 54.
Microfilm 281 contains material microfilmed from originals in the National Archives. The film contains records of Fort Assiniboine and Coal Banks summer camp post returns, 1879-1911; a chronology and description of the fort, 1877-1911; and miscellaneous other material. Post returns include names of officers and enlisted men, and records of events and communications received. A short, one-page description is available for Microfilm 281.
Fortune, Elmo
Oral History 483
Interview, 1983.3 tapes.
Elmo Fortune (born 1909), Walter Duncan, Perdita Duncan, and William Fenter discuss the Black community in Butte, Montana, from 1910 to the 1940s, particularly employment, social life, churches, clubs, and with attitudes towards Blacks. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Gordon, Emmanuel Taylor
Manuscript Collection 150
Papers, 1882-1980.9 linear feet.
Taylor Gordon was a Black singer and author who grew up in White Sulphur Springs, Montana.The collection includes letters, writings, financial records, and clippings about Taylor, his sister Rose Gordon, a White Sulphur Springs business woman and physical therapist: and other members of the Gordon family; the Florence Mining Company; and the Democratic Party in Montana.
A large collection of photographs was transferred to the Photograph Archives and a few artifacts were transferred to the Museum. A typed inventory is available.
Haskins, John W.
Small Collection 808
Papers, 1827..1 linear foot
John W. Haskins was a Buckingham County, Virginia, resident and slave owner.This collection consists of an announcement of the sale of a plantation and slaves, 1827; an agreement to hire a male slave 1850; and a receipt for the sale of a slave, 1853. A short, one-page description is available.
Helena (Mont.) City Clerk
Local Government Collection 1
Records, 1881-1918.6 linear feet
This collection consists of records filed with the City Clerk of the City of Helena, Montana.The largest segment of the records consists of monthly reports of city officials and committees. In addition there are correspondence/petition files, employee records, financial records, legal documents, specifications, and subject files. The collection contains a petition, signed by 55 African-American voters in 1896, favoring the appointment of Isaac Hayes as a policeman. An online inventory is available in-house.
Kenck, Hugo and Margaret McMann Kenck
Oral History 417
Hugo Kenck (b. 1892) and Margaret Kenck (b. 1907) discuss music teachers, musical groups, and performers in Butte, Montana, for 1900 to 1940.They also describe Butte's ethnic groups and neighborhoods, German clubs, the California Brewery, prohibition, and the Miner's Bank.Hugo Kenck describes one of his best friends, Bob Logan, a Black man with an exceptional singing ability. Kenck also describes Logan's wife and the difficulties they faced because of color. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Kirkpatrick, David
Small Collection 938
Papers, 1821..1 linear foot.
David Kirkpatrick was a Somerset, Kentucky, slave owner.This collection consists of a handwritten deed of trust, dated September 20, 1821, placing a seven-year-old Black slave named Lewis as security for a loan made by Fielding Kenley to David Kirkpatrick. A short, one-page description is available.
Knight, Edwin W.
Small Collection
Papers, 1882..l linear foot.
Edwin W. Knight (born 1838) served as chairman of the Helena, Montana Territory, school board.The collection consists of a photocopy of a letter, February 1882, from Knight to the U.S. attorney general requesting a decision on the constitutionality of a Helena law requiring separate schools for Black children.There also are photocopies of Martin Maginnis' letter of transmittal and the attorney general's reply declining to rule on the law.The photocopies were made for the originals in the National Archives. A short, one page description is available.
Langellier, John
Oral History 1582
Public presentation, 1992.1 tape (tape no. 1).
Dr. Langellier, one of the 1992 Bradley Fellows at the Montana Historical Society, gave a presentation on Black soldiers in Montana. Part of the Montana History Conference (1992:Miles City) proceedings. No summary or transcript is available.
Manhattan Club (Helena, Mont.)
Small Collection 1981
Records, 1905-1912..linear foot
The Manhattan Club was a social organization for Helena's Black community during the period 1895-1911. Records consist of account books, 1905-1912,for members and visitors. A short, one-page description is available.
McBride, Eldora
Oral History 1279
Eldora McBride (born 1923) discusses her childhood; attending Northern Montana College in Havre, Montana; medical secretary training; enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1944; military training at Hunter College in New York; racial discrimination and how it affected men versus women regarding promotions, etc.; women and promotions in the military; uniforms; living conditions; transfer to the Medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, and later to the naval facility at Corvallis, Oregon; war; transferring to the Naval Air base in Seattle, Washington; GI bill educational benefits; and life after military service. A typed summary of the interview is available.
McDonald, Charles
Oral History 262
Interview, 1982.3 tapes (tape 2).
Charles McDonald (born1897) discusses his childhood on the Flathead Reservation, attending the government school in Ronan, brief family history, Indian life, his work defending the rights of Indians, working for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and relations with the Black men who were in the CCC, and working as a packer and scaler for the Indian Forest Service and the National Forest Service.McDonald discusses the Negro boys from Tennessee who were in the CCC and his relations with them, their appearance, and their personalities. He explains how the Blacks were told they would not be good as firefighters because they were from the ghetto and lacked a hard-working spirit. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Montana Attorney General's Office
Record Series 76
Records, 1893-1969.199 linear feet.
There records of the Montana Attorney General's Office consist of general correspondence, 1905-1920; subject files, 1900-1962; informal opinions, 1897-1915; docket registers, 1893-1963; docketed and un-docketed case files, 1902-1968; financial ledgers, l905-1969; and an abstract register, 1921-1941.Un un-docked case file from 1915 concerns the estate of Charles Allen Watt, a Black sheepherder from Yellowstone County. An online inventory is available in-house.
Montana Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
Manuscript Collection 282
Records, 1921-1978.1.5 linear feet.
The Montana Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, originally the Montana Federation Negro Women's Clubs, was a coordinating organization for local clubs of Black women around Montana.Records include minute books, 1936-1952; correspondence; and miscellaneous reports and correspondence of the Dunbar Art and Study Club (Great Falls), the Phyllis Wheatley Club (Billings), the Pearl Club (Butte), and the Pleasant Hour Club (Helena). Materials of the state federation include Legislative Committee reports, correspondence, clippings, bills concerned with state civil rights legislation; Claudia Bivens Scholarship material; state convention programs, 1921-1978; a constitution and bylaws; notes; clippings; and miscellaneous other material.
Eighteen black-and-white photographs were separated to the Photograph Archives and a number of convention ribbons were separated to the Museum. An online inventory is available in-house.
Montana Governors
Manuscript Collection 35a
Papers, 1889-1905.13.5 linear feet
The Montana Governors collection consists of the general correspondence of governors Joseph K. Toole, J.E. Rickards, and Robert B. Smith; and speeches by Joseph K. Toole. A l901 letter from Jordan Allen to Governor Tooleconcerns the Butte African Methodist Episcopal Church. An online inventory is available in-house.
Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly (15th: 1887)
Territor1al Legislative Records 15
Records, 1887..4 linear feet.
These Montana TerritorialLegislative records consist of incoming correspondence; members' financial accounts; committee reports; petitions regarding the protection of women, Sunday closure of saloons, variety theaters, opium, local liquor option, gambling, private saloons, county boundaries, bounties of ground squirrels, game and fish detectives, and building of a new penitentiary, an issue that prompted a petition from the Black citizens of Helena. A short, one-page description is available for this collection.
Plassmann, Martha, Edgerton
Manuscript Collection 339
Papers, 1863-1939.3 linear feet.
Martha Plassman (1850-1936) was a Montana pioneer, historian, and journalist.The collection consists of her autobiography and over 500 historical articles written for the Great Falls Tribune and the Montana News Association during the 1920s and l930s.The articles, based on her own memories and on research, cover a wide range of topics, especially fur trappers, explorers, and vigilantes.One of her articles, How It Chanced, concerns Black fur trapper Jim Beckwourth.An online inventory is available in-house.
Riebeth, Carolyn Reynolds
Oral History 339
Interview, 1982.3 tapes
Carolyn Riebeth, (born 1898) was a Hardin, Montana, resident.In this interview she discusses life at Crow Agency, her father's work as the agent for the Crow Tribe, and the Crow community.Riebeth talks about a Black man names Smokey (John Edward Wilson) who worked with horses and taught the children to ride.Smokey married and Indian woman.Riebeth recalls his family, his funeral, a memorial to Smokey, and the preservation of his gravestone. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Second Baptist Church, (Helena, Mont.)
Small Collection 313
Record, 1910-1913..2 linear foot.
The Second Baptist Church was a Black congregation in Helena, Montana.This collection consists of a journal, October 15, 1910-June 30, l913, recording collections, operating expenses, and miscellaneous other information. A short, one-page description is available.
Slausen, Lena
Oral History 1044
Interview, 1987.2 tapes
In this interview Lena Slausen discusses African-American life in Butte; discrimination; and her involvement in the Pearl Club. No summary or transcript is available for this collection.
Stephenson, Mary
Small Collection 785
Papers 1817..1 linear foot.
This collection consists of manumission papers, dated July 20, 1817, by Mary Stephenson, of Harrison County, Kentucky, freeing her slave Polly and Polly's four year old child. No inventory is available for this collection.
Thompson, Alan M.
Oral History 1772
Public presentation, 1997..1 linear foot.
Alan Thompson gave a presentation at the Montana Historical Society on November 19, 1997, on Black cowboys Brooks and Wilson.His paper explores African-American cowboy traditions on the northern range by discussing aspects of the lifestyles of Joe H. Proctor, his daughter Sarah Proctor Beebe, Sam and Adrian Wilson, and Jim Brooks, five individuals who used horsemanship and cowboy skills to make their living in southeastern Montana.
Note: The audio recording is of very poor quality, but the complete typed text of Thompson's talk is available.
This paper was previously presented by Thompson at the Blacks in the West:Image and Reality conference held September 22, l995 at the American Heritage Center in Laramie, Wyoming.
Virginia City Water Company.
Small Collection 2131
Records, 1902-1931..1 linear foot.
Sarah Gammon Brown Bickford (1855-1931) was born a slave in Tennessee.She came to Virginia City around 1870.She married Stephen E. Bickford in 1884 and around 1888 Stephen purchased a two-thirds interest in Virginia City's water system.Sarah became the manager of the Virginia City Water Company after his death in 1900.Records include incoming correspondence, 1902-1931; a subject file, 1913-1931; and miscellaneous other material. A short, one-page description is available.
Zogarts, Frank
Oral History 411
Interview, 1982.2 tapes.
FrankZogarts (born 1899) discusses his work as a foreman for various operations at the Anaconda Copper Mining Company smelter in Anaconda, Montana, from the 1920s to the l950s.Zogarts talks about Blacks in the smelter and the jobs they had.The Black workers were given the jobs the white workers did not want. Zogarts describes these jobs, including the air line job.He says the Black workers were segregated because the whites would not work with them. A typed summary of the interview is available.
Black Newspapers in the Montana Historical Society Library
Butte, Montana:
The New Age. A weekly newspaper published in the interests of the colored people in Butte by the New Age Publishing Company, May 30, 1902-1903 (?).
Helena, Montana:
The Colored Citizen.A weekly newspaper devoted to the interests of Colored Americans. Published in Helena by the Colored Citizen Publishing Company, September-December 15, 1894.
The Montana Plaindealer.An irregular weekly newspaper, the complete Negro newspaper, published in Helena by the Montana Plaindealer Company, March 16,1906-September 8, 1911.
