Charles H. Barstow Scrapbook, 1879-1891

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Barstow, C. H. (Charles H.), d. 1908
Title
Charles H. Barstow Scrapbook
Dates
1879-1891
Quantity
1 volume
Collection Number
Collection 559, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Charles H. Barstow Scrapbook was created by Charles H. Barstow for his daughter, Elizabeth, and given to her on February 16, 1891. The book contains mostly mounted newspaper clippings, the majority of which deal with the Crow Indian tribe, or other Native Americans of the northern plains. Topics include: various controversies regarding the sale or leasing of Crow lands, particularly during the fall of 1887; the alleged malfeasance of Indian Agents H. J. Armstrong and Henry E. Williamson; crime; cattle ranching in the Crow reservation area; the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 and events leading to it. There are also obituaries and social notices of persons in New England that were apparently friends or relatives of Barstow.
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
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Charles H. Barstow was born in Massachusetts sometime around 1850 and came west after his father died. He first traveled to Wichita, Kansas, but relocated to Montana after the summer of 1876. He became the chief clerk for the government agent at the Crow Indian reservation around 1878 and held the position for twenty years. Barstow became an active collector of Crow artifacts and is credited with encouraging members of the tribe to create "ledger art" drawings to preserve their history and culture. He was married to Susan Elizabeth Chandler, and the couple had at least one daughter, Elizabeth. Barstow died in Billings, Montana in February, 1908.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Barstow scrapbook was created by Charles H. Barstow specifically for his daughter, Elizabeth, and given to her on February 16, 1891. The book contains mostly mounted newspaper clippings, the majority of which deal with the Crow Indian tribe, or other Native Americans of the northern plains. Topics include: various controversies regarding the sale or leasing of Crow lands, particularly during the fall of 1887; the alleged malfeasance of Indian Agents H. J. Armstrong and Henry E. Williamson; crime; cattle ranching in the Crow reservation area; the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 and events leading to it. There are also obituaries and social notices of persons in New England that were apparently friends or relatives of Barstow. Although the newspapers from which the clippings were taken are mostly unidentified, a few bear dates and titles written in pencil by Barstow.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Scrapbook created by Charles H. Barstow was donated to Special Collections by Jim Annin, Columbus, Montana on June 9, 1967.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 September 3

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Crime-Montana
  • Crow Indians
  • Indian agents-Montana
  • Indian reservations-Montana
  • Indians of North America-Great Plains
  • Ranching-Montana
  • Wounded Knee Massacre, S.D., 1890

Personal Names

  • Armstrong, Henry J., Indian agent
  • Williamson, Henry E

Corporate Names

  • United States-Office of Indian Affairs-Crow Indian Agency-Officials and employees

Geographical Names

  • Crow Indian Reservation (Mont.)