Archives West Finding Aid

The Margaret Patten Letter to “Alice” consists of an original letter and typed transcription dated February 10, 1921 and was titled "A Strange Disappearance". The letter was addressed to someone who can only be identified as Alice. The letter discusses her recollection of a story that was told to her by the host of her camp about the deserted cabin of Andrew Levinski. The host tells her that Levinski had come to the United States from Poland many years ago and after getting here he was quite disappointed. He came to Gallatin Canyon in hopes of hitting it big with prospecting. This was not the case and this caused him to live a hermit lifestyle. Levinski thought that he had found a gold mine in the mountains of Gallatin Canyon, but his discovery had brought more prospectors to the area. The other prospectors had grouped together, and they formed a corporation that Levinski was not included in. Levinski, from the forming of the corporation on, thought that they were out for his claims. One day while walking up the mountain he was confronted by two members of the corporation, they were supposedly armed, causing Levinski to shoot them in self-defense. Levinski confessed to the murder which caused him to go to jail until his trail occurred in the summer. Once the trail was held he was acquitted with the verdict of Self-defense and then he went back to his cabin. Then next spring, they investigated his cabin after no one had heard from him and found it deserted; Levinski was not heard from again. She then finishes the letter by saying that they were saddling the horses for a trip to a scout station on the park line.