Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Bernice K. Koch Scrapbook, 1931-1934
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Matthews, Bernice K., 1911-1998
- Title
- Bernice K. Koch Scrapbook
- Dates
- 1931-193419311934
- Quantity
- 1 item
- Collection Number
- Collection 2459, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Bernice K. Koch Scrapbook consists of a scrapbook kept by Koch during the summers of 1931-1934 documenting her experiences as a Yellowstone "savage," the popular nickname given to seasonal workers in the park. The scrapbook contains pictures, an autograph book signed by other Yellowstone savages, a letter from a fellow worker, and memorabilia.
- 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
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Bernice K. Koch, originally from Breese, a small town in southern Illinois, graduated from Carlyle High School in 1929. Bernice spent four summers working in Yellowstone National Park, from 1931 to 1934. It is known she worked at the Old Faithful Lodge and probably served as a waitress. Following her summer employment at Yellowstone, it is likely she spent at least part of her adult working life in Missouri. Bernice married a man named Matthews (first name as yet unknown) and eventually passed away in the retirement community of Sun City, Arizona on November 18, 1998, at the age of eighty-seven.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of a scrapbook kept by Koch during the summers of 1931-1934 documenting her experiences as a Yellowstone "savage," the popular nickname given to seasonal workers in the park. The scrapbook contains dozens of pictures glued in place; twenty-one loose and unidentified pictures, several of which may be from Yellowstone; an autograph book signed by other Yellowstone savages; a letter from a fellow worker; and miscellaneous items which include railroad ticket stubs and three rather unique documents written on toilet paper.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Old Faithful Lodge (Yellowstone National Park)
- Seasonal labor-Yellowstone National Park
- Waitresses-Yellowstone National Park
- Women employees-Yellowstone National Park
Geographical Names
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yellowstone National Park-Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Autograph albums-Yellowstone National Park
- Scrapbooks-Yellowstone National Park
Kim Allen Scott, 2009
October 9, 2019
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
