Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Strode Family Papers, 1896-1969
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Strode family
- Title
- Strode Family Papers
- Dates
- 1896-196918961969
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Collection 932, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Stone Family Papers consists of : family papers, manuscripts, Stirrup Ranch records, and legal documents collected or created by Eva I. Melvin. The contents of these materials pertain to Thomas P. Strode, Eva I. Melvin, the Stirrup Ranch, Whitlash, Montana, homesteading, and ranch and country living in Montana after the turn to the 20th century.
- 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
Eva I. Strode Melvin, born in Havre, Montana on September 20, 1896 to Thomas P. and Edla Julia Johnson Strode. She was raised on the Stirrup Ranch near Whitlash, Montana. She married Fred O. Melvin, and resided in Great Falls, Montana raising one child, George. Eva's father, Thomas P. Strode (1862--1943) was born in Louisburg, Mason County, Kentucky. He headed west after the age of 15, did various jobs until he settled in the Upper Sun Valley to raising horses. In late 1887, he moved his livestock to the Sweet Grass Hills region. Strode settled on Sage Creek and later on Bear Gulch, establishing the Stirrup Ranch.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection is organized into four series: Literary Productions, Maps and Charts, Legal Documents, and Financial Documents. The contents of these materials pertain to Thomas P. Strode, Eva I. Melvin, the Stirrup Ranch, Whitlash, Montana, homesteading, and ranch and country living in Montana after the turn to the 20th century.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Series 1 Literary Productions
Series 2 Maps and Charts
Series 3 Legal Documents
Series 4 Financial Documents
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Literary ProductionsReturn to Top
Manuscripts and essays pertaining to life in the Sweet Grass Hills and the north central region of Montana. All items are written by Eva Strode Melvin, expect letters in Box 1, Folder 27. Topics covered by the essays include family members' histories, nursing, automobiles, ranch life, and murder and death on the prairie. Box 1, Folder 26 includes photocopies of clippings from the Shelby Promoter. These newspaper articles cover a wide range of topics such as but not limited to: homesteading, crime, George Jackson, Harrison C. Moore, and Long George Francis.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Thomas P. Strode biography and family
history |
|
| 1/2 | Strode genealogy |
|
| 1/3 | Edla Julia Johnson Strode biography and family
history |
|
| 1/4 | Eva I. Strode Melvin's autobiography and opinions of
the |
1920s |
| 1/5 | Eva I. Strode Melvin's autobiography and opinions of
the |
1930s |
| 1/6 | Nursing and medical ethics |
1918-1921 |
| 1/7 | Murder of Mrs. Annie (Mary) Armstrong and Joe
Morgan |
|
| 1/8 | Life around Hill, Montana |
|
| 1/9 | Automobiles and Montana living |
|
| 1/10 | Christmas celebrations |
|
| 1/11 | One day in Eva's life |
1904 April 16 |
| 1/12 | Ranch chores |
|
| 1/13 | Dances and romances |
|
| 1/14 | Tail flies: truisms of modern thinking |
|
| 1/15 | The West |
|
| 1/16 | Politics of the |
1970s |
| 1/17 | Family and homes |
|
| 1/18 | The First Commandments |
|
| 1/19 | The wise learn young, fools too late |
|
| 1/20 | Thanksgiving and dark fruit cake |
|
| 1/21 | Old crimes and hanky-panky |
|
| 1/22 | Inauguration Day |
1969 |
| 1/23 | Church-State relations |
|
| 1/24 | Forgotten man |
|
| 1/25 | Harrison C. Moore |
|
| 1/26 | Shelby Promotor newspaper articles |
1969 |
| 1/27 | Correspondence between various members of the Strode
family and associates |
Series 2: Maps and ChartsReturn to Top
Maps of the property owned by the Strode family members and Harrison C. Moore. Oversize materials are in Box 5, Folder 1. Folders from which oversize materials have been removed are marked with an asterisk (*).
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Box/Folder | |
| 2/1 | Stirrup Ranch map by township and range, and Harrison
C. Moore's ranch map* |
Series 3: Legal DocumentsReturn to Top
Deeds, wills, and other legal documents related to Thomas P. Strode, other Strode family members, and Strode's friends and associates. Also contained here are various legal documents related to the operation of the Stirrup Ranch, including water rights and grazing leases. Oversize materials are in Box 5, Folder 2. Folders from which oversize materials have been removed are marked with an asterisk (*).
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/2 | Thomas P. Strode's will and court petitions related to
the estate |
|
| 2/3 | Whitlash, Montana incorporation and related
papers |
|
| 2/4 | Various legal documents of Strode family members and
friends |
|
| 2/5 | Land deeds and desert claims transferred to or from
T.P. Strode and/or his wife |
1904-1915 |
| 2/6 | Land deeds and desert claims transferred to or from
T.P. Strode and/or his wife |
1916-1919 |
| 2/7 | Land deeds and desert claims transferred to or from
T.P. Strode and/or his wife |
1920-1938 |
| 2/8 | Land deeds and desert claims transferred to or from
T.P. Strode and/or his wife |
1939-1941 |
| 2/9 | Oil and gas leases for property owned by T.P. Strode
and correspondence related to the leases |
1917-1926 |
| 2/10 | Oil and gas leases for property owned by T.P. Strode
and correspondence related to the leases |
1927-1932 |
| 2/11 | Deeds for railroad land purchased by T.P.
Strode |
|
| 2/12 | Water rights' documents |
1899-1906 |
| 2/13 | Grazing leases and fees paid |
Series 4: Financial DocumentsReturn to Top
Ledgers, bank statements, loans, bills, receipts, and correspondence related to Thomas P. Strode, his estate, and the Stirrup Ranch. The ranch financial documents include official breed pedigrees, bills of sale, and registered brands. There is a tally book used for a shopping list in Box 3, Folder 1; a ledger for the Stirrup Ranch covering 1899-1939 in Box 3, Folder 2; and cattle bills of sale from 1906-1943 in Box 3, Folders 5-8. Oversize materials are in Box 5, Folder 3. Folders from which oversize materials have been removed are marked with an asterisk (*).
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/14 | T.P. Strode Estate financial materials |
1943 |
| 2/15 | T.P. Strode Estate financial materials |
1944 |
| 2/16 | T.P. Strode Estate financial materials |
1945 |
| 2/17 | T.P. Strode Estate financial materials |
1946-1947 |
| 2/18 | Federal tax returns and related
correspondence |
1926-1943 |
| 2/19 | Montana tax returns and related
correspondence |
|
| 2/20 | Property tax bill, Liberty County, Montana |
1935; 1936; 1939 |
| 2/21 | Property tax bill, Liberty County, Montana |
1940-1941 |
| 3/1 | Miscellaneous financial papers of T.P.
Strode |
1913-1943 |
| 3/2 | Ledger |
1899-1939 |
| 3/3 | Brand and mark registrations |
1904-1943 |
| 3/4 | Horse bills of sale, livestock pedigrees, and feeding
livestock correspondence* |
|
| 3/5 | Cattle bills of sale, receipts, and related
correspondence |
1906; 1909 |
| 3/6 | Cattle bills of sale, receipts, and related
correspondence |
1915-1926 |
| 3/7 | Cattle bills of sale, receipts, and related
correspondence |
1931-1939 |
| 3/8 | Cattle bills of sale, receipts, and related
correspondence |
1940-1943 |
| 3/9 | Mortgages, loans, notes, and payments |
1901-1929 * |
| 3/10 | Mortgages, loans, notes, and payments |
1930-1942 |
| 3/11 | Windmills |
|
| 3/12 | Rangeland improvements |
|
| 4/1 | Bank statements |
1923-1927 |
| 4/2 | Bank statements |
1928-1929 |
| 4/3 | Bank statements |
1930-1931 |
| 4/4 | Bank statements |
1932-1934 |
| 4/5 | Bank statements |
1935-1937 |
| 4/6 | Bank statements |
1938-1940 |
| 4/7 | Bank statements, and check register |
1941-1943 |
| 4/8 | Canceled checks |
1896-1942 |
| 5/1 | Maps (Oversize) |
|
| 5/2 | Land deeds (Oversize) |
|
| 5/3 | Mortgage deed and livestock pedigrees
(Oversize) |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life-Montana-Liberty County
- Ranches-Montana-Liberty County
- Real property-Montana-Liberty County
Personal Names
- Moore, Harrison C.
- Strode, Thomas P., 1862-1943-Estate
Family Names
- Stroud family
Geographical Names
- Stirrup Ranch (Mont.)
- Sweet Grass Hills (Mont.)
- Whitlash (Mont.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Estate records-Montana-Liberty County
- Family papers-Montana-Liberty County
- Maps-Montana-Liberty County
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Melvin, Eva I. Strode, b. 1896 (creator)
- Strode, Thomas P., 1862-1943 (creator)
Kim Allen Scott, 2009
November 22, 2016
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
