Henry O. Fortin Scrapbook, 1916-1930

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Fortin, Henry O.
Title
Henry O. Fortin Scrapbook
Dates
1916-1930
Quantity
1 volume
Collection Number
Collection 2575, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Henry O. Fortin Scrapbook contains dance cards, theater programs, sporting event programs, ticket stubs, "spirit" ribbons, and objects such as a beanie, pocket handkerchiefs, and a hat cord, most collected by him while he was a student at Montana State College. Several pages of signatures and brief testimonial comments from fellow USGS workers from 1926 through 1930 are included. The scrapbook also contains a few letters, including one personally signed by then U.S. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and another by U.S. Congressman John M. Evans. A student essay based Fortin's personal experience growing up in rural Montana, "The Hunt," is pasted into the scrapbook.
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

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Henry Octave Fortin was born in Mills Springs, Montana, northeast of the town of Eureka, on July 30, 1900. He attended Flathead County High School, Gonzaga University, and Montana State University (presently the University of Montana) in Missoula where he participated in the Student Army Training Corps in 1918. On September 27, 1919, Fortin transferred Montana State College (presently Montana State University) in Bozeman. While attending MSC, Fortin was an enthusiastic member of the Omega Beta fraternity, an independent Greek letter organization founded in Bozeman in 1915. His nickname in the group was "Shorty," and he remained a member until he graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1925. Fortin joined the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as a Deck Officer July 26, 1926 and served for 34 years. Attaining the rank of captain, he was the commanding officer of the LESTER JONES, the BOWEN, and the GILBERT. After his retirement in 1958 he made his home in Bellevue, Washington where he died on May 8, 1979.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Henry O. Fortin scrapbook contains dance cards, theater programs, sporting event programs, ticket stubs, "spirit" ribbons, and objects such as a beanie, pocket handkerchiefs, and a hat cord, most collected by him while he was a student at Montana State College. Several pages of signatures and brief testimonial comments from fellow USGS workers from 1926 through 1930 are included. Most of the material relates directly to Fortin's student years, although some items were collected when he was in California following his 1925 graduation. Among the student material ephemera from the Omega Beta fraternity is especially prevalent. The scrapbook also contains a few letters, including one personally signed by then U.S. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and another by U.S. Congressman John M. Evans. A student essay based Fortin's personal experience growing up in rural Montana, "The Hunt," is pasted into the scrapbook. (A more comprehensive autobiographical essay describing Fortin's early life is held by the University of Montana Archives and Special Collections in Missoula.)

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

An original scrapbook created by Henry O. Fortin was donated to Montana State University by Christopher Livingston of Bozeman, Montana on October 29, 2013.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2013 October 30

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life -- Montana -- Lincoln County
  • Ranch life -- Montana -- Lincoln County

Corporate Names

  • Montana State College -- Societies, etc. -- History
  • Omega Beta
  • Phi Sigma Kappa

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographic prints -- 1920-1930
  • Scrapbooks -- 1920-1930