Burlingame, Merrill G. (Merrill Gildea), 1901-1994

Merrill G. Burlingame (1901-1994) was a history professor at Montana State University. In 1956 the law firm of Wilkinson, Cragun, Barker and Hawkins retained his services as a historical researcher for their litigation against the United States government on behalf of Montana's Blackfeet tribe. Burlingame assisted the firm by gathering pertinent materials from his research. By the summer of 1975, the firm was known as Wilkinson, Cragun and Barker and they asked Burlingame, in his capacity as their historical advisor, to give his advice and criticism of research materials they planned to use in a hearing before the United States Indian Claims Commission.

From the guide to the Merrill G. Burlingame Papers, 1956-1976, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

Mary Hunter Doane was born in Missouri in 1859, the oldest of six children born to Dr. Andrew Jackson Hunter and his second wife, Susannah. In 1864, Hunter brought his family to Montana Territory where they lived briefly in Virginia City, Helena, and Bozeman. In 1870, Hunter staked a claim to land encompassing a hot spring near the Yellowstone River in present day Park County and there developed a health spa. Mary grew up in Bozeman and at Hunter's Hot Springs before she attended St. Vincent's Academy in Helena in 1876. On 16 Dec. 1878 she married Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane and traveled with him to a wide variety of military posts in Montana, California, and Arizona prior to his death in 1894. Mary Hunter Doane remained a widow for the rest of her life, living in Bozeman and becoming active in a number of historical organizations such as the Society of Montana Pioneers and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She gained a reputation as an "encyclopedia of Montana history" in her later years, and began a friendship with Professor Merrill G. Burlingame that lasted until her death in 1952. Burlingame both transcribed some of her writings and collected original documents from her.

From the description of Mary Hunter Doane collection, 1881-1950. (Montana State University Bozeman Library). WorldCat record id: 70963690

The Willson and Rich firm of Bozeman, Montana Territory, was a merchandising operation founded in 1866 by Loren W. Tuller and Charles V. Rich, both of New York. Encouraged by their friend, Lester S. Willson, Tuller and Rich pooled their resources to organize an expedition to Montana and establish a store. In company with Lester's brother, Davis, the partners left Canton, New York in May of 1866. After a stop in Omaha, Nebraska to purchase stock, the party crossed the plains and reached the new town of Bozeman on September 2, 1866. At first they sold goods out of a tent but by November of that year they rented space in a two-story log cabin owned by the local Masonic order. They continued in business at that location until Lester Willson arrived in the spring of 1867. He became the senior partner in the firm and, on the departure of Loren Tuller in the fall of 1867, the senior partner, changing the name to "Willson and Rich." The firm built a new store in 1868 and yet another in 1883. The firm underwent a variety of name changes throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century, including the "L.S. Willson Company" and, after Lester Willson incorporated the business in 1893, the "Willson Company." Willson sold the business in 1914, and it was eventually absorbed by the Croff's company of Sheridan, Wyoming, in June 1949.

From the guide to the Willson Company Collection, 1912-1951, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

The Willson and Rich firm of Bozeman, Montana Territory, was a merchandising operation founded in 1866 by Loren W. Tuller and Charles V. Rich, both of New York. Encouraged by their friend, Lester S. Willson, Tuller and Rich pooled their resources to organize an expedition to Montana and establish a store. In company with Lester's brother, Davis, the partners left Canton, N.Y., in May 1866. After a stop in Omaha, Neb., to purchase stock, the party crossed the plains and reached the new town of Bozeman on 2 Sept. 1866. At first they sold goods out of a tent but by November of that year they rented space in a two-story log cabin owned by the local Masonic order. They continued in business at that location under the name of Tuller and Rich Cash Store until Lester Willson arrived in the spring of 1867. He became the senior partner in the firm and, on the departure of Loren Tuller in the fall of 1867, the name of the firm was changed to "Willson and Rich." The firm built a new store in 1868 and yet another in 1883. The firm underwent a variety of name changes throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century, including the "L.S. Willson Company" and, after Lester Willson incorporated the business in 1893, the "Willson Company." Willson sold the business in 1914, and it was eventually absorbed by the Croff's Company of Sheridan, Wyo., in June 1949.

From the description of Willson Company collection, 1912-1951. (Montana State University Bozeman Library). WorldCat record id: 70962421

Merrill G. Burlingame was born in Boone, Iowa on March 13, 1901, the son of Nathan and Teresa Gildea Burlingame. He attended local schools prior to receiving his doctorate at the University of Iowa in 1936. In 1929 he joined the faculty of Montana State College (now Montana State University) and became chair of the history department in 1935. Burlingame's research interests were primarily concerned with Montana and the frontier west. His books include: The Montana Frontier, (1942); A History of Montana (with K. Ross Toole, 1956); A History of Montana State University (1968); John M. Bozeman, Montana Trailmaker (1971). Burlingame also contributed articles to Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Pacific Northwest Quarterly, and Montana: The Magazine of Western History . Along with Dr. Caroline McGill, Burlingame helped establish the Museum of the Rockies and was active in the Montana Historical Society, the Montana Institute of the Arts, the American Historical Society, the Christian Church, and the Masonic fraternity. He married Virginia Struble in 1936 and the couple had one son, Ray. Merrill Burlingame died in Bozeman, Montana on November 14, 1994.

From the guide to the Merrill G. Burlingame Papers, 1880-1990, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

Merrill G. Burlingame joined the faculty of Montana State College (now Montana State University) at Bozeman in 1929 and became chair of the history department in 1935. He actively began research into many local history topics in Gallatin County, including the Gallatin Valley Female Seminary. Mrs. Mary Crittenden Davidson, the former principal of the school, wrote Burlingame a letter on 19 Apr. 1934 giving her memories of the school based on her earlier reminiscence published in 1902. Later Burlingame interviewed Mary Lee Hunter Doane, whose sister, Lizzie Hunter Rich, had also attended the school. By combining the information from these two sources, Burlingame prepared this essay around 1934, although he preserved the first person voice of Mary Doane in parts of the work. In 1984 Burlingame completed his definitive essay on the seminary and cited only the 1934 Davidson letter as his source for the list of students.

From the description of Gallatin Valley Female Seminary, ca. 1934. (Montana State University Bozeman Library). WorldCat record id: 759579715

The Morrill Act of 1862 endowed the state of Montana with the ability to create land grant or agricultural colleges. On February 16, 1893, the Montana legislature passed an act creating the Agricultural College of the State of Montana. The university underwent an assortment on name changes over the first seventy years of its existence; First known as "Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts," it was later shortened to "Montana Agricultural College." In 1921 the institution was known as "Montana State College," and remained as its title until 1965 when the name was officially changed to "Montana State University." The University has observed the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th anniversaries of its founding by special events and the issuance of published histories of the institution.

From the guide to the Merrill G. Burlingame Research Files on MSU History, 1895-1968, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

Mary Hunter Doane was born in Missouri in 1859, the oldest of six children born to Dr. Andrew Jackson Hunter and his second wife, Susannah. In 1864, Hunter brought his family to Montana Territory where they lived briefly in Virginia City, Helena, and Bozeman. In 1870, Hunter staked a claim to land encompassing a hot spring near the Yellowstone River in present day Park County and there developed a health spa. Mary grew up in Bozeman and at Hunter's Hot Springs before she attended St. Vincent's Academy in Helena in 1876. On December 16, 1878, she married Lieutenant Gustavus Cheyney Doane and traveled with him to a wide variety of military posts in Montana, California, and Arizona prior to his death in 1894. Mary remained a widow for the rest of her life, living in Bozeman and becoming active in a number of historical organizations such as the Society of Montana Pioneers and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She gained a reputation as an "encyclopedia of Montana history" in her later years, and began a friendship with Professor Merrill G. Burlingame that lasted until her death in 1952. Burlingame both transcribed some of her writings and collected original documents from her.

From the guide to the Mary Hunter Doane Collection, 1881-1950, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

Historian, of Bozeman, Mont.

From the description of Clifton B. Worthen-James Fergus collection, 1884-1955. (Montana State University Bozeman Library). WorldCat record id: 154692499

Clifton Boyd Worthen was born in Lynden, Washington on January 30, 1899. He attended the University of Washington where he received a master's degree in 1928. Worthen moved to Montana where he taught history for 13 years at the Fergus County High School at Lewistown and for 26 years at Missoula County High School. While at Lewistown, Worthen came into possession of a number of original documents created or collected by James Fergus, a pioneer rancher and politician for whom the county was named. The documents had been deposited at the school after the Fergus ranch house had burned. Worthen used the documents in his own research and for teaching until he was contacted by Allis Stuart in the late 1930s who demanded the materials on behalf of Andrew Fergus's widow, Hazel. Even though Worthen gave Stuart most of the Fergus papers, he retained an undetermined amount himself until his death in 1963. In 1969, Worthen's widow, Gladys, turned over the balance to Merrill G. Burlingame for transfer to the Montana Historical Society.

James Fergus was born October 8, 1813 at Lanarkshire, Scotland. He immigrated to North America at the age of nineteen and lived for a time in Quebec, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota where he built and managed a number of mills and factories. In the 1860s, Fergus became interested in gold strikes occurring in the west and after a brief stay in Colorado, he joined the Fisk expedition to what would become Montana Territory in 1862. Fergus lived in Bannack, Virginia City and Helena where he prospected and held a number of minor governmental offices. With his son, Andrew, he ranched near Helena until 1880 when they bought land in the Judith Basin area and established one of the largest ranching operations in the territory. James Fergus was involved with the vigilante activity of 1884 in central Montana and served as a delegate to the constitutional convention of the same year. James Fergus died in 1902 and his son, Andrew, died in 1928. Shortly after a fire destroyed the family home Andrew's widow, Hazel, temporarily stored some of the salvaged family papers at the Fergus County High School where Clifton B. Worthen worked with them during the 1930s. Mrs. Granville Stuart, who had obtained work through the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration, contacted Hazel Fergus and arranged to sort and transcribe the family papers for the WPA. This work was carried out by both Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Fergus primarily in 1942. The transcripts only included the papers in Mrs. Fergus's possession and the ones retained by Worthen were overlooked. Merrill G. Burlingame, in 1943, worked with the administration of the WPA to assume ownership of the transcripts. Hazel Fergus eventually donated her original papers to the University of Montana at Missoula.

From the guide to the Clifton B. Worthen-James Fergus Collection, 1884-1955, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)