Typed and handwritten transcriptions of original Fergus family papers in the possession of Hazel Fergus and prepared by her and Mrs. Allis Stuart for the Federal Writer's Project of the Works Progress Administration. Most of the original papers from which these transcriptions were taken were subsequently donated to the University of Montana at Missoula. The letters transcribed here were done in rough chronological order, although occasionally documents of widely different dates were included in one transcription. Most include annotations from Hazel Fergus or Allis Stuart placing the letter in historical context. The letters mostly pertain to James Fergus and his early life in Minnesota, his trip to the gold fields of Montana Territory, his family's subsequent move to join him, and the establishment of their ranch in what would become Fergus County, Montana. Included with the transcriptions are several biographical sketches prepared by Hazel Fergus or Allis Stuart, and a file of letters collected by M. G. Burlingame which document the transcription activity and provenance of the original documents.