Horace L. Scott papers
Scope and Contents
Papers. 1910-1924. .5 linear foot. The collection consists of five series: Outgoing Correspondence, Incoming Correspondence, Miscellaneous Correspondence, Reports, and Miscellany. The Outgoing Correspondence (1910-1918; most of 1912 is missing) for the most part are letters Scott wrote to his parents in Brattleboro, Vermont, describing the Glacier National Park area--including Saint Mary, Babb, Fletcher, Browning, and Family, Montana--weather conditions, hunting trips, holiday and social activities, travel through Glacier Park, the early automobiles and how they fared on Montana's roads, daily meals, living conditions, and personal concerns. Although employed by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Reclamation Service, Scott rarely made mention of it in his letters. The remaining outgoing correspondence is composed of letters (1912-1915) from Scott to his sister, Minnie Ann Scott, a resident of Brattleboro, Vermont, and a single letter (1918) from Scott to a Captain Heath in Bozeman regarding Scott's applications for admission to an artillery training camp. The Incoming Correspondence (1918-1924) includes letters from the United States Indian Service, Blackfeet Agency supervisor regarding Scott's successful bid on the allotment of Steals-in-the-Daytime Stabs-by-Mistake; the chief engineer of the Chicago and North Western Railway Company answering Scott's inquiry about a job; a friend with the First Army, American Expeditionary Force during World War I; and letters of reference for Scott. The Miscellaneous Correspondence (1913) consists of a form letter from the general agent of the Great Northern Railway Company to Minnie Scott regarding publications about Glacier National Park, round trip rates, accommodations, touring the park, and many of the interesting points in the park. The collection also contains Reports (circa 1919, 1924, undated) prepared by Scott in his capacity as an engineer for the U.S. Reclamation Service, on the Blackfeet Project, Fisher Canal, the Four Horns Supply Canal, the Milk River Project, and the Two Medicine Canal. The Miscellany series contains employment applications (1910-1920) and a notebook (undated) with notes regarding parcels of land in or near the irrigation projects. Photographs were transferred to the Photograph Archives.
Dates
- Creation: 1910-1924
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection open for research. .
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Biographical / Historical
Horace L. Scott was born on April 15, 1885, in Brattleboro, Vermont, the son of Freeman and Lizzie Ann Adams Scott. Scott's sister Minnie was born in 1878. During the late summer or early fall of 1910, Scott came to Montana and quickly secured work with the United States Reclamation Service as a junior engineer. He served in this position until his promotion to assistant engineer in 1915. Scott's employment with the Reclamation Service continued until the mid-1920s. In writing to his parents, nearly one letter a week, Scott revealed a devotion to family and a keen interest in photography. An avid photographer, Scott was eclectic in his choice of subjects, ranging from Glacier National Park scenery, to horses, hunting, and automobiles. Developing many of these photographs himself, Scott sent examples to his parents and older sister. Scott returned to Vermont in either 1924 or 1925, where on February 12, 1925, he married Edith Marion Knight. Following his wedding, Scott went to work for the Sherman Construction Company at Bellow Falls, Vermont, as an engineer. Scott never returned to Montana. He died in the early 1970s.
Extent
.5 linear feet
Abstract
Horace Scott was a U.S. Reclamation Service employee in Montana involved in the planning and building of the St. Mary Canal and the Blackfeet Project during the 1910s. Collection consists of correspondence (1910-1918) concerning his life in Montana; reports (circa 1919) on the Blackfeet Project, Fisher Canal, Four Horns Supply Canal, the Milk River Project, and Two Medicine Canal; and miscellaneous materials, including a notebook with notes regarding parcels of land in or near the irrigation projects.
Arrangement
Arrangement by series. Some material housed in Archives Map Case. See inventory below for more information.
Physical Location
12:6-4
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquisition Information available upon request
Separated Materials
Maps separated to Library. Photos separated to Photo Archives. See inventory below for more information.
- Title
- Guide to the Horace L. Scott papers 1910-1924
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
- Date
- 1992
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives Repository
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT 59620-1201 United States
406-444-2681
406-444-2696 (Fax)
mhslibrary@mt.gov