Henry Elwood papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of two subgroups: personal materials and research files.
Henry Elwood's personal files consist of biographical materials; general correspondence (1935-1992) concerning his research interests, his teaching career, and his military service; one court case (1947); income tax returns (1946-1957); teaching contracts (1937-1981) with Flathead County schools, Flathead Valley Community College, and the University of Montana; and miscellany, including World War II military service papers, sample teacher examinations, and tourist materials.
The research materials fall into two series: subject files on a wide variety of topics, predominantly having to do with the Flathead Valley, but also including statewide materials; and writings by Elwood, his junior high and high school students and others, including a few reminiscences and oral history interviews.
Dates
- Creation: 1860-1994
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Biographical Note:
John Henry Elwood was born in Outlook, Montana, on October 26, 1917, the son of Orlyn and Ethel Elwood. The family moved to Kalispell in 1922. Henry graduated from Flathead County High School in 1935 and received a teaching certificate from the Montana State Normal School in Dillon in 1937. He then began his teaching career in Flathead County, teaching at the Mountain View School for a year and then two years at the Evergreen School. He was hired by Central Junior High School in 1940 and by Flathead County High School in 1960. He retired in 1981. He had only two breaks in his 44-year teaching career. During World War II he served as a radio instructor in the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1955-1956 he was a Fulbright International Exchange teacher in England.
As a teacher he involved his students in the study of local history, a topic which increasingly interested him. He was the author of several books on the history of the Flathead Valley, including Kalispell, Montana, and the Upper Flathead Valley (1980, 1989), The Train Didn't Stay Long (1982), Somers, Montana, the Company Town (1976), Somers, Montana : Logs, Ties, Steamboats, and Families (1990), and Centennial at Epworth (1992). He also authored numerous historical articles.
Henry Elwood died in Kalispell on March 8, 1996.
Extent
1.5 linear feet
Abstract
Henry Elwood was a junior high and high school history teacher in Kalispell, Montana, from 1937 until the 1970s or 1980s. He authored several books on Flathead Valley history. These papers consist of two subgroups: personal files including general correspondence (1937-1992), legal records (1937-1981), tax records (1947-1957), and miscellany, including World War II military records; and research files, consisting of subject files on Flathead Valley and general Montana history, and writings by Elwood and others.
Arrangement
Arranged by subgroup and series.
Physical Location
15:5-3
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquisition information available upon request
Separated Materials
Photographs, maps, published materials, and artifacts transferred to Photograph Archives, Library and Museum respectively; two linear feet of clippings were transferred to the Central School Museum in Kalispell, Montana, in November 2001.
Geographic
- Demersville (Mont.)
- Flathead County (Mont.)
- Flathead County (Mont.) -- History
- Flathead Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Glacier National Park (Mont.)
- Kalispell (Mont.)
- Kalispell (Mont.) -- History
- Montana
- Somers (Mont.)
- Wild Horse Island (Mont.)
Occupation
Topical
- Capital punishment -- Montana
- Chinese Americans
- Chinese Americans -- Montana -- Kalispell
- Forest fires -- Montana
- Japanese Americans
- Japanese Americans -- Montana
- Journalism
- Journalism, High school -- Montana -- Kalispell
- Logging railroads -- Montana
- Theaters -- Montana -- Kalispell
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Service records
- Title
- Guide to the Henry Elwood papers 1860-1994
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 2001
- Date
- 2004
- 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