Archives, Manuscripts and Photographs Collections List

MS# COLLECTION TITLE

1 CASSILLY ADAMS COLLECTION, 1 ft., 1906-1961

Western genre and historical painter, Cassilly Adams (1843-1921), studied at the Boston Academy of Fine Arts. He is most noted for his painting Custer's Last Fight, completed during 1884-85. The collection includes correspondence, copies of U.S. government documents relating to Adams, genealogical records, inventories of the Cassilly Adams estate, and articles and newsclippings concerning his art.

3 CHARLES J. BELDEN COLLECTION, 19 ft., 1908-1966

Charles J. Belden (1887-1966) was a photographer who documented Wyoming ranch life in the early 1900s. From 1914 to 1940 he operated the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse. The collection is in two parts: a photographic section of nearly 2,000 images; and the manuscript section, consisting of scrapbooks, correspondence, research notes and personal memorabilia.

4 ANNE BLACK COLLECTION, 20 ft., 1891-1950

An amateur ethnologist, Anne Black collected materials on the Northern Cheyenne Indians. Included in these papers are the 1891-1910 superintendent's letter books of the Tongue River Agency, and recorded narratives, typed interviews, and photographs [access to some components of this collection is RESTRICTED].

6 WILLIAM F. CODY MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION, 140 ft., 1840-present

This collection is one of the largest in the library. It documents the life and activities of "Buffalo Bill" Cody, including his time as a Pony Express rider, Army scout, Indian fighter, showman, rancher, and developer. Included are correspondence, legal documents, Wild West show programs and route books, scrapbooks, publications, and memorabilia. Also included are materials dealing with Cody's family and information on the Cody Family Association. An important component of this collection includes the Buffalo Bill dime novels, comics and other pulp publications, over 4,000 items in all, and published in more than ten countries. Several hundred photographs in this collection have been accessioned but not yet indexed. Also present within this set of papers are subseries on Wild West performers Annie Oakley, Johnny Baker and Doc Carver.

7 GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER COLLECTION, 1 ft., 1876-1963

This collection contains various documents concerning the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Most prominent are two original reports of General Alfred H. Terry to General George Crook, the first official reports of the defeat of Custer at the Little Big Horn battlefield. Other documents in the collection include reminiscences of Wilmot Sanford on the battle, a letter from General E. S. Godfrey to E.S. Paxson about the battle, as well as a letter from William F. Cody to Elizabeth Custer regarding a statue of her husband.

9 NICK EGGENHOFER COLLECTION, 2 ft., c. 1924-1988

Some publisher's correspondence is present, but most of the collection is a documentation and listing of the wonderful and very popular Western historical illustrations and paintings of artist and author Nick Eggenhofer. Many photographs of his work are included , along with various biographical articles. Books and journals illustrated by Eggenhofer are present in this special collection.

12 FRANK TENNEY JOHNSON COLLECTION, 30 ft., 1872-1945

A renowned Western artist and illustrator, Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939) studied art in Milwaukee and New York before establishing a successful artist colony in Alhambra, California. This collection contains the best known primary resources concerning Johnson's life and works. Included are correspondence, sketch books, ledger books of art sales, diaries, scrapbooks, clippings, memorabilia, and over 6,000 photographic prints and negatives. A preliminary finding guide is available.

13 W.H.D. KOERNER STUDIO ARCHIVES, 36 ft., 1884-1938

William Henry David Koerner (1878-1938) was a prominent illustrator and artist of the American West. By the 1920s, he was one of the best known magazine and book illustrators in the country, with many of The Saturday Evening Post covers as examples of his work. This collection comes from his studio and includes correspondence, research articles, photographs, and a large collection of magazines and books containing Koerner illustrations.

14 IRVING H. "LARRY" LAROM COLLECTION, 84 ft., 1906-1981

Born in New York, Larry Larom was educated at the Lawrenceville School and Princeton University. Coming to Wyoming in 1906, Larom developed the Valley Ranch into one of the finest dude ranches in the West. He was also involved in wilderness and wildlife conservation, tourism, and the development of Wyoming. This collection contains personal and business correspondence, ranch records, papers showing Larom's involvement with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and other conservation groups, maps, and photographs.

16 VINCENT MERCALDO COLLECTION, 21 ft., 1850-1945

Vincent Mercaldo was a collector of Western imagery. He compiled a rich storehouse of photographs, articles, prints and drawings depicting Western people and subjects. The collection consists of over 2,000 prints and negatives of American Indians, Western explorers, lawmen and outlaws, and Buffalo Bill and the Wild West show. Also included are engravings from the Union Pacific Railroad Surveys 1853-1855, newsclippings and articles.

17 CHARLES RAPP COLLECTION, 1 ft., 1874-1878

Correspondence of Charles Rapp to Eva Shepard. In this set of 15 letters, written from various locations in Wyoming Territory, Mr. Rapp, of New York, discusses gold mining, women homesteaders on the frontier, Morman immigration, Shoshone and Sioux Indians, and a description of a visit to the Little Big Horn battlefield three days after the battle.

20 WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY ARCHIVES, 30 ft.

The archives of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. contain the original sales ledgers for firearms models (1866 - 1907), photographs of all Winchester firearms models, correspondence documenting the company's role in both World Wars, a large collection of domestic and foreign firearms catalogs, and several thousand engineering drawings. A portion of the collection contains the original patents for firearm technology purchased by Winchester. See also MS #63. Please note that only portions of this collection have been fully arranged and described.

22 JOSEPH HENRY SHARP COLLECTION, 12 ft., 1889-1982

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953) was an important Western painter and a founding member of the Taos artist colony. Sharp spent several years on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana recording on canvas scenes of Indian life. Much of the material in this collection consists of the research files of Forest Fenn, who wrote Sharp's biography, The Beat of the Drum and the Whoop of the Dance:A Study of the Life and Work of Joseph Henry Sharp, Santa Fe: Fenn Pub. Co., 1983. In addition to Fenn's working files, he also collected J.H. Sharp original papers from a wide variety of sources. Original Sharp manuscripts include correspondence, sales records, memorabilia, and several hundred original and copy photographs. The collection covers Sharp's years in Cincinnati, Montana, and Taos.

32 EDWARD BECKER COLLECTION, 1 ft., 1898

Edward Becker was the Indian Agent at Crow Agency, Montana in 1898. This collection contains a photograph album assembled by Becker with approximately 94 black and white images, depicting life and ceremony among the Crow Indians. The document from President McKinley naming Becker as Indian Agent is also present.

34 SCHUYLER, HARTLEY & GRAHAM PAPERS, 75 ft., 1868-1963

This collection consists of the correspondence, sales and shipping records, advertisements, and other business records from the Schuyler, Hartley & Graham Company, and his successor, H.K. White. The company was heavily involved in firearms and related goods traded from about 1850 - 1950. The personal papers of Henry K. White and E.C. Brearly are also present.

41 MARY JESTER ALLEN COLLECTION, 27 ft., 1910-1965

The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence and a wide range of files compiled by Mary Jester Allen, the first director of the Buffalo Bill Museum. These files document the building and growth of the first Buffalo Bill Museum, and contain artist files, and general correspondence from a wide variety of sources.

44 FIREARMS REPAIR MANUALS AND CATALOGS, 2 ft., 1926-1981

Parts and repair catalogs for firearms of most major American manufacturers of the mid-20th century. Includes the 1960 loose-leaf book by Shelly Braverman, The Firearms Handbook.

(Additional collection descriptions will be added in the near future.)