Archives: Laura Lee Collection
Donor: Laura Lee
Accession Number: 02031701
Processor: Jon Ille
Access Restrictions on Use: See Below
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction: All publication rights are held by Little Big Horn College and use for publication must be approved by archivist. No publication of Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers Program without express permission of the Archivist and Librarian.
Preferred Citation of Materials: The Laura Lee Collection, Little Big Horn College Archives, Crow Agency, MT.
Physical Description:
Size: 6.5 Linear Feet
Scope: 1872-2019
Material: Crow Historical and Cultural Writings, Maps, Research Notes, Biographical Information, Magazine and Journal Articles, Newspapers, Photographs, and Correspondence.
Administrative Note:
The textual cultural/historical documents and maps reside in separate locations in the Archives storage area due to their different natures. The textual documents are located with the collections in the Archives, while the maps are stored with other similar materials on the top of range six in the storage.
The collection also reflects that it was processed through three donations.
Biographical Notes:
Minnie Reed Williams- Minnie Reed Williams served as an important figure in the history of the Crow reservation from approximately the early 1920s to her death in 1963. She was born in the early reservation period the child of white rancher and a Crow mother. She attended the early Crow boarding school and then the Carlisle Indian school before coming back to the reservation where she married and made a go at ranching. After the death of her husband, she lost her fee patented land near Custer and moved to Crow Agency.
Once in Crow Agency, Minnie proved instrumental in numerous activities. She founded the first Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in 1924 where she advocated for Crow children in the now integrated public school system. As the depression descended onto Crow Country, Minnie really began her broader advocacy. She organized the Crow Sewing Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1934 providing much needed financial assistance and clothing to Crow families.
The next year, Minnie founded the Crow Women’s Club that was connected to the Montana Federated Women’s Club. Through this organization Minnie lobbied for the needs of the Crow community, particularly women and children. They also became a strong political force within the tribal council.
In fact, Minnie served as Secretary of the Crow Tribal Council nine times in the 1930s, as well as serving as a tribal delegate to Washington DC. The Crow Women’s Club played a pivotal role in advocacy for the Crow community until it was disbanded in the late 1950s. She was a close ally of Robert Yellowtail beginning during his Superintendency and continuing through the Yellowtail Dam controversy.
Perhaps most important, Minnie wrote for the Montana Writers Project under the auspices of the WPA from 1939 to 1943, taking down stories from the old timers who had lived in the buffalo days. Minnie along with Max Big Man, George Washington Hogan, and others wrote numerous pieces for a forthcoming publication about Crow and Montana Indians.
Laura Lee, Minnie’s daughter, had many of these on their original onion skin. Sadly, and unlike many other Montana tribes, many of the Crow WPA papers are largely lost, except for these and a handful of others. Minnie’s originals give us an account of Crow history of the late pre-reservation period and early reservation period from a Crow perspective.
Minnie’s other papers that Laura inherited give us an incredible look into the PTA, Crow Women’s Club, Yellowtail Dam, and other issues that she advocated on from a female perspective. As we know, Crow politics is often male dominated and Minnie’s records give us a countervailing female perspective to most extant records. Minnie lived an incredible life and her papers provide unique insights and perspectives not available in the other collections in our Archives or at other institutions.
Laura Lee- Laura Lee was born to Minnie Reed Williams and Thomas Enchoff in 1924 at Crow Agency, MT. She spent most of her youth in Crow Agency and attended the local public school. Over the course of her professional life, Laura worked in a wide variety of jobs including as a ranch hand, coal miner, and was also a confectioner and real estate agent.
Eventually, Laura became a teacher and taught in wide range of schools that included teaching English for two years in Lima, Peru. She also worked at the University of Montana and received a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Eastern New Mexico State University.
In her later years, Laura spent a great deal of her time researching the life of her mother and the Crow people. These years of research culminated in the book From Travois Brat to Gentle Advocate in 2018. Laura passed away at the age of ninety-six on December 27, 2020.
Provenance:
Minnie Williams produced the textual materials in the Laura Lee Collection during her tenure as an employee of the Federal Writers Project (see below.) The collection currently holds copies typed and in some instances edited by Laura Lee. The maps in the collection belonged to either Minnie Williams or Laura Lee. All of the material resided with Laura Lee prior to their donation to Little Big Horn College in 2017 or after her death in 2020.
Note Regarding Material: Some of the textual materials in the Laura Lee Collection are from the Federal Writers Project that functioned as part of the Works Progress Administration during the New Deal era in American politics from the 1930s and early 1940s. The Federal Writers Project compiled information on wide range of topics pertaining to the lives of American people. Most notably, the Federal Writers Project compiled histories and stories from marginalized communities in the United States such as African Americans who had lived under slavery in the American South or Native Americans in the American West. Minnie Williams compiled and wrote many of the stories in the collection about the Crow community from 1941 to 1943. While many Native communities hold a wide variety cultural and historical material produced by the Federal Writers Project, the Laura Lee Collection is one of the only extant Crow holdings known to exist.
Series 1- Series one of the Laura Lee Collection includes materials collected and produced by Laura Lee and Minnie Reed Williams. These include some of the WPA materials that Lee retyped and donated to LBHC in 2017. There are materials related to Crow Indian Federated Women’s Club and the Crow Agency Parent Teacher’s Association. The series also holds family records, correspondence, general American history and Native American history topics, along with Crow history and cultural materials. There are also photos and maps dating to 1905 included in the series.
Box 1
Folder 1- “Why the Buffalo Neck Fat is bot Used”
Folder 2- “How Backfat Saved an Absaroka Couple”
Folder 3- “Buffalo History”
Folder 4- “Why the Lynx Cat Has a Stubby Tail with a Black End”
Folder 5- “Why Old Man Coyote Gave the Skunk an Odor”
Folder 6- “Why Old Man Coyote Gave the Skunk Person His Odor”
Folder 7- “Crow Cattle History, Pts. 1 and 2”
Folder 8- “Old Man Coyote and the Prairie Dogs”
Folder 9- “The Catholic Religion for the Absarokas”
Folder 10- “Absaroka Ghost Stories”
Folder 11- “How and Why the Ruffled Grouse Drums”
Folder 12- “Beginning of Civilization of the Absarokas”
Folder 13- “Treaty of 1880”
Folder 14- “Livestock Industry, Early History”
Folder 15- “The Healing Power of the Medicine Pipe”
Folder 16- “Food at St. Xavier Boarding School”
Folder 17- “The Buffalo Ghost Story”
Folder 18- “Why the Antelope Has Strange Stripes and Marking”
Folder 19- “How Eagles Were Caught”
Folder 20- “How Winter and Summer Came About”
Folder 21- “How the World Began”
Folder 22- “Why Some Birds Like to Eat Meat”
Folder 23- “The Animal That Became a Social Outcast: How it Became that Way”
Folder 24- “The Author; Minnie Williams”
Folder 25- “Absaroka” (Contains Crow Words and Plains Indian Sign Language)
Folder 26- References to Minnie Reed Williams in Charles Bradley After the Buffalo Days
Folder 27-Crow Reservation Agriculture, 1900-1932 (Handwritten)
Folder 28- Crow Language, Caitlin Research
Folder 29- White Swan, Minnie Reed Williams WPA Writers Project Submission
Folder 30- Health Conditions on Crow Reservation, ND
Folder 31- Absaroka
Folder 32- Laura Lee Biography
Folder 33- Advertisement, Laura Lee, Native American Storytelling
Folder 34- Inventory, Minnie Williams, WPA Writers Project Submissions, 1941-1943
Folder 35- Letter Regarding Crow Family Plan
Folder 36- Contrary Warriors, Pamphlet
Folder 37- Allan Bourne to Laura Lee, 1989
Folder 38- Research File, Owen B. Williams
Folder 39- Research Notes, Laura Lee
Folder 40- Newspaper Articles Regarding Crow Indians
Folder 41- Photographs, Crow Reservation
Folder 42- Letters, Medicine Wheel, 1984
Folder 43- WPA Submission, “The Crow Indians in Buffalo Times”
Folder 44- References to Minnie Reed Williams in Charles Bradley’s After the Buffalo Days
Box 2
Folder 45- White Swan, Custer’s Scout, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 46- Crow Treaties with U.S. Government (Annotated with Handwritten Notes)
Folder 47- Newspaper Articles with Crow and Native Focus
Folder 48- Photos, Laura Lee
Folder 49- Scrapbook, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 50- Book Chapter, “The Story of Fort Pease”
Folder 51- Historical Crow Photos; Obituary George Washington Hogan
Folder 52- Autobiography, Laura Lee, Selected Chapters
Folder 53- Fort Shaw Indian School, Focus on Minnie Reed Williams Experience
Folder 54- The Montana Industrial School For Indians, Bond’s Mission
Folder 55- Photograph, Fort Shaw Indian School, ND
Folder 56- Early Schooling on the Crow Reservation
Folder 57- Haskell and Hampton Institute
Folder 58- Chemawa Indian School
Folder 59- “Education and Civilization of the Absaroka”
Box 3
Folder 60- “How Colors Were Made and Used For Decorations and Drawings”
Folder 61- Carlisle Indian School
Folder 62- Historical and Familial Notes, Laura Lee
Folder 63- “The Crow Indian Reservation Problem,” Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 64- Allotment and Probate Records, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 65- Crow History Timeline, Focus on Minnie Reed Williams Activities
Folder 66- Katie Reed Estate, Minnie Reed Williams Sister
Folder 67- Records of Minnie Reed Williams, Carlisle Indian School
Folder 68- Proposal For Education in the Crow Language, 1873
Folder 69- Crow Indian Boarding School
Folder 70- General Crow Educational History Notes, Laura Lee
Folder 71- Elizabeth Lochrie (Artist)
Folder 72- Genealogy and Family History, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 73- Catalog, Carlisle Indian School, 1912
Folder 74- Crow Tribal Problems and Historical Notes, Laura Lee
Folder 75- Historical Maps of Indian Reservations and American West, Photocopies
Folder 76- Fort Pease
Folder 77- Schedule Eagle Rock to Fort Pease, 1876
Folder 78- Fort Berthold
Folder 79- Minnie Reed Williams, Land Records
Folder 80- Indian Land Consolidation Act, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 81- Plenty Coups, Statement on the Crow Claim, 1931
Folder 82, Minnie Reed Williams Actions on the Yellowtail Dam, 1950-1962
Folder 83- Char-Koots, Publication on Flathead Reservation
Folder 84- Crow Census with Owen B. Wilson Mentioned, 1892
Folder 85- Crow Agency Town, Land Lots
Folder 86- Natural Resources, Natural Resources Crow Reservation and Montana, 1950s-1970s
Folder 87- Conflicts and Successes on the Crow Reservation, 1950s to Early 1960s
Folder 88- Conflicts and Successes on the Crow Reservation, 1950s to Early 1960s, 2
Box 4
Folder 89- Richard Henry Pratt, 1 (See Carlisle Indian School File)
Folder 90- Richard Henry Pratt, 2 (See Carlisle Indian School File)
Folder 91- Fort Parker
Folder 92- Frank Reed
Folder 93- Correspondence, General, Crow Tribe, 1957
Folder 94- Crow Clan System
Folder 95- Buffalo Skin Lodges, 1700s and 1800s
Folder 96- Works Project Administration, Crow Sewing Project
Folder 97- To the Republican Candidates and the Crow Tribe, 1946
Folder 98- Minnie Reed Williams, Heirship Claim, 1934
Folder 99- “Half Caste” Early Biography of Minnie Reed Williams, Laura Lee
Folder 100- Citizenship For Indians
Folder 101- Laura Lee, Historical Posterboard
Folder 102- Biographical Notes, Frank Yarlott and Max Big Man
Folder 103- Dates For Minnie Reed Williams as Tribal Secretary
Folder 104- Gros Ventre
Folder 105- Hunting and Fishing Regulations on the Crow Reservation, 1922
Folder 106- Historical Timeline, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 107- Law and Order, Pre and Post Reservation
Folder 108- Past, Present, and Future of Crow Women, No Author
Folder 109- Partial Story, Crow Council 1890, Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 110- Caitlin Museum and Bibliography
Folder 111- Indian Homemakers
Folder 112- Research Notes, Buffalo
Folder 113- Changes of Tribal Affiliation
Folder 114- “The Early Crow History” by Minnie Reed Williams, ND
Folder 115- Postcard to Minnie Reed Williams Regarding St. Xavier Boarding School
Folder 116- Notice in Carlisle Newsletter of Minnie Reed Williams Marriage
Folder 117- Laura Lee, General Research, Crow and Family
Folder 118- Plan of Operation of the Crow Tribal Scholarship Program
Box 5
Folder 119- Minnie Reed Williams Correspondence With Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1947
Folder 120- Historical Events of the Crow Tribe, 1860s-1930s
Folder 121- Newspaper Article on Crow Delegation to Washington DC Against Yellowtail Dam, 1948
Folder 122- Telegraph Lines in Montana
Folder 123- Max Big Man, 1
Folder 124- Max Big Man, 2
Folder 125- Pretty Shield
Folder 126- Record Group 75, NARA, Information
Folder 127- Crow Delegation, 1947
Folder 128- “Crow Delegates Seek Equal Rights for the Redskin,” 1946
Folder 129- Letter to Laura Lee Regarding Carlisle Indian School, 2010
Folder 130- Assistant Commission of Indian Affairs to Bear Don’t Walk, 1910 (Regarding Crow Fair)
Folder 131- Obituaries, Crows and Early Settlers
Folder 132- Plains Indian Sign Language
Folder 133- Crow Tipis
Folder 134- Story About Minnie Reed Williams by Laura Lee
Folder 135- Minnie Reed Williams Crow Family, Pre-reservation
Folder 136- “Great Indian Power Grab,” New Republic, Jan. 1982
Folder 137- 1890 Crow Census With Reed Family
Folder 138- Article, “A Crow Is Honored,” About Joy Toineeta
Folder 139- Articles About Barney Old Coyote
Folder 140- Laura Lee Writings About Laura Lee
Folder 141- Supper with a Crow Indian Family
Folder 142- Newspaper Article About Laura Lee in Daily Courier, Prescott, AZ, 2007
Folder 143- Article on Crow Coal Mining, 1975 and Crow Water Rights, 2010
Folder 144- Article About Stella White Wolf, Minnie Reed Williams Adoptive Sister
Folder 145- Health on the Crow Reservation
Folder 146- Photos with Descriptions of Spang Family
Folder 147- Patent, Minnie Reed Williams, Prosecution Wash Tub, 1918
Folder 148- Pioneer Stories
Folder 149- Skeletal Chart of Crow Chronology, Charles Bradley, 1968
Folder 150- Chart of Crow Education, Pre Carlisle
Folder 151- Family Politics Among the Reed Family
Folder 152- Laura Lee’s Script for Giving Indian Names
Folder 153- Local and Regional Historical Notes by Laura Lee
Folder 154- Checklist of Books by Montanans or About Montana, 1957
Folder 155- Articles About Crows in Intertribal Warfare
Folder 156- The Crow Reservation, Rosebud Agency, 1875-1884
Folder 157- Beginning Section of Trade to Trappers by Laura Lee
Box 6
Folder 158- Partial Bibliography of Crow Publications
Folder 159- Rest Stops U.S.A.
Folder 160- Article, Billings Artist Sketched Indian Chief
Folder 161- The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center Prospectus, 1996
Folder 162- Article, Crow War Cry, 1889
Folder 163- Crow Boys Are Found Guilty, ND
Folder 164- Montana State Eighth Grade Examination Question, Reading Comprehension, 1935
Folder 165- “Archaeolinguistic and Paleoethnography of Ancient Rock Structures in the Western United States”
Folder 166- Fur Trappers and Fur Trade
Folder 167- Hudson’s Bay Company and General Canadian History
Folder 168- Article on Garrison Dam, 1947
Folder 169- Utah History, Focus on Buffalo Soldiers in the State
Folder 170- Fort Union
Folder 171- Welcome to Big Horn County “Custer Country,” 1984
Folder 172- The Montana-Wyoming Indian, The Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1965
Folder 173- Alma Snell
Folder 174- Fort Owen and Fort Belknap
Folder 175- Kin and Heirs to Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 176- Federation of Women’s Clubs, 1
Folder 177- Federation of Women’s Clubs, 2
Folder 178- Photos Federated Women’s Clubs
Folder 179- Plenty Coups to The Crow Federated Women’s Club
Folder 180- Historical Crow Photos
Folder 181- Crow Indian Baptist Missions
Folder 182- Letter to Minnie Reed Williams Regarding Peyote, 1920
Folder 183- Leases and Land Sales, Big Man Family, 1945-1972
Box 7
Folder 184- Historical Notes, Crow, Laura Lee
Folder 185- Article on Crows Along the Yellowstone
Folder 186- Article, Richard Throssell
Folder 187- Notebook, Takes the Shield, 1846
Folder 188- Miscellaneous, Crow History
Folder 189- Newspaper Articles Regarding Crow Claim and Yellowtail Dam, 1961-1962
Folder 190- Crow Fair
Folder 191- Crow Agency Hotel
Folder 192- Photographs of Crow Indians with Descriptions
Folder 193- Hardin Herald, Articles on Coal and Oil on the Crow Reservation
Folder 194- Partial “Early Travels of Maximillian, 1832-1834”
Folder 195- “Liberty for the Indian,” Robert Yellowtail
Folder 196- “Autocracy, Despotism, Absolutism, and Tyranny in the Administration of Indian Affairs,” by Joe Garry
Folder 197- Map, Crow Indian Reservation, 1939
Folder 198- The Crow Indian Tribal Prayer, Anti Robert Yellowtail
Folder 199- Petition, Robert Yellowtail, 1934
Folder 200- Burgess Memorial Church, 50th Anniversary Service
Folder 201- “The Crow People,” Dale K. McGinnis and Floyd W. Sharrock
Folder 202- Crow Tribal Centennial Issue, 1868-1968
Folder 203- Relinquished Allotments, Western Ceded Strip, 1891-1906
Folder 204- Robert Yellowtail, General
Folder 205- List of Problems on the Crow Reservation Early Twentieth Century
Folder 206- Partial, Charles’ Bradley Master’s Thesis with Laura Lee’s Notes
Folder 207- Complete, Charles Bradley’s Master’s Thesis With Laura Lee’s Notes
Folder 208- Crow Agency Sites
Folder 209- “A Battle at the Little Big Horn: Being An Account of the Crow Outbreak of 1887,” The English Society of Westerners
Folder 210- M.P Wyman to Thomas Jefferson Morgan, Nov. 22nd, 1891 (Regarding Crow Marriage Practices)
Folder 211- Tobacco Society
Box 8
Folder 212- Articles on Robert Yellowtail
Folder 213- Yellowtail Dam
Folder 214- Missionary Schools on the Crow Reservation
Folder 215- Structure of Crow Tribal Government, 1948 Constitution
Folder 216- Early Water Rights on the Crow Reservation, 1918-1935
Folder 217- Newspaper Article, “English Speaking Crows Meet to Discuss Problems,” 1943
Folder 218- Absarokee Agency
Folder 219- Pretty Eagle
Folder 220- Clan Affiliation of Crow Chiefs
Folder 221- Crow Indian Agency, Notes
Folder 222- Article on Max Big Man
Folder 223- Plenty Coups
Folder 224- Crow Agency Boarding School
Folder 225- Crow Indian Education, Historical
Folder 226- Heirship Interests, Katie Reed
Folder 227- Newspaper Articles on Native Americans
Folder 228- Newspaper Article on Hardin, MT
Folder 229- Newspaper Articles, Yellowtail Dam
Folder 230- Historical Health Data, Crow Reservation, 1930s-1940s
Folder 231- H.R. 6508, Mineral Rights on the Crow Reservation, 1959
Folder 232- “Indians As Citizens,” Felix Cohen
Folder 233- Crow Tribal Ordinance Regarding Enrollment, 1953
Folder 234- Constitution and By Laws of the Crow Tribal Council
Folder 235- Crow Photographs with Descriptions and Dates
Folder 236- Laura Lee’s Bibliography of Crow Publications
Folder 237- Has No Place
Folder 238- Historical Events, Crow Tribe, 1875-1915
Folder 239- Fort Parker
Folder 240- Fort Parker, 2
Folder 241- Wife Stealing
Folder 242- Various Crow Tribal History Articles and Documents
Folder 243- Nellie Reed
Folder 244- Buffalo
Folder 245- Notecards on Various Native American Subjects
Folder 246- George F. “Crow” Davis
Folder 247- Heirship Report, Takes Things First, (Gros Ventre)
Folder 248- Elk Tooth Dresses
Folder 249- Laura Lee’s Communications with Becky Matthews
Folder 250- Tobacco, Peace Pipes, and Indians, 1971
Folder 251- Owen B. Williams
Folder 252- “Indians Resent Borders,” Billings Gazette
Folder 253- Indian Probate Records
Folder 254- Editorial, Harding Herald Regarding Crow Audit
Folder 255- Letter From Carl Venne to Crow Tribal Members, 2004
Folder 256- Program, Institute on Indian Affairs in Montana, 1955
Box 9
Folder 257- Article on St. Xavier Mission, 1888
Folder 258- Article, Civilian Conservation Corps, Indian Division
Folder 259- Indian Land for Sale, Flier, 1911
Folder 260- Laura Lee, Reminiscences on Childhood
Folder 261- Sheridan Inn, Sheridan, Wyoming
Folder 262- Minnie Reed Williams Communication With Patricio O’Connell, 1957
Folder 263- Garoutte Family, Miscellaneous Records
Folder 264- Notes, Minnie Reed Williams, post-1920
Folder 265- Laura Enchoff and James Garoutte
Folder 266- Billings Gazette Article on Fort Custer, 1927
Folder 267- Katie Reed to Minnie Reed
Folder 268- Delia Reed to Minnie Reed, 1897
Folder 269- Gerald Elmer Williams
Folder 270- Thomas Sloan to Minnie Reed Williams, ND
Folder 271- List of Laura Lee Files
Folder 272- Article, Crow Women Seek Role in Reservation Politics
Folder 273- Miscellaneous, Federated Women’s Clubs
Folder 274- Prayer For Club Women
Folder 275- Minnie Reed Williams, Political Notes
Folder 276- Crow Women’s Club, 1978
Folder 277- Crow Parent Teacher Association
Folder 278- History of Federated Women’s Clubs
Folder 279- Crow Women in WWII
Folder 280- Education Department, “Let’s Talk About Indians” Federated Women’s Clubs
Folder 281- Women’s National Indian Association
Folder 282- Billings Women’s Club, 75th Anniversary, 1976
Folder 283- Timeline, Crow Indian Federated Women’s Club
Folder 284- Resolutions, Crow Indian Federated Women’s Club, 1950
Folder 285- Minutes, Federated Crow Indian Women’s Club, April 20, 1950
Folder 286- Correspondence, Crow Federated Women’s Club, 1952-1957
Folder 287- John Collier to Minnie Reed Williams, 1939
Folder 288- “Indian Welfare” by Minnie Reed Williams, The Montana Woman, Nov., 1948
Folder 289- “What Do You Know About the Indian,” 1962
Folder 290- Constitution and By Laws of the Crow Indian Federated Women’s Club
Folder 291- Notes of Laura Lee’s on Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 292- Magruder Murder Trial, 1863
Folder 293- Tools and Weapons of Plains Indians
Folder 294- Peyote
Folder 295- Laura Lee’s Notes on Women’s History
Folder 296- Chronology of Minnie Reed Williams Activities, 1928-1956
Folder 297- Ed Reed, Nellie Reed’s Third Husband
Folder 298- History of Montana Roman Catholic Missions
Folder 299- Gerald E. Williams, Article About His Bear
Folder 300- Laura Lee, Personal Photos
Folder 301- Laura Lee, Universal Life Ministry
Folder 302- Laura Lee, Marital Records
Folder 303- Laura Lee’s Autobiography
Folder 304- Garroutte Family
Folder 305- Robert Garroutte, Personal, (Restricted)
Folder 306- Western State’s Pow Wow, Participant Packet, 2001
Box 10
Folder 307- Minnie Reed Williams Frybread Recipe
Folder 308- Minnie Reed Williams Political Activities, 1926-1962
Folder 309- Minnie Reed at Fort Benton circa 1880s
Folder 310- Newspaper Articles Related to Montana Indians
Folder 311- Indian Census Records Related to Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 312- Student Record, Minnie Reed Williams, Carlisle Indian School
Folder 313- Fort Parker
Folder 314- Family Obituaries
Folder 315- Personal Records of Minnie Reed Williams
Folder 316- Minnie Reed Williams Obituary, 1962
Folder 317- Minnie Reed Williams, Tribal Secretary
Folder 318- Owen B. Williams
Folder 319- Minnie Reed Williams, Probate Records
Folder 320- Historical Records Related to Family History
Folder 321- Minnie Reed Williams Legal Records
Folder 322- Minnie Reed Williams Genealogical Records
Folder 323- Minnie Reed Williams vs. Owen B Williams (Divorce Decree)
Folder 324- Letter to Minnie Reed Williams Regarding Allotment, 1933
Folder 325- Family and Location Photographs with Detailed Descriptions
Folder 326- “A Brief History of the Indians of Montana for the Elementary Student”
Folder 327- Mission Schools
Folder 328- Notes on Religious Expansion in the American West
Folder 329- Jesuit Priests and Ursuline Nuns
Folder 330- Notes on Native American History
Folder 331- Intermarriage Between Whites and Indians
Folder 332- Telephone Almanac, 1941
Folder 333- Photographs and Newspaper Articles on Billings, Montana
Folder 334- Early Map of Crow Agency
Folder 335- Laura Lee Research Notes
Folder 336- Yellowstone County (Includes Minnie Reed Williams Allotment Records Near Custer)
Folder 337- Billings/Huntley Railroads
Folder 338- Railroads Northern and Union Pacific
Folder 339- Overland Trails
Folder 340- Water Transportation, Montana and the American West
Folder 341- 1984 Miles City Visitors Guide
Folder 342- Custer County
Folder 343- Pompey’s Pillar
Folder 344- Lodge Grass History, 1900-1914
Folder 345- Problems With Liquor on Indian Reservations
Folder 346- Health Care Issues, Indian Reservations, 1930s to 1950s
Folder 347- Johnson-O’Malley Act
Folder 348- Minutes, Crow Health Board, 1957
Box 11
Folder 349- Fort Musselshell
Folder 350- Bannock, Montana
Folder 351- Fort Custer
Folder 352- Junction City
Folder 353- Fort Owen
Folder 354- Custer Battlefield
Folder 355- Crow History Notes, 1850s-1930s
Folder 356- Eastern Montana Geography
Folder 357- General Fur Trade Information With Notes
Folder 358- Westward Expansion, 1773-1838
Folder 359- Montana Territory
Folder 360- Yogo Sapphire Mining
Folder 361- Dillon, Beaverhead County
Folder 362- Hardin, Big Horn County
Folder 363- Custer Monument
Folder 364- Fort Custer
Folder 365- Western Forts, General
Folder 366- Pryor, Montana
Folder 367- Education in Montana Territory
Folder 368- Racism Against Mixed Blood Indians in Montana
Folder 369- General Montana History Notes
Folder 370- Overland Trails, General
Folder 371- The Bannock Indian Trail
Folder 372- Green River Trail
Folder 373- Bozeman Trail
Folder 374- Bond’s Indian School
Folder 375- Newspaper Articles on Boarding Schools
Folder 376- Southwestern Indian History
Series Two
This series includes Minnie Reed Williams writing from the Works Progress Administration Federal Writers Project from 1941-1943. There are onion skin typed pieces along with handwritten selections. Many of the handwritten cultural and historical selections were not typed up and submitted to the Federal Writers Project. The series also includes Reed Williams contract and timesheets for the Federal Writers Project.
Box 12
Folder 1- When the Crows Moved Camp
Folder 2- Officials and Leaders of the Absaroka
Folder 3- When the Absaroka Hunters Brought Meat to Camp
Folder 4- Absaroka Foods
Folder 5- The Greatest Animal Race
Folder 6- Lodges
Folder 7- Gathering the Wild Rose Bush Berries
Folder 8- Long Ago Habits and Customs of the Absaroka
Folder 9- The Women Worked
Folder 10- Religion
Folder 11- Marriage and Courtship of Early Days
Folder 12- Absaroka Women of Long Ago Days
Folder 13- Grizzly Bear Story
Folder 14- Old Many Coyote Marries the Cyclone Woman
Folder 15- The Crow Tribe in the Years of 1879 and 1880
Folder 16- Old Man Coyote Loses His Dignity
Folder 17- The Greatest of Races
Folder 18- The Red Woman and Why the Soil Around the Big Horn and Black Canyon is Red
Folder 19- Spotted Feathered Arrows, Cheyenne Indian
Folder 20- The Absaroka Traditions and Histories
Folder 21- The Reason Why the Aged Absaroka People Have Weak Eyes
Folder 22- The Lost Absaroka Warriors
Folder 23- War Stories of the Absaroka
Folder 24- What the Pursing Absaroka Found
Folder 25- The Second Crow Treaty
Folder 26- Greeting the Return of a Successful War Party
Folder 27- The Buffalo
Folder 28- Winter or Short Hunts for Buffalo
Folder 29- How the Flathead Started Their Buffalo Herd
Folder 30- The Mean Son and Lodge Pole Boy
Folder 31- Montana Buffalo History
Folder 32- Crow Tribal Buffalo Herd
Folder 33- Why All the Buffalo Have Black Tongues
Folder 34- Absaroka Games of Long Ago
Folder 35- Games Played by Absaroka Women
Folder 36- Why the Buffalo Neck Fat Is Not Used and the Reason for the Hump
Folder 37- Some Uses of Buffalo Hides
Folder 38- Why the Lynx Cat Has a Stubby Tail with a Black End
Folder 39- Why Old Man Coyote Gave the Skunk Person His Odor
Folder 40- The Absaroka Move to Their Present Home
Folder 41- How and Why the Ruffed Grouse Drums
Folder 42- Beginning of the Civilization of the Absaroka
Folder 43- Crow Treaty of 1880
Folder 44- Crow Cattle History
Folder 45- Utensils Used Long Ago
Folder 46- The Absaroka Artisans of Early Times
Folder 47- The First Absaroka Scouts Hired by the United States Army
Folder 48- Old Man Coyote Makes the People Believe He Is a Doctor
Folder 49- Why Rabbits Have Fat on Their Backs and Between Their Tails
Folder 50- The Two Buffalo Bulls
Folder 51- Why Certain Ducks Have Red Eyes, A Crow Legend
Folder 52- How the Lost Buffalo Was Found, A Crow Legend
Folder 53- The First Meeting
Folder 54- Why the Deer Has no Gall; The Antelope No Dew Claws, A Crow Legend
Folder 55- Another Legend About the First Meeting
Folder 56- The Absaroka Warrior
Folder 57- The Last Crow Chieftan, The Grand Old Man Plenty Coos
Folder 58- Table Humor
Folder 59- Crow Lands Past and Present
Folder 60- Serviceman’s Almanac, Crow Materials, 1942
Box 13 (Handwritten Materials Included)
Folder 61- White Swan: The Indian Scout Who Remained with Custer
Folder 62- Work Contract for the Crow Tribe
Folder 63- Salute to the Red Man
Folder 64- The Crow Indians In Buffalo Times
Folder 65- Absaroka Tribe, (Partial)
Folder 66- The Picture Drawn Of White Swan of the Custer Battle
Folder 67- Creation
Folder 68- Montana Buffalo History
Folder 69- How the Rabbit Lost It’s Beautiful Tail
Folder 70- Buffalo Skin Tipis
Folder 71- How Backfat Saved A Crow Indian Couple
Folder 72- The Two Buffalo Bulls
Folder 73- Why Rabbits Have Fat on their Backs and Hind Tails
Folder 74- Blackstone: An Indian Story
Folder 75- Why the Deer Has No Gall, The Antelope No Dew Claws
Folder 76- The First Mating
Folder 77- Why Certain Ducks Have Red Eyes
Folder 78- The Last Crow Chieftain, The Grand Old Man, Plenty Coos
Folder 79- Long Ago Habits and Customs of the Absarokas
Folder 80- The Women Worked
Folder 81- Marriage and Courtship of Early Days
Folder 82- The Absaroka Foods
Folder 83- Gathering the Wild Rose Bush Berries
Folder 84- Grizzly Bear Stories
Folder 85- Old Man Coyote Loses His Dignity
Folder 86- Old Man Coyote Marries the Cyclone Woman
Folder 87- The First Absaroka Scouts Hired by the United States Army
Folder 88- Old Man Coyote Makes the People Believe He Is a Doctor
Folder 89- Serviceman’s Almanac
Folder 90- The First Maker
Folder 91- How Absarokas Acquired the Buffalo
Folder 92- The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868
Folder 93- The Crow Families and Community Life
Folder 94- The Lucky Blackfeet
Folder 95- The Absaroka Sun Dance of the Long Ago Days
Folder 96- Old Woman’s Grandchild
Folder 97- The Indian Emancipation Bill
Folder 98- Smoke Signals for All Tribes to Be Alert
Folder 99- Blackstone: An Indian Legend
Folder 100- The Absaroka Warrior
Folder 101- Story About Pretty Shield
Folder 102- Absaroka War Stories
Folder 103- The First Maker
Folder 104- Story of Creation
Folder 105- Past, Present, and Future of Crow Indian Women
Folder 106- Letter to John B. Hart
Folder 107- The White Pressure and Influence
Folder 108- Life In These United States
Folder 109- A Story Told by Chief Lump on Forehead
Folder 110- Absarokas During the Buffalo Times
Folder 111- The Clans of the Crow Indians
Folder 112- The Crow Indians
Folder 113- Absaroka Foods
Folder 114- The White Pressure
Folder 115- The Stampeding Buffalo Herd
Folder 116- The Last Absaroka Warriors
Folder 117- The Absaroka Revolt
Folder 118- The Absaroka Warrior, WWII
Folder 119- Partial and Unfinished Materials
Folder 120- Serviceman’s Almanac, 1942
Folder 121- WPA Writers Program, Assignment and Timesheet, 1941-1942
Folder 122- Contract, Works Project Administration, Minnie Reed Williams, 1942
Folder 123- Inventory, Works Project Administration, 1938-1942
Folder 124- WPA, Writers Project, Lists Produced by Laura Lee
Folder 125- Article, WPA Writers Project
Maps:
Map 1- Map of Crow Reservation (Includes locations of Lee’s relatives’ homes on the reservation)
Map 2- Montana State Map, 1938
Map 3- Big Horn, Yellowstone, and part of Rosebud Counties Map, (circa 1930)
Map 4- Cultural Map of Native Languages of North America, from National Geographic
Map 5- Cultural Map of Native Languages of North America, from National Geographic (Copy)
Map 6- Map of Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota
Map 7- Map of Crow Reservation with Range, Township, and Section
Map 8- Map of Rocky Boys Reservation