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Collection 2354 - Robin MacNab Papers, 1944-1985

Creator: MacNab, Robin, 1915-1985

Provenance Note: Personal and professional papers created or collected by Robin MacNab were donated by Duncan MacNab of Bozeman, Montana to Special Collections on December 12, 1996.

Historical Note: Robin MacNab was born in Portland, Oregon on July 8, 1915. His parents, Robert B. and Melita Roberts MacNab moved to Missoula, Montana when he was in grade school. MacNab attended Shattuck Military School in Fairbault, Minnesota from 1928 to 1932 and received a B.A. in Home Economics emphasizing Hotel Management from Cornell University in 1936. He returned to Montana to manage the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman until 1957. During World War II, MacNab was stationed at Wildwood Naval Air Station in New Jersey. In 1946, he acquired the Edgar Paxon painting entitled "The Death of John Bozeman" which encouraged him to write his own history of John Bozeman. An avid bridge player, MacNab was a member of the World Bridge Federation for ten years, holding the office of president of the WBF in 1965, and served on the board of directors of the American Contract Bridge association for 27 years. In the 1950s, MacNab channeled his interest in national and local politics into a KBMN talk radio program. MacNab was a prolific writer. He wrote both fiction and non-fiction pieces as well as recording his bridge, fishing and life experiences. As far as can be determined, his works were never published. MacNab died in Bozeman, Montana in March 1985.

Content Description Note: The Robin MacNab papers have been organized according to document type. Series 1 contains MacNab's correspondence and refers to his historical research, his civic activities, his talk radio program and his personal life. Of particular interest is the correspondence with William Edgar Paxon (E.S. Paxon's son) and the historians Dan Thrapp and Merrill G. Burlingame. Series 2, MacNab's literary manuscripts, is arranged according to genre and reflects his interests in nineteenth century Montana history, John Bozeman, bridge, fishing and his personal life. MacNab's history, "Execution at Cady Coulee" is found in four drafts. MacNab was most interested in delving into the conflicting accounts of who shot John Bozeman. Series 3, MacNab's collection of printed materials is divided into two subseries: those that relate to his historical research and those that he collected for personal reasons and his short story writings. During the 1970s, MacNab traveled to historical sites and places of significance to enhance his historical research. Series 4 contains the photos and negatives he took while doing his research.

Restriction apply. Copyright for the literary works of Robin MacNab has been reserved by his son, Duncan MacNab of Bozeman, Montana.

Contents

Series 1 Correspondence, incoming and outgoing 1946-1983
Series 2 Literary Manuscripts
Series 3 Printed Materials
Subseries 1 - Materials relating to historical research
Subseries 2 - Materials relating to short stories and personal interests
Series 4 Photographs

Series 1: Correspondence, incoming and outgoing 1946-1983

Personal and professional correspondence received or written by Robin MacNab. Incoming letters refer to MacNab's radio program, his historical research, his acquisition of Edgar Paxon's painting, "The Death of John Bozeman," his bridge playing, and personal letters. Of particular interest regarding his research on John Bozeman and nineteenth century Montana are the letters from historians Dan Thrapp and Merrill G. Burlingame. Of significance regarding the Paxon painting are the letters from and to William Edgar Paxon as well as those from Carl and Ella Gottschalck. MacNab's record of outgoing letters are scant until the 1970s and reflect his continuing interests in history, bridge, fishing and his personal life. Incoming letters are arranged alphabetically. Photocopies of MacNab's outgoing letters are arranged chronologically.

Box 1
1. "A Regular Listener" & "A Disgusted Listener"
2. Allexis, Alex
3. American Heritage
4. American Legion Auxiliary of Gallatin, Unit 14
5. American Opinion: In Informal Review
6. Anderson, Marion
7. Badgett, Mark
8. Barkuloo, Laura Lee
9. Bechtel, Carson E., Mr. and Mrs.
10. Bendersky, Marion
11. Board of County Commissioners, Missoula County
12. Bozeman, C. Howard
13. Burke, Phyllis
14. Burlingame, Merrill G.
15. Burlington Northern Public Relations Department
16. Butte-Silver Bow Arts Foundation, Arts Chateau
17. Choate, Mark
18. Choate, Molly
19. Choate (MacNab), Robin Gayle
20. City of Bozeman Methodist Women
21. Clark, Bud
22. Clark County Historical Museum
23. Clark, H.H.H.
24. Collectors Institute, Ltd.
25. Corn, Ira G., Jr.
26. Craney, E. B.
27. Crosby, M. (Mrs. J. W.)
28. Dixie
29. Drew, Doug & Margaret
30. Duke, Dan
31. Erickson, Leif
32. Faylor, Reid
33. Gallatin County Republican Women's Club
34. Gannon, Fritz M.
35. Goldberg, Richard
36. Goldwater, Barry
37. Gottschalck, Carl
38. Gottschalck, Ella
39. Greater Montana Foundation
40. Griswold, Ruth M. (Mrs. George G., Jr.)
41. Hensleigh, Hellen
42. Hale, Dick
43. Hamilton, E.E.
44. Harrisberger, Mrs. W.E.
45. Hatfield, L. Stevens
46. Hazen, Lee
47. Hegland, L. R.
48. Heil, Yvonne
49. Historical Society of Montana
50. Hjelmstad, Agnes (Mrs. John)
51. Holmes, Jean
52. Housekeeper's Club
53. Huntly, Bruce
54. Jackson, Peter V.
55. Johnson, Mrs. Willis
56. Johnson, W. M.
57. Jones, Jefferson
58. Jones, Ruth (Mrs. Jefferson)
59. Khrushchev Visit Protest Committee
60. Kimmey, Mrs. Chas. F.
61. Kirby, Jos. W.
62. Klaboe, Harriet
63. Kornegay, E. W. Dan
64. Kuehn, Mrs. W. T.
65. Labrie, Jack
66. Ladner, Mildred D.
67. Leeper, Debbie
68. Lewis and Clark County Republican Woman's Club
69. Lightfoot, Anna G.
70. Lichtenberg, Winnie
71. Livingston Publishing Company
72. Louisiana State University Archives
73. MacCracken, Charles M.
74. MacGilvra, E. E. ("Boo")
75. Machlin, Jerome S.
76. MacNab, Duncan
77. Maurice
78. McConnell, Ruth (Mrs. L. W.)
79. McGeorge, Louisa C.
80. McLeod, Mary J.
81. Mills Della
82. Mills Mary
83. Miracle, Ralph
84. Missoula Museum of the Arts
85. Montana Historical Society
86. Montana State College--Athletic Program
87. Montana State College--Library
88. Montana State University, Bozeman--Library
89. Montana State Univeristy, Missoula--Dept. of History, Helen Autry Conrad
90. Montana State University, Missoula--Library
91. Moore, Dorothy Hawkins
92. Morris, Mrs. R. Wynne
93. Murphy, Pat
94. Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company
95. Naveh, Yair
96. Nelson, Paul
97. Newlon, Harry
98. Nutter, Donald G.
99. Oaks, Alan W.
100. O'Meara, Molly
101. Paxon, William Edgar
Box 2
1. Red Horn, Pete
2. Reno News Bureau
3. Republican State Central Committee
4. Richardson, R. K.
5. Richards, Colin
6. Ross, Gayla C.
7. Rubin, Carl B.
8. Saron, Bob
9. Sells, Bertha
10. Shattuck School
11. Sherril, Lena
12. Shields, Robert W.
13. Shiley Laboratories
14. Skaarland, June
15. Skoluik, Ernie
16. Smith, Mary Ellen
17. Spier, Julia G.
18. Stalcup, Delores
19. Stoddard, Peggy (Mrs. Thomas W.)
20. Talbot, Norma
21. Thackrey, Cora (Mrs. W. B.)
22. Theus, Ed
23. Thrapp, Dan L.
24. Tillard, Don
25. Traparish, Teddy
26. Troy
27. Turner, James M.
28. Utter, Fred B.
29. Vince
30. Walker, Elizabeth
31. Whipple, Charles L.
32. White, I. E.
33. Wild, John G.
34. Williams, Albert D.
35. Wilson, Chris
36. Woodson, William B.
37. World Publishing
38. Wright, Mrs. Bill
39. Wright, Jean
40. Yaeger, Tammy
41. Yale University--Library, (The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
42. Misc. Correspondence--Fragments and List of "People Wanting Book"
43. Outgoing Letters: 1946 & 1959
44. Outgoing Letters: 1962 & 1969
45. Outgoing Letters: 1972 & 1973
46. Outgoing Letters: 1974
47. Outgoing Letters: 1975
48. Outgoing Letters: 1976
49. Outgoing Letters: 1977
50. Outgoing Letters: 1978
51. Outgoing Letters: 1979
52. Outgoing Letters: 1980 & 1981
53. Outgoing Letters: 1982 & 1983

Contents | Special Collections

Series 2: Literary manuscripts

MacNab's history of John Bozeman and nineteenth century Montana, his journal and stories of bridge competitions, his personal journal often in short story format, his fishing stories, and one short history entitled, "The Gallatin Canyon" of unidentifiable authorship. MacNab's writings on John Bozeman are found in four drafts. The first three drafts are titled "High Noon at Mission Creek," MacNab considered changing the title of his third draft to "Incident at Cady Coulee." However, this title appears only on excerpts of his text, Chapters 35 & 71 which he sent to friends and historians requesting feedback and criticism. His fourth and final draft, "Execution at Cady Coulee" is over 1,000 pages long and is nearly 3 times the length of his original draft. "Bridge--Garden of Verse" is MacNab's record of his participation in bridge competitions outside of and throughout the United States. Folders 14-18 of Box 10 contain MacNab's speeches, poetry and short story ideas. The folders containing MacNab's short stories are labeled according to story titles unless otherwise indicated by the general label, "Various Titles." MacNab's detective novel, "The Case of the Discouraged Snake" is separated into folders by page numbers. Each file contains approximately 30 pages. Manuscripts are arranged according to genre. MacNab's historical writings are found in boxes 3-8, his bridge stories and personal notes are arranged chronologically in boxes 9-10, his short stories and detective novel are in box 11.

Box 3
1. Introduction & Forward to "High Noon at Mission Creek"
2. Chapter 1
3. Chapter 2
4. Chapters 3 & 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6 & 7
7. Chapters 8, 9 & 10
8. Chapters 11, 12 & 13
9. Chapter 14
10. Chapter 15
11. Chapters 16 & 17
12. Chapters 18 & 19
13. Chapters 20 & 21
14. Chapters 22 & 23
15. Chapter 24
16. Chapter 25
17. Chapter 26
18. Chapter 27
19. Chapter 28
20. Chapter 29
21. Chapter 30
Box 4
1. Dedication and Forward to "High Noon at Mission Creek"
2. Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4
3. Chapters 5, 6 & 7
4. Chapters 8 & 9
5. Chapters 10 & 11
6. Chapters 12, 13, 14 & 15
7. Chapters 16, 17 & 18
8. Chapters 19 & 20
9. Chapters 21, 22 & 23
10. Chapters 24 & 25
11. Chapters 26, 27, 28 & 29
12. Chapters 30 & 31
13. Chapters 32, 33 & 34
14. Chapters 35, 36, 37 & 38
15. Chapters 39, 40 & 41
16. Chapters 42, 43 & 44
17. Chapters 45 & 46
18. Chapters 47, 48 & 49
19. Chapters 50, 51 & 52
20. Chapters 53, 54 & 55
21. Chapters 56, 57 & 58
22. Chapters 59, 60 & 61
23. Chapters 62 & 63
24. Chapters 64 & 65
25. Chapters 66, 67 & Bibliography
Box 5
1. Dedication & Prologue to "High Noon at Mission Creek"
2. Chapters 1 & 2
3. Chapters 3 & 4
4. Chapters 5 & 6
5. Chapters 7 & 8
6. Chapters 9 & 10
7. Chapters 11 & 12
8. Chapters 13, 14 & 15
9. Chapters 16, 17 & 18
10. Chapters 19 & 20
11. Chapters 21 & 22
12. Chapters 23, 24 & 25
13. Chapters 26 & 27
14. Chapters 28 & 29
15. Chapters 30, 31 & 32
16. Chapters 33 & 34
17. Chapters 35 & 36
18. Chapters 37 & 38
19. Chapters 39 & 40
20. Chapters 41 & 42
21. Chapters 43 & 44
22. Chapters 45 & 46
23-24. Chapter 47, 48, 49 & 50
Box 6
1. Chapters 51, 52 & 53
2. Chapters 54 & 55
3. Chapters 56, 57 & 58
4. Chapters 59, 60 & 61
5. Chapters 62, 63 & 64
6. Chapters 65 & 66
7. Chapters 67 & 68
8. Chapter 69
9. Chapter 70
10. Appendix to Chapters 2-20
11. Appendix to Chapters 21-33
12. Appendix to Chapters 34-63
13. Appendix to Chapters 64-71
14. Acknowledgements & Prologue to "Execution at Cady Coulee"
15. Chapters 1, 2 & 3
16. Chapters 4 & 5
17. Chapters 6 & 7
18. Chapter 8
19. Chapter 9
20. Chapter 10
21. Chapter 11
22. Chapters 12 & 13
23. Chapters 14 & 15
24. Chapters 16 & 17
25. Chapters 18 & 19
26. Chapter 20
27. Chapter 21
28. Chapters 22 & 23
Box 7
1. Chapters 24 & 25 "Execution at Cady Coulee"
2. Chapter 26
3. Chapters 27 & 28
4. Chapter 29
5. Chapters 30 & 31
6. Chapter 32
7. Chapter 33
8. Chapter 34 & 35
9. Chapter 36 & 37
10. Chapters 38 & 39
11. Chapters 40 & 41
12. Chapter 42
13. Chapter 43
14. Chapters 44 & 45
15. Chapter 46
16. Chapter 47
17. Chapters 48 & 49
18. Chapters 50 & 51
19. Chapters 52 & 53
20. Chapters 54 & 55
21. Chapters 56 & 57
22. Chapters 58 & 59
23. Chapters 60 & 61
Box 8
1. Chapters 62 & 63
2. Chapters 64 & 65
3. Chapters 66 & 67
4. Chapters 68 & 69
5. Chapter 70
6. Appendix to Chapters 1-10
7. Appendix to Chapters 11-18
8. Appendix to Chapters 19-24
9. Appendix to Chapters 25-31
10. Appendix to Chapters 32-45
11. Appendix to Chapters 46-55
12. Appendix to Chapters 56-60
13. Appendix to Chapters 61-66
14. Appendix to Chapters 67-70
15. Appendix to page 1065
16. Notations for correction of second draft
17. Notations for correction of third draft, chapters 1-28
18. Notations for correction of third draft, chapters 29-44
19. Notations for correction of third draft, chapters 45-70
20. Notations for correction of third draft, general
21. Notes for Addendum and Epilogue
22. Drafts of Epilogue for third revision
23. Bibliography
24. List of Contributors
25. "Short History of John Bozeman," published in Bozeman Daily Chronicle (April 1, 1979)
26. "The Gallatin Canyon," author unknown
Box 9
1. "Bridge--Garden of Verse," Table of Contents: April 1950-March 1985
2. "Bridge--Garden of Verse," April 1950 - February 1972
3. March 1972 - June 1976
4. June 1976 cont. - July 31, 1977
5. August 5, 1977 - February 24, 1978
6. February 25, 1978 - June 8, 1978
7. June 25, 1978 - October 20, 1978
8. October 23, 1978 - December 15, 1978
9. January 27, 1979 - April 10, 1979
10. April 29, 1979 - August 15, 1979
11. August 16, 1979 - November 18, 1979
12. January 12, 1980 - August 5, 1980
13. September 7, 1980 - November 26, 1980
14. November 29, 1980 - February 15, 1981
15. March 1, 1981 - April 11, 1981
16. April 24, 1981 - June 21, 1981
17. July 8, 1981 - October 25, 1981
18. November 15, 1981 - February 4, 1982
19. February 14, 1982 - March 23, 1983
Box 10
1. "Bridge--Garden of Verse," March 29, 1982 - April 17, 1982
2. April 23, 1982 - July 20, 1982
3. August 21, 1982 - November 14, 1982
4. November 23, 1982 - January 9, 1983
5. January 18, 1983 - March 5, 1983
6. June 12, 1983 - August 31, 1983
7. September 22, 1983 - February 12, 1984
8. February 14, 1984 - June 19, 1984
9. June 29, 1984 - October 19, 1984
10. October 24, 1984 - February 22, 1985
11. Notes for "Bridge--Garden of Verse"
12. Notes for "Bridge--Garden of Verse"
13. Notes for "Bridge--Garden of Verse"
14. Speeches
15. Humor
16. Poetry
17. Phrases
18. Story Ideas
Box 11
1. Short Stories "General Studies" "An Equation" "Priority" & "Side Street Vignette"
2. "Indictment" & "Dixie"
3. "Appointment in Bhopal," "Sad Sam" & "Cobb's Cure"
4. "Rhapsodist," "Club," "Buddy & Diz" & "The Contract"
5. "Letter to Raymond," "Report to the Board" & "Walter Revisited"
6. "Invictus, or How to Make Open Heart Surgery Real Fun," pp. 1-30
7. "Invictus" cont.
8. "Fishing Experiences:" "On Dealing With The Authorities," "Enterprise" & "Peale Island"
9. Short Stories--Various Titles
10. Short Stories--Various Titles
11. Short Stories--Various Titles
12. Short Stories--Various Titles
13. Short Stories--Various Titles
14. Short Stories--Various Titles
15. Short Stories--Various Titles
16. Short Stories--Various Titles
17. "The Case of the Discouraged Snake," Introduction to p. 31
18. pp. 31a-60
19. pp. 61-94
20. pp. 95-121
21. pp. 122-155
22. pp. 156-185
23. pp. 186-215
24. pp. 216-250
25. pp. 251-280
26. pp. 281-313

Contents | Special Collections

Series 3: Printed materials

Published documents collected by MacNab. "Printed Materials" has been divided into two subseries. Subseries 1, in boxes 12-13, relates to MacNab's historical studies. Authorship and sources were often not documented. Arranged in alphabetical order, the subject headings were designated by MacNab and refer to specific individuals, events or fields of study which were of significance to MacNab's historical research. Subseries 2, contained in box 14, relates to MacNab's fiction and journal writings as well as to his collecting of materials which he found personally educational and/or humorous. This series is also arranged alphabetically and often according to MacNab's own subject headings. Of interest may be the "Newsclippings on MacNab" which include his history of John Bozeman published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and other articles pertaining to MacNab's civic activities.

Box 12
1. Adams, John Quincy to Bozeman, John
2. Bozeman
3. Bridger, Jim to Constitution
4. Cover, Tom to Custer
5. Early American Settlement to Grasshopper Invasion
6. Gray, Zane to Johnson, Andrew
7. Johnson, "Liver Eating" to Louisiana Purchase
Box 13
1. Manhattan to Missouri River
2. Montana to Paleontology
3. Paxon
4. Poker to Wild Horses
5. Pictures, Charts & Maps: Buffalo to Datum
6. Pictures, Charts & Maps: Declaration of Independence to Outlaws
7. Pictures, Charts & Maps: Paxon
8. Pictures, Charts & Maps: Scenery
9. Pictures, Charts & Maps: Sites
10. Pictures, Charts & Maps: Wildlife
11. Interviews
Box 14
1. Athletics
2. Bridge Oriented
3. Cartoons
4. Civic Group Pamphlets & Misc.
5. Comic Strips
6. Humor
7. Indians
8. Investments
9. News Stories
10. Newsclippings on MacNab
11. Odds and Ends
12. Peanuts Strip
13. Personalities
14. Political
15. Pornographic
16. Publishing Companies
17. Quotations
18. Talks & Addresses

Contents | Special Collections

Series 4: Photographs

Photographs and negatives of pictures created or collected by MacNab, relate almost entirely to the Paxon painting and MacNab's study of John Bozeman. Pictures referencing Tom Cover, the Paxon painting, "The Death of John Bozeman," and the Gallatin Valley of Montana are most common. Most are black and white photos, however, an enlarged color photograph of Paxon's painting may be of interest.

Box 14 (cont.)
20. Photographs #1-49
21. Negatives #1-27

Contents | Special Collections

Updated: 4/20/09