Park Saddle Horse Company records

Transcription

1 Park Saddle Horse Company records, Overview of the Collection Creator Title Dates Quantity Collection Number Summary Repository Access Restrictions Languages Sponsor Park Saddle Horse Company (Mont.) Park Saddle Horse Company records (inclusive) linear feet of shelf space MC 148 (collection) The Park Saddle Horse Company, owned by Wilbur N. Noffsinger and later by George W. Noffsinger, was a concession in Glacier National Park, Montana. Records ( ) include financial and horse-raising records, subject files, organizational papers, diaries ( ) of George Noffsinger; and subgroups for the W.N. Noffsinger Company, the Big Draw Land and Stock Company, and the Big Draw Sheep Company. Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives 225 North Roberts PO Box Helena MT Telephone: Fax: mhslibrary@mt.gov Collection open for research. English Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Historical Note The Park Saddle Horse Company was founded June 1, 1915, by Wilbur N. Noffsinger, a Kalispell, Montana, lawyer and banker, and Hans Walchli, his law partner, to provide a saddle horse concession in Glacier National Park. Prior to the formation of this company, and continuing into the first year of its existence, the U.S. National Park Service had licensed individual horse operators with little coordination of services or standardized prices. On February 26, 1916, at the request of National Park Superintendent R.B. Marshall, Noffsinger called a meeting of all horse concessioners operating in Glacier. Noffsinger offered to increase the capitalization of the Park Saddle Horse Company and admit into the company the smaller operators, each receiving stock equal to the horses and equipment contributed. Although several of the independents resisted absorption, enough joined that capitalization was doubled from $25,000 to $50,000. The National Park Service signed an exclusive contract with the expanded Park Saddle Horse 1

2 Company to provide horses, equipment, guides, and cooks for camping parties. The company was also granted the privileges of grazing horses and of building stables, tent camps, and lodges at various locations in the park. From 1916 until W.N. Noffsinger's death on February 1, 1924, the Park Saddle Horse Company gradually expanded its services. Noffsinger's will divided his estate (which included 227 shares of the Park Saddle Horse Company as well as other companies and property) equally among his widow Lulu S. Noffsinger and his two children George W. Noffsinger and Leila M. Dieringer (later Buttleson). The heirs formed the W.N. Noffsinger Company and G.W. Noffsinger administered the estate's holdings. In 1944 a lengthy legal battle began between Noffsinger and his sister for control of W.N. Noffsinger Company. Under George Noffsinger's leadership the Park Saddle Horse Company's operation initiated the famous Northern Circle, a five-day horse pack trip into remote northern areas of Glacier Park, staying one night each at specially constructed permanent tent camps and chalets. At the height of its success the Park Saddle Horse Company owned 1000 horses and served nearly 10,000 tourists each year. However, the completion of the Going-to-the Sun road over Logan Pass in 1933 changed the nature of Glacier Park. Before the completion of this road the only way of seeing the most spectacular areas of the park was by horseback. Once tourists were able to get into the heart of the mountains in their cars, the attraction of horseback travel declined. By 1940 the Park Saddle Horse Company was serving an average of 5000 customers a year. In 1942 the National Park Service decided to shut down all park concessions for the duration of the war. Unable to support his large horse herd for an undetermined period, Noffsinger sold the company's horses. In 1945 the company asked the Park Service to cancel the concession, thus ending the company's long association with Glacier Park. George W. Noffsinger died on December 11, In addition to the Park Saddle Horse Company, the Noffsinger family was also involved in stock raising. One firm owned by W.N. Noffsinger was the Big Draw Land and Stock Company founded in 1915 in Kalispell. The company originally raised cattle, but in 1922 the Angus McDonald sheep herd was purchased and the Big Draw Sheep Company was founded by W.N. Noffsinger, G.W. Noffsinger, and Ernest White. Both companies operated from the Bow and Arrow Ranch in Flathead County. Content Description This collection contains the records of Park Saddle Horse Company including George Noffsinger's diaries ( ), miscellaneous financial and horse-raising records, subject files, and organizational papers ( ). There are also subgroups for W.N. Noffsinger Company, Big Draw Land and Stock Company, and Big Draw Sheep Company. Use of the Collection Restrictions on 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. 2

3 Preferred Citation Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana. Administrative Information Arrangement Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes. See inventory below for more information. Location of Collection 7:3-6 Acquisition Information Acquisition information available upon request Separated Materials Printed material, maps, and blueprints separated to Library. Photographs separated to Photo Archives. See inventory below for more information. Detailed Description of the Collection The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection Park Saddle Horse Company Container(s) Description Dates General Correspondence 1 / 1 Miscellaneous (correspondents include The Secretary of The Interior, Washington; The Department of the Interior, Washington; Director of National Parks, Washington D.C.; Stephen T. Mather; Great Northern Railway Company; George W. Noffsinger; William J. Dorrington; C.L. Heren; S.S. Gold; National Park Service Glacier National Park; Charles J. Krsebel; Visual Education Service, Incorporated; War Department; E.T. Scoyen; R.R. Vincent; Choate, Hall and Stewart; Clara Marozik; Edna Sagert; Walchli and Korn; Glacier

4 Park Company; Horace Marden Albright; Howard H. Hays; Edwina Noffsinger) Diaries 1 / 2-6 George W. Noffsinger diary/notebooks (19 books) Financial Records 2 / 1 Accounts payable and accounts receivable ledger / 1-2 Annual statements / 3-4 Audit reports Volume 1 Camp collections circa / 5 Checkstubs / 6 Daily statement of store sales 1941 Volume 2 Disbursement register / 7 Horse depreciation ledger / 7-8 Horse depreciation ledgers / 9 Income tax assessments RESTRICTED / 10 Journal of distribution of expenses and receipts

5 4 / 1 Journal / 1-2 Ledgers / 1-2 Ledgers Volume 4 Ledger / 3 Ledger of sales to employees / 1 G.W. Noffsinger account analysis; salary / 2 Reconcilement of accounts / 3 Receipts; income and expense accounts; miscellaneous Legal Documents 6 / 4 Contracts and service permits with Department of the Interior Maps and Blueprints 6 / 5 List of maps and blueprints transferred to the Library Organizational Records 6 / 6 Articles of incorporation; notices and minutes of stockholder and director meetings 1916, 1925, Photographs and Printed Materials 5

6 6 / 7 List of photographs transferred to the Photo Archives; list of printed materials transferred to the Library Subject Files 6 / 8 "Advertising" (articles; correspondence, etc.) / 9 "Advertising" (articles, and correspondence, etc.) circa / 10 Advertising brochures, calendar, stationery (-X6 Ranch) 1937, undated 6 / 12 Camping trip itineraries and expense lists / 13 "Compliments" (letters regarding service) / 14 Horses bought from Chappel Brothers (includes correspondence with C.D. and E.J. Drake, etc.) / 15 Horses list by National Park Service / 16 Independent operators bringing parties into park / 17 Liability insurance / 1 Loans and mortgages / 3 Renewal of concession (correspondence) / 4 Trail Riders of the Mountains, Glacier Chapter / 5 Remount Stallion Program / 6 Wintering of National Park Service stock Miscellany 7 / 7-9 Hourse stock records (A1-B110, C1-D29 and E1-G33)

7 8 / 1-5 Hourse stock records (H1-J54, K1-L54, P1-P89 and R1-T3) / 6 Instructions to employees undated 8 / 7 List of names undated 8 / 8-9 Personnel records (A-E and F-L) / 1-2 Personnel records (M-R and S-Z) / 3 Rocky Mountain Trail Ranch receipt book / 4 Stationery for Kalispell National Bank, State Bank of Somers, Dayton State Bank undated Clippings 9 / 5 Miscellaneous (including articles by Morton J. Elrod, Hal G. Evarts, Ernie Pyle, and Frank J. and Katherine A. Taylor) Big Draw Land And Stock Company Container(s) Description Dates General Correspondence 9 / 6 Miscellaneous (including correspondence from Northern Montana Forestry Association; The State Bank of Somers; Allan Milne; Big Draw Land and Stock Company; E.W. McDevitt; C.L. O'Connell; J.G. Edmiston; Louis O'Connell) Financial Records Volume 5 Journal

8 9 / 7 Ledger and cash book , / 8 Trial balance; tax receipts RESTRICTED Legal Documents 9 / 9 Agreement and indenture with W.N. Noffsinger Company; contract , 1940 Organizational Records 9 / 10 Articles of incorporation; minutes / 11 Stock certificate book Miscellany 9 / 12 Bow and Arrow Ranch sale brochure undated Big Draw Sheep Company Container(s) Description Dates Financial Records 9 / 13 Journal / 14 Ledger Organizational Records 8

9 10 / 1 Articles of incorporation; by-laws; minutes / 2 Stock certificate book / 2 Stock certificate book W.n. Noffsinger Company Container(s) Description Dates General Correspondence 10 / 3-9 G.W. Noffsinger / T.A. Thompson / 13 Miscellaneous correspondents include George E. Hurd; Douglas Wilson; J.N. Thelen; T.A. Thompson; Conrad Bjornlie 1945 Court Papers 10 / 15 G.W. Noffsinger, et al. v. W.N. Noffsinger Company, Leila Battleson, et al. (briefs, etc.) 10 / 15 G.W. Noffsinger, et al. v. W.N. Noffsinger Company, Leila Battleson, et al. (testimony) 10 / 16 G.W. Noffsinger, et al. v. W.N. Noffsinger Company, Leila Battleson, et al. (testimony) 10 / 17 W.N. Noffsinger Company v. Leila M. Battleson (briefs, transcript, etc.) / 18 Schnell, Receiver v. Leila M. Battleson v. G.W. Noffsinger / 19 Lawyers' notes; etc / 20 List of exhibits circa

10 11 / 1 Wilbur N. Noffsinger Estate inventory / 2 Lula S. Noffsinger Estate Financial Records 11 / 3 Audit reports / 4 Checkstubs from receivership Volume 6 Ledger Ledger for W.N. Noffsinger Estate / 6 Miscellaneous circa Legal Documents 11 / 7 Contracts; etc Organizational Records 11 / 8 Articles of incorporation; minutes / 9 Stock certificate book Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Camping Dude ranches Guides for hunters, fishermen, etc. 10

11 Horse breeding Horse industry Horseback travel Land companies Parks Sheep ranches--montana Corporate Names : Park Saddle Horse Company (Mont.) (creator) Geographical Names : Babb (Mont.) Glacier National Park (Mont.) Kalispell (Mont.)--Commerce Finding aid prepared by MHS staff 2004 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West: