TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
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Inventory of the Olin D. Wheeler Papers, 1892-1924
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2004. ©2004. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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| Creator | Wheeler, Olin Dunbar, 1852-1925 |
| Title | Olin D. Wheeler Papers |
| Dates | 1892-1924 |
| Extent | 0.2 cubic ft. (1 box) |
| Abstract | Mainly correspondence, notes, and writings of author, topographer, and Northern Pacific Railway executive Olin Dunbar Wheeler regarding Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn; also articles about Wheeler and reviews of his work. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Ayer MS 3220 |
| Collection Stack Location | Vault 26 1 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Olin D. Wheeler Papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of the Chicago Tribune, 1972.
Processed by
Martha Briggs, May, 2000.
Access
The Olin D. Wheeler Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 5 folders at a time maximum, and items in each folder will be counted before and after delivery to the patron (Priority I).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Olin D. Wheeler Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Olin D. Wheeler
Topographer, author, and railroad executive.
Born in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1852, Olin D. Wheeler was a topographer with John Wesley Powell's survey of the Colorado River, 1874-1879. From 1892 to 1909 Wheeler was in charge of advertising for the Northern Pacific Railway, and was the author of its annual publication, Wonderland, which highlighted the history and scenic beauty of the northwestern United States. For the 1893 issue, Wheeler wrote about Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn; he continued to investigate the subject until his retirement in 1909. Among other topics, Wheeler also became interested in the history of the selection of a Pacific railway route and in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After exploring the trail of the latter extensively, he published his two-volume The Trail of Lewis and Clark in 1904. Active in his retirement, Wheeler in 1924 was appointed historian of the Veterans' Association of the Northern Pacific Railway; he died a year later.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Mainly material relating to Wheeler's investigations of Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn, but also a few items regarding the Pacific railway route, newspaper articles about Wheeler, and reviews of his The Trail of Lewis and Clark.
Battle of Little Big Horn material includes correspondence with individuals interested in or involved in the affair (Custer's wife, the photographer D.F. Barry, F.F. Girard, Capt. E.S. Godfrey, Theodore W. Goldin, Capt. Charles King, C.A. Lounsberry, Valentine McGillycuddy, Richard A. Roberts, and T.A. Warburton). There are also battlefield maps drawn by Indian guides in 1892, a questionnaire completed by Bob Failed Horse, Medicine Bear, and Spotted Blackbird in 1902, and Wheeler's manuscript and proof copy for the 1893 issue of Wonderland.
Pacific railway route material includes typed transcripts of Senate and House proceedings regarding the issue, 1853-1859, and an undated typescript of an article by Wheeler, "Pacific Railway Congressional Debates of Antediluvian Days."
Photographs collected by Wheeler and of him comprise the Olin D. Wheeler Collection of Photographs of Yosemite Valley and the Route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which is part of the Edward E. Ayer Photograph Collection.
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Arrangement
Papers are organized alphabetically by type of material.
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Barry, D. F. (David Frances), 1854-1934
- Custer, Elizabeth Bacon, 1842-1933
- Custer, George Armstrong, 1839-1876
- Girard, F. F. (Frederic Francis)
- Godfrey, Edward Settle, 1843-1932
- Goldin, Theodore W.
- King, Charles, 1844-1933
- Lounsberry, Clement A. (Clement Augustus), 1843-1926
- McGillycuddy, Valentine, 1849-1939
- Northern Pacific Railway Company-Employees
- Roberts, Richard A.
- Warburton, Thomas A.
- Wheeler, Olin Dunbar, 1852-1925
Subjects
- Indians of North America-Maps
- Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
- Little Big Horn, Battle of the, Mont., 1876-Maps
- Manuscripts, American
- Maps, Manuscript
- Pacific railroads-History-19th century-Sources
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Container List |
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| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Articles about Wheeler, 1903-1924 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Articles by Wheeler, 1905 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Custer Material - Articles - Godfrey, E.S., Fry, James B., 1892 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Custer Material - Clippings | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Custer Material - Correspondence, A-D, 1892-1898 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Custer Material - Correspondence, E-G, 1892-1909 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Custer Material - Correspondence, J-R, 1893-1898 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Custer Material - Correspondence, S-W, 1893-1908 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Custer Material - Maps - Battlefield Maps Drawn by Indian Guides, 1892 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Custer Material - Miscellaneous | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Custer Material - Questionnaire - Bob Failed Horse, Medicine Bear, Spotted Blackbird, 1902 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Custer Material - Writings - Manuscript by Wheeler, published in Wonderland, 1893 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Custer Material - Writings - Proofsheets of manuscript by Wheeler, published in Wonderland, 1893 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Letter to Veteran's Association of the Northern Pacific Railway, 1924 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Pacific Railway Route Material - Transcripts - U.S. Senate and House Proceedings, 1853-1859 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Pacific Railway Route Material - "Pacific Railway Congressional Debates of Antediluvian Days," typescript by Wheeler | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Reviews of Wheeler's Works, 1903-1904 | |||||||||