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Collection of licenses and tax receipts for businesses in Montana Territory

 Collection
Call Number: WA MSS S-4310

Scope and Contents

Circa 1,025 printed licenses and circa 700 printed tax receipts, completed in manuscript, issued to businesses and individuals in Montana Territory, 1865-1880. Among the types of business represented are assayers, attorneys, billiard tables, brewers, butchers, dance houses, doctors, gambling houses and saloons, hotels, inns and taverns, merchants, ranchmen, saloons, and theaters. Other businesses include auctioneers, bankers, branding houses, jewelers, and liveries and stables. Towns represented include Blackfoot, Butte City, Deer Lodge, Fort Benton, German Gulch, Gold Creek, Henderson Gulch, Jefferson City, Lincoln Gulch, McClellan Gulch, Pacific City, and Virginia City (among others).

At least six of the licenses were issued to female entrepreneurs. Two licenses were issued to Kate Sands of Virginia City, who operated a saloon and dance house in 1865-1866. Another dance house proprietor was Mary Miller of Central, whose license was for the duration of two days, from 1865 September 19 to 20. Three other female saloon proprietors are represented by licenses in the collection: Nancy Williams and Hattie Peters of Virginia City and Florence Bennett of Blackfoot.

Dates

  • 1865-1880
  • Majority of material found within 1865-1867

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

The Collection of Licenses and Tax Receipts for Businesses in Montana Territory is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Nick Aretakis Americana on the William Robertson Coe Fund No. 3, 2019.

Arrangement

Organized into two series: I. Business Licenses, 1865-1867. II. Tax Receipts, 1865-1880.

Extent

1.83 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.mtlicenses

Abstract

Circa 1,025 printed licenses and circa 700 printed tax receipts, completed in manuscript, issued to businesses and individuals in Montana Territory, 1865-1880. Among the types of business represented are assayers, attorneys, billiard tables, brewers, butchers, dance houses, doctors, gambling houses and saloons, hotels, inns and taverns, merchants, ranchmen, saloons, and theaters. Other businesses include auctioneers, bankers, branding houses, jewelers, and liveries and stables. Towns represented include Blackfoot, Butte City, Deer Lodge, Fort Benton, German Gulch, Gold Creek, Henderson Gulch, Jefferson City, Lincoln Gulch, McClellan Gulch, Pacific City, and Virginia City (among others).

At least six of the licenses were issued to female entrepreneurs. Two licenses were issued to Kate Sands of Virginia City, who operated a saloon and dance house in 1865-1866. Another dance house proprietor was Mary Miller of Central, whose license was for the duration of two days, from 1865 September 19 to 20. Three other female saloon proprietors are represented by licenses in the collection: Nancy Williams and Hattie Peters of Virginia City and Florence Bennett of Blackfoot.

Processing Information

Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.

These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards. For more information, please refer to the Beinecke Manuscript Unit Processing Manual.

Title
Guide to the Collection of Licenses and Tax Receipts for Businesses in Montana Territory
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Lerner
Date
September 2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository

Contact:
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven CT 06520-8330 US
(203) 432-2977

Location

121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

Access Information

The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.