Ronan, Montana stationary & letters, 1918. Ronan, MT: 1918. [7206]
One TLS of two sheets and one ALS of one sheet. The first two are on the stationary of the Ronan Commercial Club, list of officers at top with our author, E. T. Crawford, listed as President. These are typewritten on one side, signed at end. The ALS is manuscript on both sides, stationary of Hull & Crawford, Real Estate, Loans and Insurance, Ronan, Mont. Three sheets total, all very good, folded in half as found. Very good.
An interesting group of personal Western Americana from a small town located on the Flathead Indian Reservation. It was opened to non-Indian homesteading in 1910, and had an influx of people at the time. It had a small population of 1,810 persons in the 2010 census.
The letters concern four persons: E. T. Crawford, the writer of the 2-page letter; Doc or "Dockie" Hull, Crawford's business partner, recently deceased; "Dockie's" daughter Edna, who writes the hand-written letter, and "Dr. Doug," or "Dougie" who is the recipient of the two letters. There actually is a fourth person, an "Uncle Mitt," to whom Dougie sends all of this correspondence.
The main TLS by Crawford is to Dr. Doug, April 30, 1918, who had recently visited the Hull's upon the death of their father. Crawford says that Hull was greatly missed by him, and that his wife and girls are holding up well, and would be provided for in life.
Crawford very much wants Doug to move to Ronan. "Your friends in Ronan and the surrounding country would welcome you out here and I feel confident you would meet with flattering support here in a professional way, should you ever decide to cast your lot in the Mission valley. It is a certainty that there is room for you here and a man with your ability and enthusiasm would be a power for good here in a developing country."
Crawford mentions that the wheat crop is coming on.
There is an additional paragraph typed by the recipient, "Dougie," to his Uncle Mitt. "I am sending you two letters, one from Eleanors husband, Crawford, who is a comer; and a note from Dockies third Daughter Edna. She and the other Girls, are just the sweet affectionate trustful Kids you would expect his girls to be..."
The ALS on Hull & Crawford stationary is dated May 13, 1918, and is addressed to "My Dear Uncle Dougie." In it Edna gives some family news and expresses several times how much she misses her Uncle, and charges him with writing to her directly, saying, "I don't count letters that are written to Ed. though I insist on seeing them."
