Lois Borland Collection: Series 1: Gunnison History

This series includes Lois Borland’s files relating to the history of Gunnison County and Western Colorado. Types of material in the series include newspaper and magazine clippings, notes and manuscripts on various historic subjects, issues of the early Colorado Sate Normal School (Western State College) News Letter, newspapers, bulletins, and early Posters and handbills, and some photographs. Borland’s correspondence relating to her work in the history of the area is also included.

Unique or unusual material in the files include:

• Photo-static copy of the Hillerton newspaper, The Occident, July 5, 1879.

• Letters from Genevieve O’Neill, Captain John Gunnison niece, to Lois Borland.

• A copy of a biography of John Gunnison as a youth, “Notes on Biography of Captain John W. Gunnison, formerly 1st Lieut. Of the U. S. A.” by Andrew G. Booth.

• The military records (Civil War) of Alfred Packard.

• Early 1880s Gunnison posters and handbills.

• Reprints from the Gunnison News-Champion.

Approximately 4 linear feet (three standard records storage cartons)

The Gunnison History Series consists of approximately 90 files. There is no documentation on the origin of the collection. It is assumed that these materials represent a combination of notes acquired and generated by Lois Borland while researching the history of the area and historical materials added after Borland donated the materials to the library.

In 1965, the James K. Novak Historical Research Fund was established in memory of James Novak (B.A. 1965). Novak, a student assistant in physical education, was flying home from a football scouting trip when his plane crashed on October 18, 1965. Novak was working on a Master of Arts degree in History at Western at the time of his death. Along with the fund, a research collection was also established. A brochure described the collection as including “original research material having to do with the history of the Western Slope of the Colorado Rockies. These materials will be made available to members of the faculty, graduate students, members of the History Honors Program, and other persons wishing to do research into the history of Western Colorado.”

After 1965, either the Novak Collection and Borland’s historical materials were merged, or the Borland materials served as the basis for the Novak Collection.

The Lois Borland Accession File contains further information about the Novak Collection.

The Novak Collection resided in a filing cabinet on the library’s reference area. Access was not limited or supervised, and some materials have gone missing.

The materials in each file are arranged in one or more of the following categories:

• Booklets:

• Bulletins of Colorado State Normal School:

• Clippings: Includes articles clipped from newspapers and photocopies of newspaper articles. An occasional complete newspaper or magazine is included. The author, date, paper name, or page number is listed if known. An effort has been made to list clippings in alphabetic order within the file.

• Clippings - Reprints of Gunnison News-Champion Articles: During the 1930s and 1940s theGunnison News-Champion reprinted several hundred newspaper articles relating to Gunnison’s history. These articles were originally filed in notebooks, named Remembrance of Pioneer Days in Gunnison County. Borland collected many of these articles and arranged them in her files.

• Colorado Sate Normal School News Letters: (see box 3 file 15)

• Correspondence:

• Magazines:

• Manuscripts and Notes:

• Miscellaneous:

• Newspapers: Assorted single issues of local newspapers

• Posters and handbills: Original posters and handbills printed in Gunnison in the early 1880s.

• Reports:
• Top O’ the World - (see box 3 files 16 and 17)

Adams, C. E., (Charlie)

J. R. Blackstock, J. R. (Joseph) ( - 1945)

Block, Augusta Hauck,

Borland, Lois

Buck, Elsha A. ( )

Cornwell, H. C.,

Crawford, George Addison

Deering, M. A.,

General Grant

Gunnison, J. W. (John Williams), 1812-1853

Hartman, Alonzo ( - 1940)

Judd, Garwood H.,

Lake, Henry F. ( - 1919)

Lake, Henry F. Jr. ( - 1948)

Mickelson, Dr. Peter

McCanne, D. J.,

Mullin, Louden ( - 1935)

Nuckolls, Dr. George

Outcalt, John

O’Neill, Genevieve

Phillips, J. E.

Richardson, Sylvester

Root, George A.,

Root, Frank

Shores, C. W., ( )

David Wood, David ( - 1944)

Ohio Creek

Pitkin

Sylvanite

Tin Cup

Tomichi

• Box 1 Files 1-25
• Box 1 Files 26-50
• Box 1 Files 51-65
• Box 2 Files 1-25
• Box 2 Files 26-50
• Box 2 Files 51-73

File 21 - CRESTED BUTTE (6 of 6)

*Editor’s Note: The original inventory list for sixth folder of the Crested Butte files.