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Travel and Exploration Narratives in the Montana Historical Society Collection

Aarstad, Rich

Since its establishment in 1865 and the hiring of the first librarian in 1873, the Montana Historical Society (MHS) has worked diligently to enhance its collection of rare books.1 Among the MHS Research Center's treasures are first-edition narratives of North American travel and exploration.

Travel and exploration narratives have a long and illustrious history that begins with the publication of the journals of British naval captain James Cook in the 17703. Cook's journals enjoyed widespread popularity and set the standard for the explorers who literally followed in his wake. This new generation of travelers gave us many accounts of exploration, imperial expansion, and scientific discovery. One fine example of the genre in the MHS collection is the two-volume edited journals of Lewis and Clark, which first appeared in print in 1814.

Edited by Nicholas Biddle and published by Bradford and Inskeep in Philadelphia, the first edition of the Lewis and Clarkjournals appeared under the title History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. When Biddle edited the journals, he stuck primarily to the narrative account of the expedition and did very little to flesh out the scientific discoveries recorded by the captains. William Clark and former private George Shannon worked closely with Biddle, providing first-hand knowledge and background information. Praising Biddle's work. Elliott Coues. the next editor ol the journals, wrote. "The story of this adventure stands easily first and alone. This is our national epic of exploration, conceived by Thomas Jefferson, wrought out by Lewis and Clark, and given to the world by Nicholas Biddle."2

Of added significance to the Biddle edition in the MHS Research Center is an inscription and letter in volume 1. The inscription reads. "Col. W.F. Sanders with compliments of his friend."3 A founding member of the Montana Historical Society, Wilbur Fisk Sanders played a prominent role in the state's development and in 1889 served as one of its first U.S. senators. In the back of the volume is a letter from die diird editor of the journals. Reuben Gold Thwaites. attesting to the authenticity of Biddle edition in response to an inquiry made by MHS librarian Laura E. Howey in 1904.

Another notable work in the MHS collection is Alexander Mackenzie's Voyage form Montreal, on the Rirer St. Lawrence, through the Continent of north America, to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, in the Year 1789 and 1793 .... a first edition of the published journal that came out in 1801 in London. Mackenzie's expedition was the first to cross the Continental Divide at northern latitude and make it all the way to the Pacific Ocean and back, and it was this subsequent work that inspired Jefferson to send Lewis and Clark across the continent.4

Yet another literary gem. one that is somewhat different than the others, is J. Allen Hosmer's A Trip to the States, by the Way of the Yellmrslone and Missouri, published in 1867 by Beaver Head News Print in Virginia City. Montana Territory. The son of Hezekiah L. Hosmer. the first territorial chief justice. John Alien Hosmer arrived in Montana with his family in 1864 when he was fourteen and attended school in Virginia City under the tutelage of Thomas Dimsdale.5 When his father decided to return to the East in fall 1865. John kept a diary describing the return trip. John then came back to Montana in 1866 and set up shop in the Virginia City office of the Montana Post, the territory's first newspaper. There he wrote, printed, and bound A Trip to the States.6

The value of these three narratives to researchers is undeniable, but when does the antiquity of a book begin to outweigh the historical value of us content and the book itself become significant as an artifact? Printed prior to the changes in paper production and bookbinding that revolutionized publishing in the nineteenth century, the books described here are good examples of an art that had remained largely unchanged since the time of Johannes Gutenberg.

Held to the light. their pages reveal interesting markings imprinted during the papermaking process. Every few leaves of the Mackenzie journal there appears a watermark in the lower left corner. The watermark seems to be C & S 1799. Papermakers often created watermarks by adding wire to the papermaking mold or by rolling a press over the paper pulp. One could presume that C Sc S are the initials of the makers and that the paper was made in 1799. Another example of a watermark is the chain-andwire pattern imbedded in the pages of another book in the MHS collection. Three Years Travels through the Interior Parts of North-America . . . by Jonathan Carver. The regularly spaced lines, at right angles to one another, are the imprints of the wire frame common to paper molds of the time. The Mackenzie journal, published only five years later, does not have these noticeable markings.7

Collation marks are another feature of these works that are not found in modern books. The pages of the books feature an alphanumeric and/or symbol notation known as a signature (as well as the pagination common to modern works). The signature ensured that a large sheet of paper printed on a press could be folded, gathered, bound, and cut with the leaves in the proper order. For example, the collation formula for the text of the first volume of the Biddle journals begins with a B and continues through 3O. As was typical, the collation runs alphabetically, B to Z, repeats with a signature Aa to Zz, and repeats again with a 3 designating the third run. Also, again typical of the collation system that originated with the Latin alphabet, the alphabet used contains only twentythree letters, skipping J, V, and W.8

The one book that is largely dissimilar bibliographically from the other two described here is the Hosmer work. This petite hand-sewn book is neither as old nor as beautifully bound as the others, but it may be one of the most valuable in the MHS collection. Published in 1867, this book is thought to be the second book published in Montana Territory. According to an early imprint guide, works published in Montana prior to 1891 are very rare.9

And, finally, interesting provenance can also add to the bibliographic significance of a work. This is certainly true of the inscription to W. F. Sanders in volume one of the Biddle edition. In the front of Carver's Travels, a holographic note reads, "Geo. M. Potts July 14th 1796. Borrower remember George M. Potts paid one dollar and half for this book July 14th 1796. Steal not this book my honest friend for fear the rope your life may end." A search for Pott's name yields results for a lawyer in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in 1796.10 This date and location correspond to the publication date and place for this book, and the nature of the inscription suggests someone with an interest in law. Perhaps handwriting verification could be used to determine whether or not this lawyer is our George M. Potts.

The MHS Research Center has one of the country's finest collections of materials documenting Montana and the West. Clearly, the bibliographic significance of these materials is worthy of note as well. Due to their intrinsic and monetary value, the library secures these rare books in specially constructed bookcases purchased with funds generously donated by Ivan and Carol Doig, the family of John C. Witte, and August and Mary Sobotka. The library staff is proud of these treasures, and it is our pleasure to make them available to researchers who come to Helena.

1. Brian Shovers, "Saving Montana's Past: The Creation and Evolution of the Montana Historical Society and Montana The Magazine of Western History," Montana The Magazine of Western History, 52 (Spring 2002), 50.

2. Paul Russell Cutright, a History of the Lewis and Clara Journals (Norman, 1976). 64. 72. In fact. Sergeant Patrick Gass and his editor David M'Keehan scoopedl Meriwether Lewis with the release of A Journal of the Voyages and Travels of a Corps of Discovery Under the Command of Capt. Lewis and Capt. Clarks of the Army of the United States (Pittsburgh. Pa., 1807).

3. Unfortunately the name of the friend is not legible.

4. Stephen E. Ambrose. Undaunted Courage (New York, 1996), 7375.

5. Dimsdale was one of the most famous chroniclers of the Vigilante movement. See Thomas Dimsdale. The Vigilantis of Montana (Virginia City. Mont. Territory. 1866).

6. John A. Hosmer Vertical File, Montana Historical Society Research Center, Helen, Interestingly Hosmer comments that his family had a copy of Lewis and Cark's journals with them, and he marveled at the accuracy of Clark's descriptions of landmarks such as Pompeys Pillar along the Yellowstone River. J. Allen Hosmer. A Trip to the State, by Way of the Yellowstone and Missouri (Virginia City. Mont. Territory. 1867), 18-19).

7. Ray Prytherch. ed., Harrod's Librarians' Glossary of Terms Used in Librarianship, Documentation and the Book Crafts and Reference Book (Aldershot, England, 1987), 833, 439; Jonathan Carver, Three Years Travels through the Interior Parts of North-America, for More Than Five Thousand Miles . . . (Philadelphia, 1796).

8. Prytherch, Harrod's Librarians' Glossary of Terms, 719.

9. Marilyn Wurzburger, "Books Worth Collecting," http://www. sdstatelibrary.com/forlibrarians/development/BooksWorthCollecting. htm, accessed June 24, 2005.

10. George M. Potts, http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/ montgomery/church/merionOS.txt, accessed June 24, 2005.

RICH AARSTAD is a research historian for the MHS. He received his master's degree in history from the University of Montana in 2000. JENNIE STAPP is the MHS technical services librarian. She earned her B.A. from Rocky Mountain College and her M.L.S. from the University of Arizona.

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