T.C. Power was a Montana merchandise,
transportation, mining, ranching, banking, and real estate magnate; and U.S.
Senator from Montana from 1890 to 1895. Collection (1867-1950) includes a
transcript of a diary (1867) of his trip up the Missouri River; subject files
(1873-1923), miscellany, and papers of his estate (1923-1950).
Repository:
Montana Historical
Society Research Center Archives
225 N. Roberts PO Box 201201 Helena MT 59620-1201 (406) 444-2681 mhslibrary@mt.gov
Languages:
English
Sponsor:
Funding for encoding this
finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for
the Humanities.
Biographical Note
Thomas Charles Power was born at Dubuque, Iowa, May 22, 1839, the son of Irish
immigrants, Michael W. Power and Catherine McLeer Power.
In 1867, he
travelled up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, Montana Territory and opened a
general mercantile firm in partnership with his brother, John W. Power. T.C.
Power and Brother and I. G. Baker and Company dominated trade and freighting on
the northern plains by the mid 1870's. In connection with this trade, T.C.
Power and several associates were charged by the United States government with
fraud. His associates were sent to prison but Power was exhonorated.
Power was also active in politics. As a Republican, he served as a delegate to
the abortive 1884 Constitutional Convention, ran unsuccessfully for governor in
1889, and was selected one of Montana's first U.S. Senators in a bitterly
contended election in the Montana legislature.
Thomas C. Power married
Mary Flanagan at Dubuque, Iowa, in 1867. The couple had one son, Charles Benton
Power. T.C. Power died at Helena, Montana, March 16, 1923.
[For a longer
biographical sketch see MC 55].
Content Description
This addition to the T.C. Power
Papers includes a transcript of a diary (1867) of Power's trip up the Missouri
River by steamboat; a subject file, including files on his prosecution in
1873-1874 for alleged fraud in his dealings with the Blackfeet Indians and with
the U.S. government, on his Senate career, the contruction of his house in
Helena and other matters; miscellany; and clippings. There are subgroups for
the settlement of his estate and for his wife Mary Flanagan Power, including a
minute book for the Helena Art Club, inventories of home furnishings, a diary
of a trip abroad in 1889, and other items.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open for
research.
Restrictions on Use :
The Montana Historical Society is
the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available
reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission
must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The
Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the
collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional
authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation :
item description and date.
Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical
Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
by subgroup and
series
Acquisition Information :
Acquisition information available
upon request
Detailed Description of the Collection
Thomas C. Power
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Diaries
Box/Folder
1 / 1
Typescript of diary of
trip up Missouri River
1867
Subject Files
Box/Folder
1 / 2
Dakota Territory Golden
Anniversary (includes reminiscent letter by T.C. Power)
1911
1 / 3-7
Death of Mary G. Power
(includes sympathy letters and cards, lists, etc.)
July 1920
1 / 8
Juveniles Club at
Montana Club (re Solo card game)
1915-1916
1 / 9
North Montana Wool
Growers Association
1902-1903
1 / 10-11
Residence (includes
correspondence, contracts, construction specifications, and costs)
1888-1895
OvFd / 1
Residence (includes
blueprint showing placement of house on lot, by Willett and Pashley,
architects)
n.d.
1 / 12
Subscription biography
publishers
1912-1923
1 / 13
Trip abroad (primarily
financial)
1889
1 / 14-16
United States Senate
(includes committee lists, reports, bills, T.C. Power's speeches, and
testimonial to Vice President Levi P. Morton)
1893-1894
1 / 17-19
United States vs. T.C.
Power, H.D. Upham, C.E. Giddings, et al. (original case was 1873-1874 re
alleged theft of property from U.S. Government and Blackfeet tribe; file
concerns re-emergence of case as a political issue in T.C. Power's Senatorial
career)
1873-1874, 1885-1894
Miscellany
Box/Folder
2 / 1
Petition for bridge over
Marias River at mouth of Teton River
1887?
2 / 2
Republican State
Convention proceedings
1904
2 / 3
Stock subscription for
Placer Hotel
1911-1912
2 / 4
United States Corps of
Engineers report on proposed Stubbs Ferry dam
1892
2 / 5
United States senators'
calling cards
1890s
2 / 6-7
Washington. D.C. "at
homes", invitations, etc.
1891-1894
2 / 8
Wedding anniversary
(50th) congratulations
1917
2 / 9
Miscellaneous (includes
certificates, programs, membership cards, etc.; some certificates in OVERSIZE
FOLDER 1)
1884-1920
Clippings
Box/Folder
2 / 10
William A. Clark-Marcus
Daly feud scrapbook
1898-1899
2 / 11
Glacier National Park
historical article by Ira Myers
This collection is indexed under the following headings in
the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
