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Historian Ray H. Mattison visited Mrs. B. T. Connell regarding her mother’s diary. It turned out not to be a diary but an account of the woman’s life which was not relevant to Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-04-27
Historian Ray H. Mattison directs Superintendent Reid to a manuscript on the life of Mr. and Mrs. William Reid. He believes that the manuscript would make an excellent article for any Great Plains region historical society.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-04-27
Although his research is not complete, historian Ray H. Mattison believes that the Maltese Cross cabin is authentic.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-08-19
Park historian Ray H. Mattison summarizes a trip to the Ralph Mosser and Elkhorn ranches with T. Frank Roberts and George R. Osterhout. There is some evidence that the Ralph Mosser ranch house was built from logs taken from the Elkhorn. There is general agreement that the National Park Service has correctly identified the site of the Elkhorn Ranch but the disposition of the buildings is disputed. Two photographs from the trip are included.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-10-10
Historian Ray H. Mattison has received the photographs and will forward them to John H. Reid. He will discuss the potential for a Reid family article the next time he is in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-11-25
Historian Ray H. Mattison encloses a floor plan of the Elkhorn Ranch cabin that may have been drawn by Theodore Roosevelt. According to a sketch made by Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and letters written by William Wingate Sewall, the completed cabin appears to have departed from the original plan.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-02-10
Historian Ray H. Mattison encloses an incomplete version of the report, “Preliminary Study of and the Identification of the Elkhorn Ranch Site.” Mattison writes that Henry J. Walz, the last owner of the Elkhorn Ranch, may be able to visit Medora, North Dakota, in the spring and can show where the buildings were located.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-12-05
Historian Ray H. Mattison has received permission from Harriett S. Harmon’s sister, Nancy S. Cunningham, to view their father’s papers. Harmon and Cunningham are the daughters of William Wingate Sewall. Mattison is interested in the North Dakota mementos mentioned by both sisters.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1958-12-22
Historian Ray H. Mattison returns a sketch of the Elkhorn Ranch cabin that he believes was drawn by Theodore Roosevelt. He suggests that William Wingate Sewall’s letters be placed in a depository for preservation and expresses the National Park Service’s desire to have photostats made of the letters for their repository.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1958
Historian Ray H. Mattison is pleased that Douglas Ferris was able to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park. Efforts are underway to secure state or federal ownership of the Joe Ferris General Store in Medora, North Dakota.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-01-02
Historian Ray H. Mattison returns the William Wingate Sewall correspondence which was used for his Elkhorn Ranch report.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-01-05
Historian Ray H. Mattison thanks Helen MacLachlan for the Elkhorn Ranch photographs. While in Maine, Mattison was able to obtain a ground plan for the ranch house.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-01-20
Historian Ray H. Mattison will attempt to contact the American Museum of Natural History regarding the Elkhorn Ranch diorama. He is sending a complimentary copy of Theodore Roosevelt and the Dakota Badlands.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-01-20
Historian Ray H. Mattison reviews his trip to the East Coast where he visited the Theodore Roosevelt Association and William Wingate Sewall’s daughters, Nancy Sewall Cunningham and Harriett S. Harmon. He inventories the items he viewed related to Theodore Roosevelt’s time in the North Dakota Badlands.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-01-22
Historian Ray H. Mattison reviews the letters available in the William Wingate Sewall correspondence. The family will need to be convinced that the materials will be handled carefully as they feel that Sewall was mistreated by Hermann Hagedorn and the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-04-28
Historian Ray H. Mattison reviews a floor plan of the Elkhorn Ranch cabin from the William Wingate Sewall collection owned by Sewall’s daughter, Nancy Sewall Cunningham. He believes that the plan was drawn by Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1959-02-10
Review of a proposal to introduce longhorn cattle at Peaceful Valley Ranch within Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park, including a history of the ranch, background information on the proposal, and recommendations.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1961-02
Historian Ray H. Mattison argues against a study to investigate the repositories of Theodore Roosevelt’s papers in order to collect the information necessary to conduct an archaeological investigation of the Elkhorn Ranch site. He believes that such a study would be redundant as several historians have already researched Roosevelt’s time in the Dakotas. Mattison suggests contacting the relevant historians before beginning a study, and that new information may be revealed through an examination of the papers of William Wingate Sewall, one of Roosevelt’s foremen who helped construct the ranch. Original and copy.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1958-09-22
The National Park Service is planning on excavating the Elkhorn Ranch site and is searching for information regarding the layout and activities of the site. Historian Ray H. Mattison requests Hermann Hagedorn’s opinion on the value of William Wingate Sewall’s papers, currently in the possession of one of Sewall’s daughters.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1958-09-24
Historian Ray H. Mattison is conducting a historical study on the Elkhorn Ranch. He requests Carleton Putnam’s assistance locating new source material regarding the Elkhorn Ranch, particularly from the Sewall and Roosevelt families.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1958-12-04