James C. Richardson papers, circa 1877-1878.

2.71 linear feet (2 boxes)

English

Purchased from Michael Vinson on the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Fund for Western Americana, 2021.

This material is open for research.

James C. Richardson (1833-1902) was an artist and settler in Dakota Territory, Wyoming Territory, and Colorado.

Collection includes an autograph manuscript diary, a photograph, and an oil painting documenting James C. Richardson's life in Dakota Territory, Wyoming Territory, and Colorado, 1877-1878. The diary records Richardson's journey from his home in Rhode Island to Dakota Territory in 1877, including a voyage on a steamboat and descriptions of Sioux City, Yankton, and Fort Pierre. Richardson and five other men traveled from Fort Pierre to Deadwood, South Dakota with an ox-team. Later entries describe Richardson's life in Deadwood, including gold prospecting, hunting, painting, discovering fossils, and his difficulty finding work. He left Deadwood for Cheyenne, Wyoming in the summer of 1877, where he stayed briefly before moving to Colorado. In Colorado, he voted in favor of women's suffrage in the 1877 referendum. Several entries record encounters between white settlers and Native Americans, including Yankton (also called Ihanktonwan Dakota Oyate) and Brulé (also called Sičháŋǧu Oyáte) in Dakota Territory. In one passage, Richardson describes a raid by Crazy Horse's Oglala war party in Deadwood in June 1877. The photograph depicts six unidentified men, likely Richardson and his travel companions. The painting depicts a landscape and was likely based on a sketch Richardson made on the route between Deadwood and Cheyenne.

Archives or Manuscripts / Images

October 08, 2021

James C. Richardson Papers. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

James C. Richardson Papers. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.