A Guide to the R. D. and Margaret S. Warden Collection, 1835-1990

Biographical Note

Robert D. Warden was born January 4, 1904 in Great Falls, Montana. He attended the University of Montana journalism school, graduating in 1927. Warden served in the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C. for three and a half years during World War II and was in the Navy Reserve for 21 years. He joined the staff of his father's paper, the Great Falls Tribune in 1925. He rose from cub reporter to executive editor and was part owner of the paper until it was sold in 1965. From that time until his death in 1979 he pursued his interest in western art and history with his wife, Margaret S. Warden.

Margaret S. Warden was born Margaret Smith July 18, 1917. She was a library trustee, a Montana state senator, a member of the Montana State Advisory Council for Libraries, a member of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, a member of the Montana Committee for the Humanities, and an Advisory Committee Member of the 1979 White House Conference on Library and Information Services. She died February 25, 2005.

Scope and Content Note

The R. D. and Margaret S. Warden Collection is a collection of materials reflecting the Warden's interest in the art and history of the Western United States. The collection was purchased in 1973 from R.D. Warden and Margaret S. Warden through International Bookfinders of California. Additional items were transferred to UTSA over the years after the initial purchase. The items purchased included approximately 8100 volumes and 7 feet of pamphlets, maps, and brochures now housed in the Library at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Materials are dated from 1835 to 1990 and include brochures and maps for state and national parks of the Western and Northwestern states; art prints, gallery guides, exhibition catalogs, periodicals and prints (some reproduction) of art and artists of Western subjects; maps, government documents, tourist brochures, souvenir books, Native American history, and articles about the cities and regions of the American West. The collection itself is divided into three series: Art, History, and Personal.

The Art series includes artwork with a Western theme, in the form of original prints, print reproductions, photographs, posters, engravings, sketches, and artwork published in newspapers and periodicals. The series is divided into the following subseries: Artists and Art Periodicals. The Artists subseries is arranged alphabetically by the surname of the artist with the folders containing their artwork, exhibitions, and any written information on or especially attributed to them. Many famous Western artists are represented in this subseries, with a large portion of the artwork from Frederic Remington. The Art Periodicals subseries consists of various periodicals that focus primarily on Western art. It includes art magazines, gallery catalogs, conference journals, and a stamp collection.

The History series includes newspaper articles, pamphlets, maps, government documents, tourist brochures, souvenir books, Native American history, and items covering the cities and regions of the American West and Canada. The series is divided into the following subseries: People and Places. The People subseries is organized into five sections containing any written information on or especially attributed to: George A. Custer, J. Frank Dobie, Lyndon B. Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Walter Prescott Webb. The Places subseries is organized by geographical regions and states. It contains histories, pamphlets, newspaper articles, brochures, maps, government documents, periodicals, poems and other ephemera that correspond to geographical areas and states in the American West and Canada. Much of the material covers the American West in general and the state of Montana. Within the materials for the state of Montana, Louis A. Parson's Metallurgy Trip Diary (1909) is an outstanding item. The diary details visits to the Washoe Smelter of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Anaconda, Montana and to the Boston and Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company Smelter at Great Falls, Montana. The diary includes an index, several drawings, and detailed descriptions of the operations of the smelters.

The Warden series is made up of items that are associated with the Wardens themselves. It includes catalogs, correspondence, photographs, printed materials, and sheet music.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], R.D. and Margaret S. Warden Collection, MS 138, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

The Warden Collection was purchased by University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections in 1973 from R. D. and Margaret S. Warden of Great Falls, Montana. R.D. Warden, a former newspaper reporter, editor and publisher and his wife Margaret, a former state senator in Montana, accumulated their collection of Western Americana over a span of 20 years.

Processing Information

Processed by Chris Lehman, Intern, Summer 2005; and Mathew Martin, Collections Assistant, Summer 2006.

Note to Researchers

Warden's obituary, correspondence between Mrs. Warden and UTSA regarding the collection, and newspaper articles about purchase of the collection are contained within the collection's control file. Please contact University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections about accessing these materials.

Detailed Description of the Collection