Skip to main content

Oversize, 1850-1935

 Series
Identifier: MSS 782 Series 9

Scope and Contents

Contents include a collection of Robert S. Ellison's maps, mostly dealing with historical landmarks and famous old west battles. Materials dated 1850 to 1935.

Dates

  • 1850-1935

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Robert Spurrier Ellison (1875-1945) was a prominent Colorado lawyer, businessman, politician, historian, and author.

Robert Spurrier Ellison (1875-1945) was born in Rushville, Indiana. After graduating from Indiana University in 1900, Ellison studied law. He was admitted to the Colorado bar in 1903 and specialized in mining litigation with the Colorado Springs law firm Schuyler and Schuyler. Ellison married Vida F. Gregory of Colorado Springs in 1907.

In 1911, Ellison was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He moved to Denver in 1915, and to Casper, Wyoming in 1919. While in Wyoming, Ellison became vice-president of the Midwest Refining Company. He helped to found Wyoming's Historical Landmark Commission and served as regional director of the Oregon Trail Memorial Association. Ellison also compiled and financed a history of the Pawnee nation, for which the Pawnee Supreme Council named him a tribal chief. In 1930, Standard Oil of Indiana bought the Midwest Refining Company and transferred Ellison to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Ellison returned to Colorado Springs following his retirement in 1940, where he was elected president of the Bank of Manitou, mayor of Manitou Springs and director of the Boy Scouts of the Pikes Peak Region. Ellison wrote several books on the American West, and was considered Colorado's greatest book collector. His Western Americana collection was once said to be the second largest in the United States.

Ellison died at his home in Manitou Springs August 16, 1945.

Extent

5 oversize folders

Language of Materials

English

Other Finding Aids

Finding aid available in repository.

Other Finding Aids

File-level inventory available online. http://files.lib.byu.edu/ead/XML/MSS782.xml

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States