William Alexander Carter papers, 1837-1975,, bulk bulk 1860-1869

Summary

Creators:

Carter, William Alexander, 1820-1881.

Abstract:

The William Alexander Carter papers, 1837-1975 (bulk 1860-1869) contains Carter's business and personal papers as a sutler at Fort Bridger, Utah Territory. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, mainly to Carter, along with legal papers, financial records, and items relating to Carter and to his family. The papers give a detailed view of a busy period during the history of Fort Bridger as a center of regional business and government, and likewise reflect the business, political, and personal aspects of Carter's career during an active and successful period. Carter's business involved people from all over the United States, but regional centers like Salt Lake City and St. Louis are particularly well represented, as is New York City.

Extent:

Number of containers: 5 boxes and 2 oversize folders Linear feet: 2.3

Language:

Collection materials are in English.

Background

Scope and content:

The William Alexander Carter papers, 1837-1975 (bulk 1860s) contains Carter's business and personal papers as a sutler at Fort Bridger, Utah Territory. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, mainly to Carter, along with legal papers, financial records, and items relating to Carter and to his family. The papers give a detailed view of a busy period during the history of Fort Bridger as a center of regional business and government, and likewise reflect the business, political, and personal aspects of Carter's career during an active and successful period. Carter's business involved people from all over the United States, but regional centers like Salt Lake City and St. Louis are particularly well represented, as is New York City.

Correspondence includes letters to Carter from high-level U.S. government and army officials, army personnel at regional forts, merchants, financial institutions and others involved in business affairs in the Rocky Mountains and in Utah Territory, along with a small number of letters from Carter. Also includes letters to J. Van Allen Carter and other Carter family members. Financial records of daily business operations at Fort Bridger reflect its role as a trading post and government supplier, while legal records relate to the Fort Bridger land ownership controversy between Jim Bridger, Brigham Young, and the U.S. government. Includes Carter's governmental appointments, contracts for army supplies between Carter and the government or other individuals, material relating to mining and petroleum claims and real estate, as well as documents generated by Carter as Probate Judge and by David A. Burr as Justice of the Peace at Fort Bridger. Writings by and about Carter include his brief notes on the Seminole War and on Indian activity at Fort Bridger, a "diary" probably compiled from letters he wrote to his wife, and other miscellaneous items.

Also included with the collection are the research materials gathered by Herbert Auerbach for a book or article on Fort Bridger. These include Auerbach's notes, documents copied from various institutions and publications, reminiscences collected about Jim Bridger, Louis Vasquez, William Alexander Carter, mountain men and trappers, and life at Fort Bridger, as well as photographs of Jim Bridger, William A. Carter, and the Fort Bridger area.

Biographical / historical:

William A. Carter of Virginia began his army service in the Seminole War and became a sutler or purveyor after his discharge. Later, as a Missouri settler and an 1850 overland emigrant to California, Carter came to Fort Bridger with Albert Johnston's Utah Expedition in 1857 and spent the rest of his life there as a sutler and post trader. In addition to his business provisioning emigrants traveling overland, Carter was active in mining, lumbering, and ranching. He was his own bookkeeper, a custodian of government funds, and served in a number of public offices, including those of probate judge, justice of the peace, and notary public. He was known as a friend of the Shoshone and Ute Indians. Carter unsuccessfully solicited an appointment as Wyoming Territory's first governor, and was a public relations man for Fort Bridger and the area, giving enthusiastic accounts during his regular trips to Virginia and Washington D.C. After his death in 1881 until 1890, his widow, Mary E. Carter, and their children carried on business at Fort Bridger.

Fort Bridger was a trading post in Utah Territory at Black's Fork on the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming. It was established by mountain man, Jim Bridger, with Louis Vasquez, as an emigrant supply stop on the Oregon Trail in 1843, and was purchased by the Mormons in 1853. Burned during the Mormon conflicts in 1857, the fort was rebuilt in 1858 for use by the army and was run by Carter. Although the army leased the fort from Bridger, both Bridger and Brigham Young believed they owned the fort. Fort Bridger was an important supply station for emigrants traveling overland, and served as one of the main hubs of westward expansion used by mountain men, Indians, emigrants, Mormon pioneers, the U.S. Army, and the Pony Express. As Carter's residence, it also served as a social, cultural, and political center in the region, drawing guests from the East and those with business in the area. Carter's family continued to live at the fort until 1928, when it was sold to the Wyoming Historical Landmark Commission for preservation. Today Fort Bridger is a Wyoming State Park.

Acquisition information:

The William Alexander Carter Papers, 1837-1975 (bulk 1860-1869) were purchased by The Bancroft Library from Ken Lopez on January 7, 1993.

Physical location:

Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Rules or conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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