Treasure State Tycoon
Nelson Story and the Making of Montana
by John C. Russell
published by Montana Historical Society Press
Treasure State Tycoon recounts the remarkable life of Nelson G. Story, a colorful and contradictory figure whose influence on Montana's development was profound and rivaled by few others in its history.
After striking it rich in gold fields of Alder Gulch, Story drove the first herd of cattle from Texas to the territory that would become the Treasure State and went on to build a commercial empire of diverse interests, the success of which relied both on his determination and ingenuity as well as his penchant for fraud and deceit.
Story's reputation for ruthlessness in both personal and professional conduct was well earned, but he was also a generous philanthropist, supporting local churches, schools, and other civic improvements. He tirelessly promoted the upstart community of Bozeman, playing a central role in the establishment of the Montana State College of Mechanical and Agricultural Arts―today's Montana State University.
Like other political and business leaders of his time, Nelson Story left behind a legacy rife with paradoxes that gave shape to life in Montana and continues to resonate in the contested mythology of the American West.
350 pages, 7 x 10, index, Perfect Bound
softcover
ISBN 10: 1940527945
ISBN 13: 9781940527949
$19.95
RELEASE DATE
June 2019
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Nelson Story and the Making of Montana |
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A resident of Bozeman for more than forty years, John C. Russell is best known as a broadcast journalist and former director of the Gallatin (County) Historical Society and Pioneer Museum. John received a Bachelor of Science degree in history from Montana State University in 1978. Beginning in 1997, he put his history degree to direct use by taking over the directorship of the Gallatin (County) Historical Society, where, among other things, he expanded membership, oversaw the fundraising and construction of the museum's research center, enlarged the local oral history collection, and designed the first ever magazine devoted to local history, the Pioneer Museum Quarterly. Since leaving the museum in 2014, John has been working on several historical writing projects. |