1930-1934

File — Box: 6, Folder: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Matthew F. Steele Papers consist of newspaper clippings; a short autobiography, reminiscence of his involvement in the death of Sitting Bull; correspondence from January 1899 until October 1907; and diaries covering January 1920 to February 1952.

The newspaper clippings are his obituary and a few articles on Mr. Steele written by Roy P. Johnson, a staff writer for the Fargo Forum, and Steele family obituaries. Among the articles is a copy of Steele’s article published in the North American Review in 1906, titled “The ‘Color Line’ in the Army.” The reminiscences of his involvement in the death of Sitting Bull and the autobiography are part of a 12-leaf typed written manuscript written for the local Masonic Lodge. The reminiscences are a very good narrative of Steele's observations concerning the death of Sitting Bull in 1890. The autobiography is a good summary but not complete for his early life. The Correspondence Series consists primarily of letters written to his mother at Avondale, near Birmingham, Alabama from 1899 until 1907. Several letters to his father, sister, and from his mother are also present in the collection. The letters describe in detail his daily activities and the locations where he served during part of his military career. The first six months of correspondence of 1899 include letters from Fargo, North Dakota; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Fort Meade, South Dakota; Chicago, Illinois; Huntsville, Alabama; New York, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Sioux City, Iowa. These letters document the time before his assignment to the Thirtieth Volunteer Infantry. The letters from 1899 through 1903 concern primarily his first assignment in the southern Luzon of the Philippine Islands. They describe the formation of the Thirtieth Volunteer Infantry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, the boat trip to the Philippines, and actions against the rebels. Steele was responsible for the running of the city of Lucban, south of Manila. He was very effective at this task because he was one of the few members of the United States Military on the island who spoke Spanish fluently. Additionally, during this time his wife joined him in the Philippines. The correspondence from 1903 through 1907 was written while he was an instructor at the United States Army Command and Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and includes a trip that he took to Europe. The Diaries Series documents 1920 to 1952 and describes his daily activities as a Fargo businessman. These consist of weather information, a record of his appointments and activities, and his opinion of current events. The diaries are very sketchy and do not contain much information, although during World War II he wrote in a little more detail.