Shirley Cunningham Nopp papers

Collection

Identifier: WCMss-759

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Shirley Cunningham Nopp papers consist of correspondence sent to Rose Alinde Sauvé Riel and her husband, Francis Riel. Materials date from 1868 to 1906.

Dates

Creation: 1868 - 1906

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

During the 1870s, tens of thousands of French Canadians migrated from Canada to the United States, establishing French ‘colonies’ as they settled. Polk County, Minnesota was one such ‘colony,’ home to the towns of Gentilly and Crookston. It is in Gentilly that Francis Riel, originally from Saint-Michel-de-Napierville, met and married Rose Alinde Sauvé, a Bergevin/Langevin from St-Timothée, Beauharnois, Quebec, in 1888. In January 1896, Francis and Rose joined Rose’s great-great uncle Sylvain Langevin and ten other family members in migrating to Yakima Valley, Washington. The group settled around the soon-to-be-established town of Moxee, which quickly grew into a small but thriving French Canadian community.

Extent

.5 Linear Feet (1 document box)

Language of Materials

French

Additional Description

Abstract

The Shirley Cunningham Nopp papers consist of correspondence sent to Rose Alinde Sauvé Riel and her husband, Francis Riel. The couple, originally from southwestern Quebec, migrated from Polk County, Minnesota to Moxee, Washington in 1896. Materials date from 1868 to 1906.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Shirley Cunningham Nopp papers were donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives in 2013, in connection with related accessions (numbers 2013-080, 2013-009, 2013-010, and 2013-013) and the work of Professor Sarah Hurlburt. No deed of gift was found for this collection.

Bibliography

Hurlburt, Sarah. “French-Canadian Kin Networks and Secondary Migration: From Minnesota to Washington.” In Déploiements canadiens-français et métis en Amérique du Nord (18e-20e siècle), edited by Yves Frenette, Marc St-Hilaire and Marie-Ève Harton, 93-117. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2023.

Processing Information

The materials in this collection were stored with other collections related to Sarah Hurlburt's work in the French-Canadian and Métis communities of Eastern Washington/Northeastern Oregon, and were not processed until 2023-2024. Conversations with Sarah Hurlburt, Anya Millard, and River Freemont helped to clarify the origins of and connections between the materials.

Materials in this collection were rehoused in acid-free folders.