History of Maclean Family

A Little History of Norman Maclean: Clan, Influential Places and People

1. In what state of the union did Paul Maclean die? On what date? At what time?

     Paul Maclean died in Chicago, Illinois. It was late April or early May of 1938. 

2. How old was he at the time of his death?

Many people believe that he died when he was 32 however there is some debate as to whether he was born in 1905 or 1906, so he could also have been 33 years old.

3. According to the narrator, where in Scotland was the "original" family homestead?

According to Norman Maclean, the narrator, the original Maclean family homestead was on the Hebrides Island and specifically the Isle of Mull.

http://www.fascadail.co.uk/fascmap.gif

4. What were the "Highland Clearances"? What caused them and when did they occur?

The "Highland Clearances" were the mass eviction of thousands of men, women and children from there homes in the Scottish highlands during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These often violent "clearances" were driven by the wealthy of Scotland in an attempt to gain lower-class families' land and transform it into large-scale sheep farms in order to make money and have enough food to eat. However, this left many thousands of people in poverty and they were forced to emigrate to the lowlands of Scotland or leave the country all together. (http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/clearanc.htm)

Ruined croft houses on Fuaigh Mòr in Loch Roag. The island was cleared of its inhabitants in 1841 and is now only used for grazing sheep

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Clearances)

5. What were the first and last names of Norman and Paul Maclean's mother and what town in       what province was she from?

The Maclean boys' mother was named Clara Davidson (Maclean). She as born on December 18th, 1866 in Parrsboro, Novia Scotia. ( http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nscumber/files/pdffiles/births.pdf)

6. What is the Montana Club in Helena? When was if founded and why? What did people do            there?

The Montana Club is the oldest private social club in the Northwest of the United States. It is a place where people go for fine dining and various privately hosted parties and   events. It was founded in 1885 to be a private club for a men's organization.   (http://www.luxanmurfitt.com/montanaclub.htm)

http://www.luxanmurfitt.com/images/MCMontage.jpg

7. What are four events that happened in the world during the summer or year in which, "A             River Runs Through It" is set?

"A River Runs Through It" was set in 1937. That same year there were major things happening in the world and specifically leading up to WWII.

• June 7th, 1937 - Japanese forces invade Bejing, China (http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/1937/)
  
• January, 23rd, 1937 - 17 Communist leaders were tried for attempting to over throw Joseph Stalin (http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/1937/)
• April 27th, 1937 - German air force bombs the Basque city of Guernica (http://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-ii/buildup-to-world-war-26.htm)
• December 11th, 1937 - Italy withdraws from the League of Nations  (http://www.bwbs.de/bwbs_biografie/Italy_withdraws_from_the _ League_of_Nations_B1448.html)

8. Using screen shots of a map and the title story as a guide, show us the parts of the Big Blackfoot River where the historical Maclean family fished and any other land marks near the river that are important to the story. 

9. Using screen shots and a map, locate the following places: The headwaters of the Missouri River; the Maclean cabin on Seeley Lake; Little Prickley Pear Canyon; Wolf Creek; the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Briefly summarize some aspect of the history of each place.

 The headwaters of the Missouri River were visited by historic explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the summer of 1805. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_River) 

http://mappery.com/map-name/Missouri-Headwaters-State-Park-Map

The Maclean cabin on Seeley Lake was a place that the historic Macleans often spent time and where they went after Paul died. 

http://johnmacleanbooks.com/montana/ 

The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is located in southeastern Montana. 

http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language/map.htm

There was a toll road built through Little Prickly Pear Canyon in 1865. (http://mathscience.mt.gov/PricklyPear.html)

(http://fwp.mt.gov/habitat/futurefisheries/success/central.html)

Wolf Creek is one of the places that the Maclean brothers went to fly fish. It is located in central Montana.

http://www.wildmontana.org/resources/maps/1central.php

10. Who was William Campbell and what role did he play in Montana history?

As far as I can tell, William Campbell is either an author and independent film maker who now works for Homefire Productions who has done various outdoor documentaries and currently lives in Montana (http://www.homefire.com/about/about.html) or a man named William Cecil Campbell who wrote the book "From the Quarries of Last Chance Gulch". (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000QHES2I/ref=sr_1_olp_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253858015&sr=1-4).