Archive
Cultural Record Keepers, Volume 41, number 4
Norman W. Brillhart Collection
University of Oklahoma Libraries' Western History Collections
Courtesy of University of Oklahoma Libraries.
The Norman W. Brillhart Collection bookplate depicts the route Brillhart believed Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer followed during the Battle of the Little Big Horn River in 1876. This graphic depiction of Custer's route summarizes Brillhart's lifetime of reading, travel, and research devoted to the controversial subject of Custer and the Little Big Horn.
The Norman W. Brillhart Collection, held by the University of Oklahoma Libraries' Western History Collections, is comprised of rare books and special material on George Armstrong Custer, the 7 th Cavalry Regiment, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn River. All of the major works necessary for research on Custer and the Little Big Horn are in Brillhart's collection, as are many lesser-known works that offer supporting documentation and alternative theories on the battle. Brillhart also collected research materials on the Native Americans affected by the Battle of the Little Big Horn River, which reflected an unusual and advanced viewpoint for a mid-twentieth-century historical collector.
Norman W. Brillhart was born in 1895 in Bowie, Texas, but lived his adult life primarily in Madill, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1917. Brillhart enjoyed success with his oil and gas interests and branched out into other business ventures in Oklahoma and Texas. He remained closely associated with the University of Oklahoma throughout his career and much of his and his wife's generosity was directed toward the university. Among their gifts are many contributions to the University Libraries' Western History Collections for the acquisition of new research materials on the American West. One such collection is the Edward Everett Dale Collection, one of the largest and most popular manuscript collections at the Western History Collections library.
Brillhart always found time to devote to researching George Armstrong Custer. He visited the site of the Battle of Little Big Horn River in Montana to examine and photograph the topography of the land and formulate his theory on the route Custer took during the battle. Custer's movements across the land have been the subject of endless debate by scholars. It is Brillhart's theory on this mystery that is depicted on the Brillhart Collection bookplate.
The majority of the Brillhart Collection was donated to the Western History Collections a few years after Brillhart's death in 1974. It occupies a balcony study area in the library's reading room and is furnished with military memorabilia, battle illustrations, and aerial photographs of the Little Big Horn battle site. Researchers of American military history find in it a wealth of information and it has proven an invaluable resource for university students and faculty for years.
— Kristina L. Southwell, Associate Professor of Bibliography, University of Oklahoma Libraries
