The McCracken Library at the BB Center of the West (Cody Museum) in Cody is probably The place for manuscript collections such as we might be interested in. I came to meet the Ass. Curator of the WF Cody papers and she convinced me to take another look at this extraordinary Library.
http://centerofthewest.org/research/mccracken-research-library/archon/That link will take you to the Archival Collection List, collections of papers, etc. available for research, some very familiar names with many striking my imagination and curiosity. They catalog and preserve for future researchers.
I'm going to send copies of my books (you an also search their book collection through Wyoming Libraries) because they don't appear to have them and I would like them to.
My "archives" are about my career in the main, but I also have extensive written correspondence with custom gunmakers and engravers from back when we used to writer letters.
I believe the McCracken would be a worthy location for Michael's archives, then waterman, or other future researchers will be able to go do their own research and answer their own questions.
Research in by necessity a labor of love. Various folks have thought I should continue, or archive other's papers, but I've got my own, and I write a dozen magazine article every year to pay my mortgage and I'm plenty busy writing and researching (eh Terry?).
Thankfully the bulk of my writing has been published but there is plenty that has never seen book form and we all have piles of magazines that someone will trash if we don't. These days it Must be digitized to be preserved. Newspapers and magazines are the first thing to go when the heirs clean the place out, and I'm sure we are all inundated with paper in this form. (Joe, what does Michael's magazine stash look like?)
I'm trying to find time to razor blade my two boxes of Sports Afield columns to preserve in a binder as the book I would like to see published on custom rifles.
