Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Olive Treat Diary, Ms1988-114, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Olive Treat Diary was purchased by Special Collections in 1988.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Olive Treat Diary commenced and was completed in May 2013.

Biographical Note

Olive Marion Graef Treat, daughter of Charles and Grace Graef, was born on December 19, 1869. She married Harry Whitney Treat (1865-1922), a graduate of Cornell University and a successful Chicago mining capitalist, on June 4, 1896. The Treats moved to Seattle in 1902, and had two daughters. Harry Treat engaged in various business ventures, including the development of mining properties in British Columbia. Olive Treat was among the incorporators of the Children's Orthopedic Hospital in 1907, and was a charter member of the city's Sunset Club in 1913.

Olive Treat died on January 4, 1945, and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

Source: "Olive Graef Treat" entry, Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57426666/olive-treat , accessed Dec. 14, 2022.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a single diary maintained by Olive Graef Treat, a resident of New York, Chicago, and Seattle; and wife of Harry W. Treat, a successful mining venture capitalist. The entries commence in Chicago on January 1, 1897 and continue through the year nearly uninterrupted. The first diary entry is in a different hand--presumably that of Harry W. Treat--and during two occasions of a week or more in which Olive Treat did not have access to the diary, entries were made by her husband (whom Olive Treat refers to as "Kim"). The diary entries focus largely on social activities, Harry Treat's mining business activities, travel, family, and the weather.

Though the diary begins with the Treats in Chicago, much of their year was spent traveling: a month was spent with family in New York beginning in mid-January; another month in British Columbia, as Harry Treat oversaw operations at his mine at Van Anda; and another trip to New York via Quebec in mid-summer. The Treats left for New York again in September and seem not to have returned to Chicago for the remainder of the year. The New York diary entries make frequent mention of recreation (boat races, tennis and croquet) and entertainment, including the many theatrical productions that Olive Treat attended. The entries made in British Columbia frequently mention details of her husband's mining business, in which Olive Treat was actively interested. The collection also contains a few loose materials that had been inserted in the diary, including three photographic portraits of the Treats and several small pencil sketches.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Diaries
• Women -- History
• Women travelers -- United States

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Olive Treat Diary by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).