Matthew W. Alderson

Born in 1855, Matthew W. Alderson was associated with Montana journalism and mining, and archival records place his papers alongside family materials connected with literary writing, newspapers, and public life in the state. He is best known today for the poetry collection How She Felt in Her First Corset, and Other Poems, published in Butte, Montana, in 1887.

That book is the main work currently linked to his name in major public-domain catalogs, and it has helped preserve his place as a regional writer from the early days of Montana print culture. The poems reflect the tone and interests of their era, mixing humor, sentiment, and everyday observation.

Alderson died in 1924. Some historical records describe him not only as a writer but also as a longtime figure in Montana's mining and newspaper world, which helps explain the practical, local character that surrounds his surviving work.