The collection contains a variety of materials created and gathered by Fisher for reference, illustrating his own research and the work of the Menominee Indian Study Committee. In particular, the papers include both general correspondence and a file of letters written by Constance Deer, self-proclaimed protector of Menominee interests. Most of the correspondence is found in printed form or as copies of the originals. A large file of legislation and related papers consists of federal and Wisconsin bills, drafts of legislation, reports of hearings, government publications, and other material pertaining to legislation and its progress through the Congress and Wisconsin legislature. Much of this file directly concerns the Menominee Indian termination, but earlier records deal with the termination of reservation status of the Klamath Indians in Oregon.
Fisher's papers include extensive files of minutes and announcements of regular and special meetings of the Menominee Advisory and General Councils. In addition, there are scattered minutes, copies of correspondence, memos, and other communications, reports, and a lengthy bibliography from the Menominee Indian Study Committee itself. There are also small files of reports and general papers, usually concerning the current operating status of Menominee Enterprises, Menominee Mills, and the Menominee Indian Agency. Copies of the Menominee Indian Tribal Rolls, compiled in 1939 and again in 1955 for the purposes of determining degree of Indian blood, membership in the tribe, and qualifications for receiving payments from the sale of Menominee-owned forest products, are also present in the collection. A major portion of the papers consists of reports and other material apparently collected only for reference purposes. The general file of reports dates from the 1940s, and contains a wealth of information on the economic, political, and social history and conditions of the Menominee Indians, proposals for future control of and changes in their assets (primarily the Menominee forest), and some items regarding the Klamath Indian termination experience. Specific reports and data concern Menominee births and deaths; selected census figures; annual reports of reservation churches, schools, and health and hospital services; and a summary of costs attributable to termination. In 1954, several tribal officials were in Washington, D.C. for government hearings on termination; the collection includes a series of weekly newsletters summarizing their activities and impressions for those who remained in Wisconsin. A small file of material concerning other organizations, but related to the Menominee Indians and conservation of their resources, is also present. The progress of determination and self-government for the Menominee is illustrated in the collection's file of news clippings. Most of these clippings were taken from the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal, Madison Capital Times, and Wisconsin State Journal.
Many of the papers in the collection contain Fisher's underlining and handwritten annotations. His participation in the creation of reports and statements of the Menominee Indian Study Committee is clear in some places, but must be inferred in others. Copies of the drafts and articles by the Committee may be found in the files of reports and reference material.
