The records of the William B. Cairns Victory Post 57, American Legion are divided into four series, William B. Cairns Victory Post 57, American Legion; Dane County Voiture No. 683, La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux; Southern Wisconsin Red Arrow Club; and Photographs.
William B. Cairns Victory Post 57, American Legion (1922-1983) is the largest series in the collection and documents Post 57 from its earliest days, however the bulk of the material dates from the 1930s-1960s. Documentation of the post includes several versions of the constitution and by-laws, financial records, minutes and reports of the post executive committee, and a nearly complete set of post membership record cards from 1922-1967. Two sets of continuous membership cards date from the 1950s and 1960s, which provide a history of American Legion membership for each post member. Some of the cards also include background information on post members and attached newspaper clippings. Post and post-sponsored activities covered in the collection include Badger Boys State applications and correspondence from 1955-1961; the results of a 1930 community survey on health, education, and government topics conducted by the Legion in both Madison and Wisconsin; post newsletters from 1949-1971 containing activity and member notes, although the bulk of these are from the 1960s; and Memorial Day observances. Also included are some materials on the history of the post and news clippings documenting the Legion and other veterans' organizations.
Dane County Voiture No. 683, La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux (1936-1962) is comprised of correspondence, financial records, minutes and reports, and other materials documenting the activities of the Dane County voiture or post of the 40/8. The bulk of the series is from the 1940s and 1950s. Extensive coverage is given to the 1958 and 1959 Wisconsin Sports & Home Shows, which the post sponsored and publicized as a fund-raising venture. A significant amount of post correspondence with members, other posts, and the national 40/8 organization is also included. Membership issues such as nominations and dues are also covered. Financial records of the post include a ledger, Federal tax returns, and some bank records from the 1930s and 1940s.
Southern Wisconsin Red Arrow Club (1979-1983) is the smallest and least interesting series in the collection. The Southern Wisconsin Red Arrow Club was apparently a fund raising organization within Post 57 that sponsored bingo events. The series consists of 'bingo occasion reports' made to the Wisconsin Bingo Control Board, records of receipts from bingo events, and a small number of bills and invoices.
Photographs (1918-1983) consists of three sub-series: the Cairns Victory Post 57, the Dane County Voiture No. 683, and the Ray S. Owen First World War photograph collection. The Post 57 photographs include images of post-sponsored activities such as baseball teams, Badger Boys State, and Boy Scout groups; poppy drives; post meetings and events; Memorial Day parades; and portraits of Post 57 and Legion members. The Voiture No. 683 photographs include a number of images of 40/8 members during initiations and meetings that they call 'wrecks', public performances, and other 'fun' activities; images of the post 'engine' and 'box car' used in parades and other public events; promotional and publicity photographs; and photographs taken at the Wisconsin Sports & Home Show featuring images of performers, vendors, beauty queen contestants, and attendees.
The highlight of the Cairns Victory Post 57 Collection is the Ray S. Owen First World War Photograph Collection. Owen was an American Expeditionary Force (AEF) veteran who served as an officer with G2 (Intelligence) at AEF Headquarters, and who, after the war, was an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin and a member of Post 57. This is a superb group of more than 400 official military photographs features images taken on the Western Front during the waning days of the First World War and in the months just after the Armistice. Virtually all of the photographs have an identification number and title, which had been written on the photographic negative. A number of the photographs are in fair to poor condition.
The First World War collection is comprised of five sub-fields, Aerial Views, Battlefield Views, Cemeteries, Cities & Towns, and War Materiel. The Aerial Views sub-series includes images of cities and towns, primarily in France, general landscape views, and a few images of military installations. Some of the photographs have military features and other landmarks are noted in ink. The Battlefield Views sub-series includes images of a variety of buildings, mostly damaged or destroyed; views of the front lines, including sites of AEF unit positions and engagements, 'no man's land,' trenches, and a few images of human and animal remains; images of battlefield infrastructure such as bridges, railroads, and roads; photographs of military installations including a wide variety of homes and other buildings used as AEF facilities, a large number of dugouts and pillboxes (mostly German), artillery and machine gun emplacements (mostly destroyed), and several views of observations posts, including a forward observation post built to look like a tree; and some views of other battlefield landmarks and landscapes. Cemeteries is comprised of 10 views of Allied and German cemeteries and grave markers. Cities & Towns includes views of a variety of cities and towns, most of which are in France. Although there is war damage shown in virtually every photographs they have been divided into photographs showing damaged and destroyed cities and towns and those showing relatively intact communities. The cities and towns depicted are named on the photographs. The final sub-series is War Materiel. Featured are a variety of photographs of aircraft, including one clearly showing a plane and camera used for aerial reconnaissance; views of German artillery, including large 'Big Bertha' artillery pieces; a few photographs of artillery shells and small arms, including an image of an anti-aircraft gun; and several views of tanks and trucks, both damaged and intact.
