Some letters get tucked away in a drawer, others find their way into a scrapbook, and a few become treasured pieces of history.

For Debbie Kelsey, a letter from former President Richard Nixon spent decades placed safely inside her baby book. Now, this unusual piece of presidential history has found a new home on display at the Mineral County Museum in Superior.

Kelsey, who works at the Mineral County Library, has loaned the letter to the Mineral County Museum and Historical Society, where visitors can see a personal connection between a young Oregon high school student and one of the most controversial presidents in American history. 

The story began long before the letter arrived in her mailbox. Kelsey has been a proud Republican since childhood, following in her father's footsteps. When she was a junior in high school, at age 17, a teacher encouraged her to write to Nixon, who had resigned from the presidency in August 1974. 

Kelsey took the advice to heart. 

“I just told him that I thought that he had been an honorable man and that he protected his men when maybe he should have let them protect themselves,” she recalled. 

She mailed her letter on Jan. 18, 1978, and Nixon responded on April 11. The reply was sent to her address in Oregon, but by then Kelsey had moved again. The letter was forwarded to her parents in Plains, where it waited for her until June.

Considering Kelsey's childhood, the traveling letter probably wasn't the most unusual thing to happen to her mail. 

“I actually went to 13 different schools, in five states,” she said. 

Her family moved frequently to follow mill work, and with 13 children, her father had plenty of weight on his shoulders. 

“This was when the families moved to follow mill work and with 12 siblings my dad had a lot of mouths to feed so we all understood.” 

Her travels eventually brought her back to Montana, but the letter remained with her through the years, hidden away in her baby book.

There is another interesting detail about Nixon's reply: no postage stamp or postmark. 

“That's how it was back then. You didn't need a stamp if you were the president, or the ex-president,” Kelsey explained. 

And what about the signature? In later years, she wondered whether Nixon had personally signed the letter or whether it had been produced with an autopen. The autopen was already in use in presidential administrations by the mid-20th century, including during Harry S. Truman's time in office. Presidents have used the technology for decades to sign routine correspondence, photographs and other documents. Kelsey was told that Nixon personally signed letters sent in response to people who wrote to him after his resignation. 

While the letter is a treasured keepsake, the story behind it is what makes it especially meaningful to her.

Kelsey has always been interested in politics, but she describes herself as someone who doesn't need to shout to make her point. 

“I've always been political, but I'm not outspoken or rude as I'm Republican to my core.” 

Her interest in Nixon extended beyond the letter itself. During her senior year, she used clay provided by a teacher to sculpt a bust of the former president. The clay figure had to be hollowed out before it could be dried in a kiln. The project gave her another way to express her admiration for the man who had once occupied the Oval Office. 

For decades, both the letter and the memories surrounding it stayed with her. Recently, she rediscovered the correspondence, had it framed and began thinking about how best to protect it. 

“I don't have the place to keep it safe. And I would rather have it safe than it be in my possession,” she said. 

That decision led to its indefinite loan to the Mineral County Museum and Historical Society, with the understanding that the letter can be returned to Kelsey or her family when the time comes. For now, it is available for the public to appreciate.

Kay Strombo, secretary of the Mineral County Museum and Historical Society, was delighted when Kelsey mentioned the letter during a casual conversation. The library and museum share the same building at 301 2nd Avenue East in Superior, making it easy for local history to find its way from one neighbor to another. 

“When she told me she had that letter in her baby book, I said, ‘You've got to do something with it. You've got to display it or do something with it because that is fantastic,’” Strombo said. 

Strombo even has a distant family connection to the former president. Her great-grandfather's aunt, Alice Blanche Guthery, married a Walter Millhouse, who was an uncle of sorts to Nixon. 

“So, it's a very, very long shirttail,” Strombo said with a laugh.

The letter's arrival at the museum also comes at a time when Nixon's legacy is again drawing attention. A recent federal review concerning allegations about Watergate prosecutors has raised questions about the handling of the historic case. However, it is too early to conclude that the government has determined Nixon was treated unfairly or that the penalties against him were too severe.

For museum visitors, Kelsey's letter offers a more personal way to look at a complicated chapter in American history. Rather than focusing only on the headlines, it tells the story of a teenager who took the time to write to a former president, a man who answered her, and a letter that followed her through a lifetime of moves. 

And while the letter is the newest attraction, Strombo reminds visitors that there are other treasures to discover in the museum building. Be sure to look for the old candy machine in the hallway near the quilt. Donated by Art and Hazel Jensen, it likely stood in Superior's theater beginning in the early 1940s. JoEllen Godin recently did a fine job cleaning it up, giving the old machine a fresh chance to tell its own story.

From a candy machine that once served moviegoers to a presidential letter that traveled across state lines, local history has a way of turning up in the most unexpected places. 

The museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Debbie Kelsey presents Kay Strombo with the Mineral County Museum and Historical Society a framed letter that she received from former President Richard Nixon in 1978. It is on display at the museum and open to the public Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 pm. (Photo by Florence Evans)