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Alice Fletcher was described as stern, sly and independent by Nicole Tonkovich, professor of American literature at the University of California, who has written extensive books on Fletcher’s life, writing and influence on American history.

Tonkovich gave a lecture and did a book signing on Sept. 22 at the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation in Holland Library. The lecture covered some of her research on Fletcher and gave a brief history on Fletcher’s work.

A self-proclaimed “archive rat,” Tonkovich studied the letters written by Fletcher during the Nez Perce Allotment between 1889 and 1892. She explained that WSU’s own campus was built on some of the land gained by the government during this time.

According to Tonkovich, women were a big part of taking land with written letters, not guns. Fletcher’s role was to write bureaucratic letters from where she was on the Nez Perce reservation.

Tonkovich’s biographical collection, “Dividing the Reservation,” is a detailed documentary of Fletcher’s letters and diary entries exactly as she had written them in the late 19th century. This book also includes photographs taken by E. Jane Gay, who accompanied Fletcher on her travels.

“It’s a very revealing book of the events,” Bob Clark, editor-in-chief of WSU Press said, “It’s not a pleasure read.”

Trevor Bond, co-director of the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation explains that he is also in charge of the archives connecting him directly to Tonkovich’s work.

“I’m a big fan,” Bond said.

Tonkovich has written previous books analyzing Fletcher’s work and letters. She also explored Fletcher’s personal life of which there is very little documentation, as she burned most of her personal letters during her year on the Nez Perce reservation.