The Garrard papers consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, parts of the manuscript of Wah-To-Yah and the Taos Trail and related materials, two half-breed scripts that were land documents given to Native American with mixed-blood ancestry, a military commission, title deeds, and tax receipts. The material is arranged chronologically.

The correspondence is mainly between Lewis and his mother and brothers Israel, Kenner, Jeptha. The newspaper clippings concern Garrard’s term as Lake City, Minnesota’s mayor and the portrait of him in the New Mexico Historical Society.

Documents related to Wah-To-Yah and the Taos Trail contain the first five chapters of the original manuscript for the book along with several parts from additional chapters. Furthermore, the collection holds reviews for the book.

The tax receipts and title deeds concern the land owned by the Garrard family in Goodhue and Wabasha counties in eastern Minnesota. Additionally, these papers include descriptions of several pieces of land near Lake Pepin.

The miscellaneous documents contain several articles about the Garrard family in Frontenac, particularly Israel; an article on James Garrard and Kit Carson; several envelopes from Lewis; and a postcard from Lake City dated 1907.