Private Historian

I was reading an account of Will Bagley yesterday and his research into the Mountain Meadows. Apparently he was being paid to do the research and so when it came time to publish his findings there was some difficulty determining the ownership of the material. His employer was apparently on the run for tax evasion and all his assets were "tied up". To solve the problem, Mr. Bagley proposed he purchase the rights to the research so he could publish. Accordingly the courts assessed the value of his work, including expenses over a little less than 2 years, at $250,000.

I had no idea private historian work was so lucrative. I suppose if you are flying back and forth across the west the expenses can pile up. I know we all have our opinions of Will Bagley, but anyone know how accurate that figure is?