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Missoula Farmers' Market records, 1972-2010

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Missoula Farmers' Market
Title
Missoula Farmers' Market records
Dates
1972-2010 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.6 linear feet, (67 electronic files (2.08 MB))
Collection Number
Mss 788
Summary
The Missoula Farmers' Market was established in 1972 by Mavis McKelvey and Chinwon Reinhardt. The Market has promoted locally grown produce and serves as a social venue for its clients. This collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, Market policies and bylaws, and photographic materials. The collection details both the challenges of maintaining a vital community organization over time and the broader impact of the Market on Missoula.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English.
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Historical Note

The Missoula Farmers' Market was established as a non-profit corporation on June 7, 1972 by Missoula City Ordinance 1485. Mavis McKelvey and Chinwon Reinhardt were instrumental in the founding of the Market, which was granted space on East Railroad Street west of Pattee Street, which is where the Market still operates as of 2011. McKelvey and Reinhardt intended the Market to be a venue specifically for small local farmers and gardeners. The first Market was held on July 21, 1972. While the Market's board briefly considered expanding the market to out-of-state growers in 1977, the market has remained local. In the mid-1980s, the Market was given a boost by the influx of Hmong growers who initially moved to the Bitterroot Valley to farm pigs. Many in the newly established Hmong community became successful produce farmers and have been fixtures in the Missoula Farmers' Market for many years. Another change impacting the Market was the establishment of the Clark Fork River Market in 2005, as some of vendors left the Missoula Farmers' Market for the Clark Fork River Market.

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Content Description

The Missoula Farmers' Market Records contains documents created by the Market's Board of Directors for the administration and promotion of the Market. This includes documents establishing the organization and rules for the Market, meeting minutes, ordinances directly related to the Market, correspondence, and photographs and slides of the Market. The scrapbooks in this collection provide a strong overview of the Market's history, while documents such as the bylaws and minutes provide more detailed information about the Market's operations. Recurring issues that arise in these documents revolve around rules governing the Market, including what may be sold (e.g., crafts, bread, eggs) and who is allowed to sell. Digital materials, including governance documents and correspondence, are also contained in the collection

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Intellectual property rights to this collection have not been transferred to Archives and Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

Missoula Farmers' Market Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Missoula Farmers' Market Records is organized into five series:

Series I: Market governance, 1.0 linear feet, 29 electronic files, 1972-2005

Series II: Correspondence, 0.1 linear feet, 20 electronic files, 1996-2008

Series III: Directories and lists, 0.1 linear feet, 13 electronic files, 1992-2010

Series IV: Miscellaneous, 0.1 linear feet, 5 electronic files, 1992-2008

Series V: Photographs and print media, 1.3 linear feet, 1972-2010

Preservation Note

Digital files require software that can open and read Portable Document Format files

Acquisition Information

The Missoula Farmers' Market Records were donated to the Archives by Mavis McKelvey in November 2010.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Steven Bingo in 2011. Much of the collection was refoldered and reorganized into its current series arrangement. Applications for Market Master and Assistant Market Master were not retained, nor were their performance appraisals. The electronic files were processed in 2017 by Erin Baucom. The electronic files original file names were retained and the files were processed according to the series arrangement established for the paper materials.

Bibliography

The Mansfield Library holds the following item about the Missoula Farmers' Market:

Bradford, Kathryn E., "Building social relationships, building business : a case study of vendors at the Missoula Farmers' Market". M.A. thesis, The University of Montana, 2003.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Cooperative marketing of farm produce--Montana--Missoula.
  • Farmers' markets--Montana--Missoula.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs
  • Scrapbooks

Finding aid prepared by Steven Bingo (2011).
2011

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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