Montana State Water Conservation Board records

Montana State Water Conservation Board records, 1898-1977

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Montana State Water Conservation Board.
Title: Montana State Water Conservation Board records
Dates: 1898-1977 (inclusive)
18981977
Quantity: 19 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number: RS 37
Summary: These Montana State Water Conservation Board records (1898-1977) consist primarily of general correspondence, outgoing correspondence, court papers, employment records, financial records, hearings, legal documents, organizational charts, reports, speeches, and subject files relating to specific projects.
Repository: Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions: Collection open for research
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)

Historical NoteReturn to Top

During the early years of the New Deal in the 1930s, water conservation funds became available to the states from the federal government. To take advantage of this opportunity, a special session of the Montana Legislative Assembly convened in late 1933 and created the State Water Conservation Board to channel both state and federal money into small irrigation projects. An individual farmer who wanted to build and irrigation facility petitioned the Board and, if his proposal was accepted, the Board built the project and the farmer reimbursed the state. By 1952, the State Water Conservation Board had built 173 projects throughout the state.

In 1965 the Board assumed the functions of the State Engineer and the Carey Land Act Board. In 1967 the Montana Water Resources Board was created to assume the duties of the State Water Conservation Board, and to coordinate all water resource development programs around the state. Other duties included the administration of weather modification laws and the preparation of a comprehensive inventory of the state's water resources and a multiple use water plan for the state.

In 1971, as part of the general reorganization of state government, the Water Resources Board was abolished and its functions taken over in 1972 by the Water Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources and by the Board of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Records consist primarily of reports by the State Water Conservation Board, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the Army Corps of Engineers regarding existing and potential irrigation and power projects along the Yellowstone River and its Montana and Wyoming tributaries, and concerning irrigation projects statewide. In addition there is general correspondence, annual financial reports, subject files, a summary of Board activities (1934-1935), payrolls and timesheets (1934-1943), a volume recording easements granted by the Board (1963-1964), a District Court transcript (1940) for the case Allendale Irrigation Company vs the State Water Conservation Board, general ledgers for several water projects, a project register by county, and two scrapbooks of clippings (1934-1937) on the formation and work of the Board.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by series.

Location of Collection

18:6-6

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Processing Note

Maps were separated to the Library; photographs were separated to the Photograph Archives. They can be found in LOT 29.

For minutes and resolutions of the Board, see S98-2 or State Microfiche 2. For records of the Board's successor--the Montana Water Resources Board--see Record Series 43. See Record Series 32 for records of the Carey Land Act Board and Record Series 34 for records of the State Engineer.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

General CorrespondenceReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1 / 1	Alberta Deptartment of Northern Affairs and National Resources (includes overview of duties of State Water Conservation Board)	1965
1 / 2	Lewis and Clark County Soil Conservation District; Liberty County Soil Conservation District	1958, 1962
1 / 3-4	Montana Reclamation Association	1950-1957
1 / 5	Montana State Soil Conservation Committee (includes minutes)	1961-1964
1 / 6	The Soil Conservation Society of America	1962
1 / 7	United States Federal Power Commission	1951
1 / 8-10	United States Soil Conservation Service (re cooperative programs)	1956-1967

Outgoing CorrespondenceReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1 / 11	Miscellaneous	1965

Court Papers Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1 / 12	Allendale Irrigation Company vs. State Water Conservation Board and Flint Creek Water Users' Association brief of respondents (re allocation of water of Flint Creek in Granite County)	1942

Employment RecordsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1 / 13-17	Monthly time books	1934 October-1938 March
2 / 1-3	Monthly time books	1934 October-1938 March
Volume
Vol. 1-4	Payroll distribution: claims #4-18756	1934 February-1943 April
Vol. 5	Payroll distribution: Public Works Administration	1937-1940

Financial RecordsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2 / 4	Receipts for sets of plans and specifications	1948-1949
Volume
Vol. 5	General ledger: Daly Ditches	1943-1947
Volume
Vol. 6	General ledger: Red Lodge-Rock Creek Project	1935-1950
Vol. 7	General ledger: Willow Creek, Ackley Lake, Ruby River, Tongue River, Nevada Creek, upper Musselshell, Broadwater-Missouri, Deadman's Basin projects	1936-1951

HearingsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2 / 5	Statements of Governor Sam Ford, Ralph Bricker, D.P. Fabrick, and Fred Buck before joint hearing of House and Senate Water Conservation Committees	1947 January

Legal DocumentsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2 / 6	Application by United States Dept. of State to International Joint Commission to build Libby Dam	1954
2 / 7	Memorandum of understanding with Soil Conservation Service of Montana (re division of responsibilities between the two agencies)	undated
2 / 8	State of Montana water conservation revenue bonds	1935-1949

Organization (31:11-5)Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2 / 9	Organizational chart	circa 1966

ReportsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2 / 10-12	Annual financial reports	1954-1969
2 / 13	Broadwater-Missouri Diversion Project application (includes maps and photographs)	1935
2 / 14-17	Irrigation index (includes descriptions of irrigation projects statewide and in each county, arranged by county)	1934-1935
2 / 18	Potential projects report	1965
2 / 19	Report of State Water Conservation Board outlining work accomplished during the year	1951
2 / 20	Report on Montana water resources prepared for United States Senate Select Committee on National Water Resources	1959
2 / 21-23	Small Reservoir Data: United States Bureau of Reclamation Upper Missouri River Basin Investigations (arranged alphabetically by stream, includes index)	1940-1942
2 / 24-27	Status of water conservation projects in Southeastern Montana (arranged by county)	1937-1938
2 / 28	Yellowstone River: Wyo., Mont., and N. Dak., [by] United States Army Corps of Engineers (Appendix 3: Existing Irrigation Developments)	1934
2 / 29	Yellowstone River: Wyo., Mont., and N. Dak., [by] United States Army Corps of Engineers (Appendix 4: Potential Irrigation Developments)	1934
2a / 1	Yellowstone River: Wyo., Mont., and N. Dak., [by] United States Army Corps of Engineers (Appendix 5: Data on Potential Power Projects)	1934
2a / 2	Yellowstone River: Wyo., Mont., and N. Dak., [by] United States Army Corps of Engineers (Appendix 6: Floods and Flood Control Plans)	1934
2a / 3	Yellowstone River: Wyo., Mont., and N. Dak., [by] United States Army Corps of Engineers (Appendix 7: Geology of Dam Sites)	1934

Speeches and WritingsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2a / 4	Miscellaneous (includes talk by unidentified person on Montana's water resources, article by R.J. Kelly on Hysham Pumping Project, and radio speech by G.P. Balgord on water conservation)	1939-1951

Subject FilesReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2a / 5	Columbia River Water Congress for the Northwest	1966-1967
2a / 6	International waters (includes International Joint Commission order, 1921, re St. Mary River and Milk River waters)	1965-1966
2a / 7	Milk River flood relief: clippings	1952
2a / 8	Milk River flood relief: correspondence, press releases, meetings)	1952-1955
2a / 9	Milk River flood relief: financial	1952
2a / 10	Milk River flood relief: cities (includes Chinook, Dodson, Glasgow, Harlem, Havre, Malta, Nashua)	1952
3 / 1	Milk River flood relief: counties (includes Blaine, Hill, Phillips, Roosevelt, Valley)	1952
3 / 2	Milk River flood relief: irrigation districts (Blaine County)	1952
3 / 3	Milk River flood relief: reports	1952
3 / 4	Milk River flood relief: State Water Conservation Board	1952
3 / 5	United States Senate Select Committee on National Water Resources	1959-1960
3 / 6	United States Small Reclamation Projects Act	1956-1963
3 / 7	Water measurement meetings	1960
3 / 8	Water needs and uses: correspondence, reports, statistics	1965-1966
3 / 9	Water needs and uses: Columbia River watershed	1965-1966
3 / 10	Water needs and uses: Missouri River Basin	1967-1968
3 / 11	Water needs and uses: Yellowstone River Basin (includes charts for average streamflow, 1889-1965)	1967
3 / 12	Design of transverse reinforcement for precast reinforced concrete pressure pipe	undated
3 / 13	Directory of soil and water conservation district supervisors	1966
3 / 14	"The Libby Dam and what it means to you," KLCB radio news [program 2 missing]	1953
3 / 15	Lists of project engineering and geologic reports prepared	1934-1937
3 / 16	Lists of projects, locations, status, investment, descriptions	1937-1941
3 / 17	Lists of Soil Conservation Service projects	1961-1965
3 / 18	Lists of Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA) projects	1935-1936
3 / 19	Lower Willow Creek Watershed brochure	circa 1960
3 / 20	Montana Reclamation Association draft of pamphlet	circa 1960
3 / 21	Project completion lists	1937, undated
Vol. 8	Project register [includes lists of projects by county]	1935-1942
3 / 22	United States Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act materials	1951-1964
4 / 1-2	Scrapbooks on formation and work of State Water Conservation Board	1934-1937
4 / 3	Water supply crisis	1965-1966
4 / 4	Lists of maps and photographs transferred to Library Map Collection and Photograph Archives respectively	undated
5 / 1-6	Resolutions: Book 1-6, No. 1-No. 943	1934-1965
5 / 7-13	Minute Books 1-7	1934-1941

Subject FilesReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
6 / 1-7	Minute Books 8-14	1941-1974
6 / 8	Resolutions 1-88	1934-1935
6 / 9-13	Minutes	1934-1936
6 / 10	Irrigation District Bond Commission – Minutes	1921-1926
6 / 11-12	Water Projects Referenced – Minutes, (projects A-Z)	1934-1949
6 / 13	Water Projects Referenced – Minutes, (projects A-H)	1950-1971
7 / 1-5	Allendale Irrigation Company v. State Water Conservation Board/Flint Creek Water Users Association	1940
7 / 6	Water Projects – Minutes	1950-1971
7 / 7	Brady Project: Domestic Water Supply System – Bid, Proposals, etc	1945-1952
7 / 8	Charlo Project: Charlo Water Users Association	1935-1963
7 / 9-13	Broadwater Missouri Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1946
7 / 14-18	Columbus Irrigation Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1977
7 / 19-26	Conrad Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1943
7 / 27	Dead Man’s Basin Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1942-1947
8 / 1-4	Dead Man’s Basin Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1940-1942
8 / 5-19	Flint Creek Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1938
8 / 20-27	Livingston Ditch Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1942
8 / 28-29	Middle Creek Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1949
8 / 30-33	Nevada Creek Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1949
8 / 34-35	North Fork Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1945
8 / 36-37	Park Bench Canal Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1937
8 / 38	Big Dry Creek Storage Project: PWA Docket	1936
9 / 1-2	Park Bench Water Fund : PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1940
9 / 3	Red Lodge Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1941
9 / 4-6	Red Lodge Rock Creek Water Users Association: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1940
9 / 7-9	Ruby River Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1936-1937
9 / 10-11	Sidney Pump Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1942
9 / 12-14	Upper Musselshell Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1946
9 / 15-16	West Fork – Bitterroot Project: PWA Docket, Bonds, Financial Statements, Change Orders, Correspondence, Bids, etc.	1938-1957
9 / 17	Hydrology and Weed Control, Daly Ditches	1960-1962
9 / 18	Engineering Expenses	1937
9 / 20	Annual Report	1963-1964
9 / 21	List of Water Users/Contract Holders	1964-1965
10 / 1	Water Users Associations: Lists of Water Sold and Water Purchased	1956-1966
10 / 2	Water Users Associations – Repayments	1963-1966
10 / 3	Administrative Files	1950-1953
10 / 4	“Governor” – Administrative and Correspondence	1947-1955
10 / 5	Big Creek Storage Project – PWA Docket	1942
10 / 6	SWCB – Minutes	1951-1968
10 / 7	Big Horn Canyon Irrigation and Water Company Project	1949 May
10 / 8	Drainage Basins – Reports	1936-1937
10 / 9	Moorhead Unit, Montana and Wyoming, Powder Division, Missouri River Basin Project	1954
10 / 11	Irrigation Index by Counties	1934 July
10 / 12	Projects Listings by Counties	1940
10 / 13-14	Resettlement Dams Reports, CCC	1938
10 / 15	Council of State Governors	1956
10 / 16	An Early Report on the Water Board and USBR Potential Projects	1968
10 / 17	SWCB	1941 January
10 / 18	SWCB Annual Report	1970 June 30
10 / 19	Lists of Projects/Projects Data	1937
10 / 20	Miscellaneous	1947-1948
10 / 21	PWA Applications	1938
10 / 22-23	Miscellaneous PWA Projects	undated
10 / 24	PWA Project Costs	1936-1938
10 / 25	Franklin District	1923-1925
10 / 26	Board of Land Commissioners	1935
11 / 1	Abstracts of WPA Projects	1938
11 / 2	Preliminary Applications to PWA Projects	1934
11 / 3	WPA Worksheets	1937
11 / 4	Dam and Reservoir Data	undated
11 / 5	Miscellaneous	1935-1936
11 / 6-7	Status of Eastern Montana WPA Projects	1941
11 / 8	Waterton-Belly Hearings	1955-1955
11 / 9	Waterton-Belly Rivers	1950
11 / 10	Waterton-Belly Oral Testimonies	1955
11 / 11	Waterton-Belly Resolution 895	1953
11 / 12	Waterton-Belly Report Before International Joint Commission	1955
11 / 13	Waterton-Belly Reports/Correspondence	1952-1954
11 / 14	Waterton-Belly Memorial #12	1953
11 / 15	Waterton-Belly Engineering Committee Board Minutes	1948-1953
11 / 16	Waterton-Belly Statements	1957
11 / 17	Waterton-Belly Miscellaneous	1948-1953
11 / 18	Federal Power Commission Correspondence	1944-1945
11 / 19	Montana Power Company – Lake/River Water Supply	circa 1925-1945
12 / 1	Broadwater-Missouri River Project – Maps and Plats	1902-1939
12 / 2	Montana Power Company Case Files – Claims to Water	1942-1971
12 / 3	Montana Power Company Case Files – Exhibits	1941
12 / 4	Montana Power Company Case Files	1898
12 / 5	Reservoir/River – Natural Flow Curves	undated
12 / 6	Montana Power Company Case Files	1939-1941
12/7	Federal Power Commission – Re: Montana Power Company Opinion No. 120	undated
12/8	Federal Power Commission – Correspondence	1940-1943
12/9	Federal Power Commission – Correspondence, Water/Rivers Studies	1941-1943
12/10	Montana Power Company – Navigability of Missouri River	1941
12/11-12	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Nevada Creek	1939-1946
12/13-14	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Red Lodge – Rock Creek	1938-1946
12/15-16	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Flint Creek	1941-1946
12/17	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Westpark	1940-1946
13/1-2	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Ackley Lake	1938-1946
13/3-4	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Willow Creek	1938-1946
13/5	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Ruby River	1938-1946
13/6-7	Water Sold and Stored Reports – Tongue River	1944 December 31
13/8	Vananda - Richardson Reservoir	1940 October – 1941 September
13/9	Richey - Wold Reservoir	1939 October – 1940 September
13/10	Cohagen – Phillips Creek	1941
13/11	Cohagen – Little Dry Creek	1941-1942
13/12	Van Norman - Billings Reservoir	1940 October – 1941 September
13/13	Van Norman – Big Dry Stream	1940 October – 1941 September
13/14	Hathaway – Neilson Reservoir	1941-1942
13/15	Rosebud – Rosebud River	1940 October – 1941 September
13/16	Jordan – Big Dry Creek	1940 October – 1941 September
13/17	Baker - Baker Lake	1940 October – 1941 September
13/18	Baker – Red Butte Reservoir	1940 October – 1941 September
14/1	Sykes - Box Elder Stream	1940 October – 1941 September
14/2-3	Baker – Red Butte Creek	1940 October – 1941 September

Subject FilesReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
15/2	Baker – Baker Lake	1940 October – 1941 September
15/1	Cohagen – Little Dry Stream	1940 October – 1941 September

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Dams--Montana
Electric Power--Montana
Floods--Montana
Irrigation--Montana
Missouri River--Barrages
Water districts--Montana
Water supply--Montana
Yellowstone River

Geographical Names

Broadwater County (Mont.)
Wyoming

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