Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Montana Department of Public Instruction. Division of Indian Education Records, 1947-1976
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana. Department of Public Instruction. Division of Indian Education.
- Title
- Montana Department of Public Instruction. Division of Indian Education Records
- Dates
- 1947-1976 (inclusive)19471976
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- RS 334
- Summary
- The Division of Indian Education was a program within the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Records (1967-1977) include general correspondence; financial records on the dispersal of federal funds; contracts with the federal government; speeches and writings; subject files on related organizations; and miscellany.
- 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 Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The office of Superintendent of Public Instruction was created by the 1872 Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly to replace the older office of school commissioner. The Montana Constitution of 1889 made the office elective and defined its functions. In 1959 the Montana Legislative Assembly created the Department of Public Instruction to administer the office under the direction of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The United States Congress passed the Johnson-O'Malley Act in 1934 to provide funding for public school districts on Indian reservations. The payments were in lieu of taxes to compensate for the tax exempt reservation lands. Until 1946 financial arrangements were made between the local Indian agency office and the local school board. In 1946 the Division of Indian Education was established within the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to negotiate contracts directly with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Gradually BIA schools were abandoned in favor of local school board-controlled schools. Starting in 1964 Public Law 874 regulated most of the funding of reservation schools, and Johnson-O'Malley funds were used primarily to fund special projects. Among the supervisors of Indian Education were Knute W. Bergen, William C. Howard, Earl J. Barlow, Dorrance D. Steele, and Robert W. Parsley. In addition superintendents Mary M. Condon, Harriet E. Miller, and Dolores Colburg handled much of the division's affairs directly. From 1975 to 1977 Bill Yellowtail served as assistant supervisor.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The records consist primarily of general correspondence (1948-1968) arranged chronologically and general correspondence (1973-1976) arranged separately by community and by correspondent. In addition there are financial records (1948-1975) on the dispersal of federal funds; contracts (1947-1962, 1968) with the federal government; speeches and writings; subject files (1957-1975) on related organizations; and miscellany.
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
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
General Correspondence (by correspondent) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, Wesley D'Ewart, Mike Mansfield, et al. re administration of Indian
education funds) |
1948-1950 |
| 1 / 2 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, local school districts, Mike Mansfield, et al. re administration of
Indian education funds, school conditions at Chinook, Ronan, Harlem, etc.) |
1951-1952 |
| 1 / 3 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, local school districts, Mike Mansfield, et al. re administration of
Indian education funds, including a controversy over delayed funding in 1954) |
1953-1957 |
| 1 / 4 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, local school districts, Mike Mansfield, Lee Metcalf, et al. re surplus
food commodities, conditions at Browning and Dixon, new school at Rocky Boy, etc.) |
1958 |
| 1 / 5 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, local school districts, et al. re conditions at Poplar, new school at
Rocky Boy, school lunch program, etc.) |
1959-1960 |
| 1 / 6 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, local school districts, Lee Metcalf, Mike Mansfield, et al. re school
at Busby, Public Law 874 entitlement, etc.) |
1961-1964 |
| 1 / 7 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Bureau of
Indian Affairs, local school districts, Lutheran Indian Mission, Miles S. Horn (White
Crow) et al. re school at Rocky Boy, Signa Bell, etc.) |
1966-1968 |
General Correspondence (by community) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 8 | Arlee |
1974-1975 |
| 1 / 9 | Box Elder and Rocky Boy (includes brief history of
Rocky Boy's Reservation) |
1973-1975 |
| 1 / 10 | Brockton (includes "Brockton High School Critical
Building Needs Assessment and Recommendations;" "Reality of Dream"; and "Educational
Concepts with the New School") |
1974-1975 |
| 1 / 11 | Browning and Babb |
1974-1975 |
| 1 / 12 | Busby |
1973 |
| 1 / 13 | Charlo |
1974-1975 |
| 1 / 14 | Crow Agency |
1972-1975 |
| 1 / 15 | Cut Bank |
1975 |
| 1 / 16 | Dixon (includes disciplining of high school
basketball player) |
1974 |
| 1 / 17 | Dodson |
1974 |
| 1 / 18 | East Glacier Park |
1974 |
| 1 / 19 | Edgar |
1974-1976 |
| 1 / 20 | Elmo |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 1 | Frazer |
1973-1975 |
| 2 / 2 | Hardin |
1972-1975 |
| 2 / 3 | Harlem |
1973-1975 |
| 2 / 4 | Havre (includes minutes of Johnson-O'Malley Indian
Parent Council and Indian Education Committee) |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 5 | Hays-Lodge Pole |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 6 | Heart Butte (includes "Heart-Butte Reading Program") |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 7 | Hot Springs |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 8 | Lame Deer (includes papers presented at Fifth Annual
Teachers Workshop, 1973; and material on Follow-through Program cancellation, 1974) |
1973-1975 |
| 2 / 9 | Lodge Grass (includes curriculum) |
1974-1976 |
| 2 / 10 | Polson |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 11 | Poplar |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 12 | Pryor (includes "Pryor Public School Board policies"
and Johnson-O'Malley funds proposal) |
1974-1976 |
| 2 / 13 | Ronan (includes controversy over funding of Indian
program; and district school census) |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 14 | St. Ignatius |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 15 | St. Xavier |
1974 |
| 2 / 16 | Starr |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 17 | Valier |
1974 |
| 2 / 18 | Wolf Point |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 19 | Wyola |
1974-1975 |
General Correspondence (by correspondent) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 20 | A-F (includes Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes; Diane Dabbert re history of Indian education in Montana; and Far West
Laboratory re career education curriculum) |
1969-1975 |
| 2 / 21 | G-K (includes Jessica Schultz Graham re James Willard
Schultz Indian Heritage Award; Indian Studies Project; and Herbert S. Kirk re Browning
ceramics project) |
1973-1975 |
| 2 / 22 | Mike Mansfield; Lee Metcalf |
1974-1975 |
| 2 / 23 | M (includes Montana Indian Education Association; and
Montana Inter-Tribal Policy Board) |
1972-1975 |
| 2 / 24 | North American Indian Alliance (re Pride in Indian
Heritage Program) |
1973-1974 |
| 2 / 26 | U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs |
1968-1975 |
| 2 / 27 | U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
(includes Office of Indian Education; Division of Bilingual Education; Public Health
Service; etc.) |
1973-1975 |
| 2 / 28 | U-W (includes University of Montana; and University
of Utah) |
1972-1974 |
Interoffice Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 29 | Miscellaneous |
1972-1975 |
Financial Records Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 1 | Budgets under federal contract |
1948-1962, 1975 |
| 3 / 2 | Funds distribution, reimbursement, etc. |
1948-1958, 1974-1975 |
Legal Documents Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 3 | Contracts with federal government for Indian
education |
1947-1962, 1968 |
Reports Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 4 | Annual reports to U.S. Office of Indian Education |
1948-1950, 1963 |
| 3 / 5 | Annual report of Johnson-O'Malley program |
1970, 1975 |
| 3 / 6 | Monthly activity reports |
1973 March- 1975 June |
| 3 / 7 | School visitation reports |
1973-01975 |
| 3 / 8 | Untitled report by R.J. Murray, educational field
agent (re school financing) |
1947 |
Speeches and Writings Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 9 | Rocky Boy Public School dedication speech by Dolores
Colburg |
1947-1973 |
Subject File Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 10 | American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame |
1973 |
| 3 / 11 | Congressional bill for termination of federal
supervision of Flathead Reservation (includes Mary Condon testimony) |
1954 |
| 3 / 12 | Developmental Indian Sports Clinic of the Upper
States (DISCUS) |
1974-1975 |
| 3 / 13 | Indian education reimbursement (includes manual of
procedures; and conference with Bureau of Indian Affairs) |
1957-1958 |
| 3 / 14 | Johnson-O'Malley Act (includes typed copy of bill;
memo on program) |
1934, undated |
| 3 / 15 | Montana Indian Education Conference |
1972-1974 |
| 3 / 16 | Montana Indian High School Student Debate Tournament |
1972-1973 |
| 3 / 17 | Montana Indian Youth Practicum |
1971-1975 |
| 3 / 18 | Northern Cheyenne Research and Human Development
Association |
undated |
Miscellany Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 19 | Address by Dr. Angie Deboe at Governors' Interstate
Indian Council meeting |
1957 |
| 3 / 20 | "An Appreciation of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe," by
Father Marion Roessler |
circa 1952 |
| 3 / 20 | Notes on Milk River flood damage; statistical data on
reservations; etc. |
1952, undated |
| 3 / 21 | List of public schools served by Johnson-O'Malley
funds |
1975 |
| 3 / 22 | Nepotism law explanation |
1973 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Indians of North America--Education--Montana
Geographical Names
- St. Ignatius (Mont.)
Finding aid prepared by MHS Staff
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
