Montana Department of Highways, Photogrammetry and Survey Unit records, 1956-1982

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana. Department of Highways
Title
Montana Department of Highways, Photogrammetry and Survey Unit records
Dates
1956-1982 (inclusive)
Quantity
3.8 linear feet
Collection Number
RS 492 (Formerly RS 408)
Summary
This collection is a sub-subgroup (Unit) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. The Photogrammetry and Survey Unit now falls under the Highways Bureau in the Engineering Division. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Transportation records. This collection (1956-1982) consists of subject files.
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 is 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

The Montana State Highway Commission was created in 1913 by the state Legislative Assembly. The original Commission was composed of three members. In 1917 new legislation altered the organization of the Commission by authorizing the appointment of twelve members according to geographic highway districts. Membership was changed again in 1921 to three members appointed by the Governor and in 1941 to five members, also appointed by the Governor. In 1971 the Commission was renamed the Montana Department of Highways, created by Chapter 7 of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 and implemented by executive order of the Governor on December 16, 1971. The Department of Highways took over all but the advisory functions of the State Highway Commission.

By 1972, the Department consisted of seven divisions: the Legal Division, Personnel Division, Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division. Each division is headed by an administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division are furthered sub-divided into bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation. This was primarily a name change. However, there were some structural and administrative changes.

Montana’s Department of Highway began heavy construction of the Interstate Highways in 1959, initiated by the Federal Highway Act of 1956. Construction and development peaked in the early 1970s and was completed by the 1980s. The Photogrammetry and Survey Section was developed in response to the Highway Act and a need for improvements and standardization of the Interstates in Montana.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Photogrammetry and Survey Section primarily took aerial photography of Interstates 90, 94, 15, and routes around major Montana cities. The images, surveys, and reports identified locations, topography, rest areas, pits, and structures for use in design of projects and mapping. The section also produced aerial photographic records of slide areas, as well as Highways land involved in litigation. The files are primarily project—or route—related aerial photographs, along with monitoring reports, level notes, and some correspondence.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

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 in one series, Subject Files, arranged by specific image area, along Interstate or Highway route or structure.

Location of Collection

40:4-7

Processing Note

In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Transportation were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 492, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.

Collections from Montana Department of Transportation's various Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 492. Rather than reprocessing over 280 linear feet of Transportation materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Subject FilesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
I-90 : Park City to Laurel
1960-1962
1/2
I-90 : Billings East / Route 101-II
1957
1/3
Livingston South
1958
1/4
I-90 : Toluca North
1956
1/5
I-90 : Columbus – Park City, Rest Areas / Interchanges
1966
1/6
I-90 : Bozeman East to Livingston West
1966
1/7
I-90 : Columbus to Park City
1964
1/8
I-90 : Columbus East and West
1963-1964
1/9
I-90 : Toluca Expansion
1956-1966
1/10
I-90 : Toluca to Hardin, Lodgegrass, Route 103
1956
1/11
I-90 : Toluca to Hardin, East Fork Pryor Creek
1961, 1968
1/12
I-90 : Billings to Toluca, Bitter Creek
1961-1962
1/13
I-90 : Billings to Toluca, North Route
1956-1966
1/14
I-90 : Billings Interchange
1957
1/15
I-90 : Lodge Grass, North
1956
1/16
I-90 : Lodge Grass, Wyola
1966
1/17
I-90 : Clinton to Drummond Expansion
1956-1963
1/18
I-90 : Bozeman Pass
1965
1/19
I-90 : Lookout Pass West, Saltese East
1971
1/20
I-90 : Saltese to Drexel
1966
1/21
I-90 : Lookout / Mullan Pass
1960
1/22
I-90 : Tarkio to Mullan
1967
1/23
I-90 : Reed Point East
1967-1968
1/24
Route 101, Rocker Interchange
1961
1/25
I-90 : Missoula West Design
1961-1975
1/26
I-90 : Three Forks Rest Area
1975
1/27
I-90 : Gold Creek, Phosphate Rest Area
1965
1/28
Gold Creek Gravel Pit
1980
1/29
Clinton West, Gas lines and Railroad
1965
1/30
Warm Springs, Interchanges / Racetrack
1965
1/31
I-90 : Garrison, Drummond
1960-1968
1/32
I-90 : Garrison, Widening
undated
1/33
101-I : Dear Lodge, Warm Springs
1964
1/34
Midigan Canyou / Ballard Coulee
1962
2/1
Phosphate Interchange
1965
2/2
Warm Springs Gravel Pit
1978-1981
2/3
I-90 : Ramsay Interchange
1961
2/4
I-90 : Drummond Way
1959
2/5
I-90 : Missoula West and Urban
1968
2/6
Cardwell Interchange
1964
2/7
Cardwell : Three Forks North Route
1963
2/8
Three Forks to US 289 Interchange
1962-1964
2/9
I-90 : Whitehall East, Limespur, Jefferson Canyon
1959
2/10
Whitehall – Three Forks, Cottonwood Canyon
1961-1962
2/11
I-90: Bozeman, Livingston
1965
2/12
Livingston – East / West, Snow Fence
1976
2/13
I-90 : Superior West
1966
2/14
I-90 : Drexel Quarry Site
1976
2/15-16
DeBorgia Weigh Station
1963
2/17
I-94 : Fallon-Dawson County Line
1967
2/18
I-94 : Prairie County Line Rest Area
1971
2/19
I-94 : Terry West
1962
2/19
South of Terry
1960
2/20
I-94 : Fallon Dawson County Line
1968
2/21
Blatchford to Terry / Terry East and West
1956-1963
2/22
I-94 : Custer East and West
1967
2/23
I-94 : Custer East
1964
2/24
East / Northeast of Custer Interchange
1959
2/25
I-94 : Pompey’s Pillar to Custer
1956-1965
2/26
I-94 : Pompey’s Pillar
1956-1965
2/27
I-94 Interchanges, Ballatine to Pompey’s Pillar
1964
2/28
I-94 : Terry Interchange, Miles City
1964
2/29
I-94 : Ballatine Expansion
1962
2/30
US 87 Junction to Huntley
1962
2/31
I-94 : Hysham Hills
1959
2/32
I-94 : Rosebud West, Wild Cat Creek
1958
2/33
I-94 : Rosebud East Rest Areas
1969
2/34
I-94 : Rosebud to Hathaway
1962
2/35
I-94 : Shirley West
1962
2/36
I-94 : Shirley East
1956
2/37
I-94 : Forsyth East and West
1962
2/38
Hysham-Forsyth
1963
2/39
I-94 : Forsyth East and West
1967
2/40
I-94 : Shirley West
1971-1972
2/41
I-94 : Hysham-Forsyth, 6 miles east of Rosebud- Treasure (Along Railroad track)
1956-1962
3/1
I-94 : Hysham-Forsyth
1959-1962
3/2
I-94 : Hysham
1962
3/3
I-94 : Prairie County Line West
1967
3/4
I-94 : Diamon Ring Rest Area
1973
3/5
I-94 : Wiboux County Line West (Rest Areas) Glendive
1962
3/6
I-94 : Glendive East and West
1962
3/7
I-94 : Glendive East
1962-1967
3/8
I-94 : Rest Area East of Glendive
1965
3/9
I-94 : Glendive Fallon
1956-1961
3/10
I-15 Proposed Construction / Pipe Organ Lodge
1961
3/11
I-15 : Cascade, Hardy Creek, Interchange
1971-1972
3/12
I-15 : Interchanges 9 miles North of Conrad
1964
3/13
I-15 : North of Conrad
1961
3/14
I-15 : Dillon-Melrose Reservoir Area
undated
3/15
I-15 : Vaugh North Rest Area
1970
3/16
I-15 : Interchange North of Shelby
1968-1971
3/17
I-15 : Dearborn, Missouri River Junction
1963
3/18
I-15 : Power Interchange
1966
3/19
I-15 : Maria’s River Rest Area
1971
3/20
I-15 : Teton Interchange
1966
3/21
I-15 : Emerson Junction Interchange, North of Great Falls
1974
3/22
I-15 : Collins Interchange
1979-1981
3/23
I-15 : Teton Rest Area
1966
3/24
I-15 : Boulder Hill
1960
3/25
MacDonald Creek Grass Range / Hydraulics
1973-1978
3/26
Vogel Parcel
undated
3/27
Kalispell Drainage Study / Mapping for Litigation
1969-1981
3/28
East Helena Drainage and Litigation Study
1980
3/29
Vogel Parcel – Legal
1964-1975
3/30
Bear Creek / ER 72
1975-1976
3/31
Colstrip Road to I-94
1973-1978
3/32
Columbus Gardens Interchange Study
1970
3/33
Cooney Reservoir, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
1977
3/34
Canyon Ferry / National Guard Area
1975-1976
3/35
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation : Acid Mine and Mill Site Study, Cooke City
1974
3/36
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation : Ruby River, Nevada River, Deadman’s Creek
1977-1978
3/37
Craig Slide North and South : I-15
1970-1984
3/38
St. Regis Slide Areas
1979-1980
3/39
Mission Slide Interchange : I-90
1970
3/40
Hebgen Lake Slide
1974
3/41
Slide Camps Pass – US 212, Ashland East
1971
3/42
Slide North of Fred Robertson Bridge, US 191
1976
3/43
Slide Area 6 miles South of Livingston
1965
3/44
Pine Hill / Pryor Creek Slide Area, I-90
1975-1976
3/45
Sheep Creek Bridge Slide Area, FI 15
1980
3/46
Pipe Organ Slide Area Construction
1967
4/1
Kagy Boulevard From 19th and 3rd, Bozeman
1982
4/2
US 230, 4th and 6th Street Couplet, Exposition Drive S. 437 - Billings
1974-1975
4/3
US 230, Exposition Drive, Billings
1974
4/4
Columbia Falls, F 100
1968
4/5
Northwest Bypass of M 5209
1977
4/6
Fort Harrison
1973-1974
4/7
Bozeman, Oak, Tamerack, Peach –Street Extensions
1969-1975
4/8
U 149, Great Falls 10th Street Bridge Study
1969
4/9
24th Street, Great Falls, South Side Bypass
1974
4/10
Great Falls Central Ave. Bridge
1973
4/11
Kalispell South, F5-3
1982
4/12
U218, Great Falls, 10th Ave and 6th Street
1971
4/13
F277, Great Falls 10th Ave S.
1972
4/14
F135, Miles City Railroad Underpass
1977
4/15
F531, 27th Street Billings North
1980
4/16
Great Falls River Drive, 6th Street to Giant Springs
1970-1977
5/1
Butte South Side Bypass
1970-1971
5/2
Butte – East Park and Continental Drive
1968
5/3
U53. Wicks Lane – Bench Boulevard
1974-1975
5/4
Bozeman, 19th Ave and Oak
1982-1983
5/5
Havre Bypass
1978
5/6
Billings – Grand Ave, Division to 24th
1974-1975
5/7
Havre – Hospital Connection
1976
5/8
Fort Benton, Highwood
1974
5/9
Montana Ave N, Helena
1979

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Express Highways
  • Highway engineering--Montana.
  • Roads--Design and construction

Geographical Names

  • Helena (Mont.)--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs