Montana Department of Highways, Photogrammetry and Survey Unit records

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)
19561982
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

Archives West Finding Aid

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