Montana Department of Transportation, Billings District Office records

Montana Department of Transportation, Billings District Office records, 1947-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Montana. Department of Transportation.
Title: Montana Department of Transportation, Billings District Office records
Dates: 1947-2001 (inclusive)
19472001
Quantity: 30.4 linear feet
Collection Number: RS 492 (Formerly RS 405)
Summary: This collection is a sub-subgroup (Office) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. The Billings District Office currently (as of 2024) operates under the Director's Office Division. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Transportation records. This collection contains correspondence, subject files, reports, and minutes of the Montana Department of Transportation Billings District Office, and Lewiston Area Office.
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.

The Highway Department, the Department of Highways, and Department of Transportation maintained regional offices in the five commissioner districts: Billings, Butte, Glendive, Great Falls, and Missoula. The District Engineer (later called the District Administrator) was the chief administrative officer in each district office. District office files document the activities of the district administrators, engineers, maintenance crew, and other district office employees. The district offices addressed administrative, functional, and project related issues of their particular area, including: highway needs, current construction projects, HR/training for employees, road design, federal and state aid and grants, reports to the Department of Highways/ Department of Transportation in Helena regarding general maintenance, construction, and area concerns, etc. District administrators held meetings every 6 weeks. Other employees in the district and area offices also attended duty-specific meetings with outside district staff members; including maintenance crew meetings, engineer meetings etc., in order to maintain consistent communication among the districts and with other state agencies regarding programs, projects, and district goals.

The files of the Billings District Office and the Lewistown Area Office were kept by the District Engineers/Administrators Ray Ventura and Bruce Barrett

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

These records of the Billings District Office includes the files of the Billings office along with those of the district area office located in Lewistown. Montana Department of Transportation Billings District records include the district’s records as part of the Department of Highways, and after reorganization in 1991, as part of the Department of Transportation. There were some structural and administrative changes for the Department. Though the function of the Billings district did not significantly change, the files were kept separate.

The Billings District Office subgroup includes interoffice correspondence (1971-1983, 1989-2001); incoming correspondence (1989-2001); outgoing correspondence (1989-2001); general correspondence (1967-1982, 1989-2001); minutes of Project Managers meetings (1986-2001) and of Supervisors meetings (1986-2001); Engineer meetings (1989-2001); and reports and subject files (1947-1984, 1989-2001). Correspondence and subject files document such things as various maintenance projects, historical markers, rest areas, snow removal, vandalism, long-range building plans, the Emergency Building Temperature Restrictions Program (1979), gasoline allocation, weed control, and public and municipal concerns. The majority of the files were those kept by Ray Ventura, Billings District Engineer (1989-2001). The interoffice correspondence includes separate files for internal Billings Division memos, and memos and correspondence coming in from and going out to headquarters in Helena. The correspondence documents area projects, coordination on projects with other district and area offices, coordination with other MDT agencies such as Right-of-Way, Rail, Maintenance, Planning, and Construction. The minutes consist of meetings of the Project Managers, Division Supervisors, Administrative and Office Staff. Some maps and photographs are included. The files were kept by the District Engineers, later called the District Administrators, Ray Ventura and Bruce Barrett.

The Lewistown Area Office subgroup is divided into two separate series, Correspondence and Subject Files. Topics documented in the files include flood control, general maintenance, collaboration with the Highway Patrol, bridges and building maintenance and construction, as well as federally funded projects and maintenance, including Works Project Administration (WPA) projects.

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

Files are arranged into two subgroups: Billings District Office and Lewistown Area Office. The subgroups are divided further into series.

Location of Collection

40:2-1

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

Billings District, Department of Highways, 1943-1991Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Interoffice Correspondence
Box/Folder
1/1-23	Billings District (memos)	1989-1991
1/24-28	Incoming, Helena (re: payroll, administrative, etc)	1971-1982
1/29-33	Incoming, Helena	1989-1990
2/1-14	Incoming, Helena	1989-1990
3/1-15	Incoming, Helena	1990-1991
4/1-8	Incoming, Helena	1991
4/9-19	Outgoing, Helena	1989-1990
5/1-16	Outgoing, Helena	1990-1991
6/1-23	Incoming correspondence, general	1989-1991
6/24-34	Outgoing correspondence, general	1989-1990
7/1-14	Outgoing correspondence, general	1990-1991
7/15-24	Interoffice, general	1967-1982
8/1-16	Interoffice, miscellaneous	1989-1990
9/1-14	Interoffice, miscellaneous	1990-1991
10/1-7	Interoffice, miscellaneous	1991
	Meeting Minutes
Box/Folder
10/8	Project Manager Meeting Minutes	1986-1987
10/9	Supervisor Meeting Minutes	1986-1987
10/10	Montana State Highway Commission Meeting Minutes	1989-1990
10/11	Project Manager/Staff Meeting Minutes	1989-1990
10/12	District Engineers Meeting Minutes	1989-1990
10/13	Coordination Meetings – MDOH with Consultants	1989-1990
10/14	Administrative Staff Meeting Minutes	1989-1990
10/15	Field Project Manager Meeting Minutes	1990-1991
10/16	Maintenance Section Supervisor Meeting Minutes	1990-1991
10/17	Montana State Highway Commission Meeting Minutes	1990-1991
10/18	District Engineer Meetings	1991
10/19	District Staff Meeting Minutes	1992-1993
10/20	Montana State Highway Commission	1992-1993
10/21	District Shop Monthly Meeting Minutes	1992-1993
10/22	Office Staff Monthly Meetings	1992-1993
10/23	District Construction Staff Meeting Minutes	1992-1993
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
10/24	Annual Maintenance Report & Interstate Maintenance Guidelines Certification	1988
10/25	Billings Bypass Study	1943
10/26	Buildings and Maintenance Yards	1971-1989
11/1	Construction Management System Manual	1981
11/2	CMS Construction Reports	1989-1990
11/3	Construction Review Reports	1989-1990
11/4	Consultants Report of Progress	1989-1990
11/5	Consultants Report of Progress	1990-1991
11/6	CMS/PMS Reviews and Surveys	1990
11/7	Daily House/Senate Bill Status Report	1991
11/8	Director’s Reports	1989
11/9	Federal Highway Administration Inspection Reports	1990-1991
11/10-12	General Maintenance	1968-1984
11/13	High Hazard Sign Projects	1975-1979
11/14	Historical Markers	1966-1979
11/15	Highway Commission – Maps and Correspondence	1947-1961
11/16	Highway Striping	1979-1982
11/17	King Ave and Lockwood Interchange Repair	1980
11/18	Letting Lists	1990-1991
11/19	Location and Design Public Hearings	1989-1990
11/20	Maps	1960-1971
11/21	News – Press Releases	1989-1991
11/22	News – Press Releases	1990-1991
11/23	Railroad Study	1961-1962
11/24	Rest Area Maintenance	1954-1976
11/25	Rest Area Maintenance and Construction	1968-1979
11/26	Secondary Roads	1940-1968
11/27	Secondary Roads	1968-1978
11/28	Sectionman’s Meetings	1986-1993
11/29	Standard Emergency Procedures Manual	1984
12/1	Status of Federal Aid and Highway Funds	1990-1991
12/2	Taft / 27th Street	1979-1980
12/3	Vandalism	1969-1980
12/4	Weeds – Big Horn	1952-1971
12/5	Weeds – Carbon	1950-1978
12/6	Weeds – Stillwater	1951-1975
13/1	Weeds – Yellowstone	1949-1982
13/2-3	Weeds – General	1953-1973
13/4	West Billings Beautification	1970-1975

Billings District, Department of Transportation, 1991-2001Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Correspondence
Box/Folder
14/1-18	Correspondence (memos)	1991 July -1992 December
14/19-32	Incoming, Helena	1991 July- 1992 February
15	Incoming, Helena	1992 February-December
16	Outgoing correspondence, Helena	1991 July -1992 November
17/1-18	Incoming correspondence, general	1991 July-1992 December
17/19-37	Outgoing correspondence, general	1991 July-1992 December
18/1	Miscellaneous correspondence	1991 July-1992 February
19/1-6	Miscellaneous correspondence	1992 March-May
19/6-18	Incoming correspondence (memos)	1993 January-December
19/19-23	Incoming Correspondence, Helena	1993 January-June
20/1-20	Incoming Correspondence, Helena	1993 June-December
20/21-30	Outgoing Correspondence, Helena	1993 January-June
21/1-4	Incoming Correspondence, Helena	1993 July-September
21/5/12	Outgoing Correspondence, Helena	1993 October-December
21/12-24	Incoming Correspondence, general	1993 January-December
21/25-35	Outgoing Correspondence, general	1993 January-September
22/1-4	Outgoing Correspondence, general	1993 October-December
22/5-28	Miscellaneous Correspondence	1993 January-September
23/1-19	Miscellaneous Correspondence	1993 August-December
23/19-37	Correspondence (memos)	1994 January-1995 June
24	Incoming, Helena	1994 January-December
25/1-11	Incoming, Helena	1994 December-1995 June
25/12-30	Outgoing Correspondence, Helena	1994 January-November
26/1-8	Outgoing Correspondence, Helena	1994 December-1995 June
26/9-22	Incoming Correspondence, general	1994 January-1995 June
26/23-39	Outgoing Correspondence, general	1994 January-1995 December
26/40-41	Miscellaneous Correspondence	1994 January-February
27/1-27	Miscellaneous Correspondence	1994 February-May
27/29-31	General Correspondence	1995-1998
28/1	Incoming, Helena	1997-1998
28/2-4	Outgoing Correspondence, Helena	1997-1999
28/5-7	Outgoing Correspondence, general	1997-2000
	Meeting Minutes
Box/Folder
28/8	Design Review Committee Meetings	1993-1995
28/9	Design Staff Meeting Meetings	1993-1995
28/10	District Administrators (Engineers) Meetings	1993-1995
28/11	District Administrators Meetings	1996
28/12	District Administrators Meetings	1997
28/13	District Administrators Meetings	1997
28/14	District Administrators Meetings	1998
28/15	District Administrators Meetings	1999
28/16	District Administrators Meetings	2000
28/17	District Administrators Meetings	2000
28/18	District Administrators Meetings	2001
28/19	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	1996-1997
28/20	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	1997
28/21	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	1997-1998
28/22	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	1997-1998
28/23	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	1999-2000
28/24	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	1999-2000
28/25	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	2000-2001
28/26	Director’s Administrative Staff Meetings	2001
28/27	District Centralized Services Supervisor/ Personnel Specialist Meetings	1994
28/28	District Staff Meetings	1994-1995
28/29	Engineer Services Meetings	1993-1995
28/30	Maintenance Chief Meetings	1993-1995
28/31	Montana Transportation Commission Meetings	1997-1998
29/1	Montana Transportation Commission Meetings	1999-2000
29/2	Montana Transportation Commission Meetings	2000
29/3	Montana Transportation Commission Meetings	2001
29/4	Office Staff Monthly Meetings	2000-2001
29/5	Sectionman Meetings, 1995	1991-1997
29/6	State Highway Commission Meetings	1994
29/7	State Highway Commission Meetings	1995
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
29/8	AFSCME – General	1995-1996
29/9	Approach Permits	1995-1996
29/10	Billings Bike and Foot Paths	1992-1994
29/11	Bridges – General	1996-1997
29/12	Bridges and Roads – Historic Preservation Plan	1994-1996
29/13	Buildings and Land	1995-1996
29/14	City Parks and Rest Areas	1995
29/15	CMS Construction Reports	1995
29/16	CMS Construction Reports	1995-1996
29/17	CMS Construction Reports	1997-1998
29/18	CMS Staffing Reports	1995-1996
29/19	Consolidated Manpower Reports	1992-1996
29/20	Construction Review Reports	1994-1995
29/21	Department of Environmental Quality Fish, Wildlife, and Parks	1996-1997
29/22	Director’s Response	type="inclusive" encodinganalog="245$f"1995
29/23	Director’s Response	1996-1997
29/24	Environmental Monthly Status Report	Feb. 1996
29/25	Governor’s Office – Executive Orders	1996-1997
29/26	Handouts, Reports, Whitepapers	1995
29/27	Hazardous Waste Management	1997
29/28	Intermodal TransPlan 21	1995-1997
29/29	Legal Claims, Lawsuit Activity	1993-1996
29/30	Legislation – General	1995
29/31	Letters of Approval and Authorization	1994-1995
29/32	Long Range Building Program	1994
29/33	Maintenance Review Reports	1994-1996
29/34	MDT Director’s Response	1997
29/35	Miscellaneous	1989-2006
29/36	MPEA – Employees Union	1991-1995
29/37	Natural Resources and Conservation	1996
29/38	News Releases	1995
29/39	Privatization Proposals	1994
29/40	Privatization Proposals	1996
29/41	Project Nominations	1995-1996
29/42	Public Notices – General	1995
29/43	Research and Review Projects	1995-1996
29/44	Right-Way Usage	1996-1998
29/45	Secondary Roads	1996-1997
29/46	Step 6 Report	1996
29/47	Storm Water Runoff Tracking Permit	1995-1996
29/48	Study of Feasibility of Contracting Out	June 1996
29/49	Suggested Reply for the Governor	1990-1993
29/50	Traffic Studies	1997-1998
29/51	Traffic Signs and Signals	1997
29/52	Treatment of Historic and Prehistoric Remains	1989-1995

Lewistown Area Office, 1927-1972Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Correspondence
Box/Folder
30	Correspondence (memos)	1984 July-1989 March
31/1-10	Correspondence (memos)	1989 April-1991 June
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
31/11-15	Bridges	1927-1972
31/15	Budgets	1937-1963
31/16-17	Buildings	1945-1963
31/18	Buildings - Jordan	1945-1973
31/19	Buildings and Properties – Lewistown	1960-1975
31/20	Buildings and Properties	1963-1969
31/21	Emergency Projects	1949-1953
31/22-24	Federal and Secondary Roads	1936-1963
31/25-28	General Maintenance	1929-1973
32/1	General Maintenance	1944-1959
32/2	General Maintenance Costs / Federal Aid Projects	1932-1955
32/3	General Maintenance Costs	1953-1966
32/4-5	Legal	1956-1968
32/6	Legal and Highway Patrol	1935-1955
32/7	Lewistown Missile Equipment Building	1968-1977
32/8	Missile Roads Snow Removal	1962-1975
33/1	Missouri River Bridges and Buildings	1958-1975
33/2	Miscellaneous	1942-1960
33/3	Road Reports	1955-1962
33/4	Special Maintenance	1965-1972
34/1	Open Pit Mining	1972 December
34/2	Open Range Livestock Hazard Study	1962
34/3-7	Planning and Fatal Accident Surveys	1961-1972
34/8-10	Procedural	1934-1971
34/11-13	Right of Way	1930-1977
34/14	Weed Control	1940-1967

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