Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Wildlife Division records, 1954-1981
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana. Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Wildlife Division
- Title
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Wildlife Division records
- Dates
- 1954-1981 (inclusive)19541981
- Quantity
- 1 linear ft
- Collection Number
- RS 497 (Formerly RS 198)
- Summary
- This collection is a subgroup (Division) of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks records, RS 497. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks records. These records (1954-1981) of the Wildlife Division consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, clippings, and miscellany extracted from weeded subject files of the Division. Subjects include wildlife habitat, federal-state coordination, and other matters.
- 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
On March 14, 1895, the Montana Legislature created the first state agency dealing with fish and game, the Board of Game and Fish Commissioners. It consisted of three members and was empowered to appoint a state game warden who would also serve as the Board's secretary and business agent. In 1901, the Board was abolished and replaced by a single state game and fish warden with five to eight deputies. In 1907, the Fish Commission was established to operate a state fish hatchery and to supervise the disposition of the fish raised there. The State Game and Fish Warden served as a member of this Commission. The same Legislature also created the Fish and Game Commission to regulate hunting and fishing. In 1921, the two commissions were merged and were empowered to establish fish and game districts, and to close or open seasons on all game animals, birds, and fish. The administrative arm of the Commission gradually came to be referred to as the Fish and Game Department, although the Department was not legislatively formalized until 1972.
The drought and depression conditions of the 1930s forced new approaches to the management of natural resources. In 1937, the U.S. Congress passed the Pittman-Robertson Act which provided money for states to acquire the biological information needed to establish and maintain wildlife management programs. In 1941, Montana's Legislature passed enabling legislation to bring the state under the Pittman-Robertson Act. What became the Game Management Division was established to administer this program. Funded by a combination of federal funds and hunter and fisherman user fees, the Commission was required to spend the money solely on game management and wildlife habitat enhancement, not on general operations, education, or parks. The work of the Division was divided into the general areas of surveys and inventories, land acquisition, and research. In 1977, the Game Management Division was renamed the Wildlife Division and in 1979 the agency was renamed the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of items separated by the Division from their numbered subject file. The collection constitutes a fragmentary record in that only portions of each file were transferred. The subject files (1954-1981) have been arranged into three groups: internal administrative files of the agency; files dealing with organizations and government agencies; and subjects. In addition to the subject file, there is a small file of general correspondence (1962-1980), a file of news releases, (1970, 1980-1981), several reports (1970-1980), and miscellany (including a list of fish and game commissioners and writings by Jim Posewitz).
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 Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collections is arranged by series.
Location of Collection
28:8-7Processing Note
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 497, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks' various Divisions and Commissions that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 497. Rather than reprocessing over 17 linear feet of FWP materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids and provide access to them via links in the master 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 pertains to your research needs.
Acquisition Information
Acquisition information is available upon request.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
General Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Frank T. Cowen,
Gov. John A. Love, John T. Maddux Jr., Joseph Egan, Fletcher Newby, Wynn Freeman,
Alvin Pierce, Clifford Trainer, Jim Pissot, Ray Crivello, Franz L. Deininger) |
1962-1980 |
Maps Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 2 | List of maps transferred to Library Map Collection |
undated |
Press Releases Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 3 | Miscellaneous (re environmental study of Blackfoot
River, license fees, seasons, salmon and steelhead in Columbia River Basin, National
Wildlife Week, hunt rosters, endrin, pheasants, road closures, air surveilance of
poachers, harvest surveys) |
1970, 1980-1981 |
Printed Material Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 4 | List of printed materials transferred to Library |
undated |
Reports Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 5 | "Economic importance of hunting and fishing in
Montana" by Richard J. McConnen |
1970 |
| 1 / 6 | Environmental impact statements (re Beartooth State
Recreation Area, big game season, railroad rights-of-way as habitat, migratory
species) |
1971-1979 |
| 1 / 7 | Game Management Division activity reports |
1971-1977 |
| 1 / 8 | Game Management Division Research Section report |
1972 |
| 1 / 9 | Game Management Division, "A Discussion of some
programs, plans, philosophies and situations that may be helpful to personnel of other
divisions in answering Questions on game management," by Wynn G. Freeman |
1975 |
| 1 / 10 | "Mountain goat management study plan, Cabinet
Mountains, Montana," by Gayle Joslin |
1979 |
| 1 / 11 | "A survey of hunter attitudes on forest road access,"
by Bill Thomas |
1980 |
| 1 / 12 | Wildlife Division activity report |
1977 |
Subject Files (Fish, Wildlife & Parks internal) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 13 | Administration (includes organizational structure,
policies, planning, etc.) |
1963-1978 |
| 1 / 14 | License Division |
1968, 1973-1979 |
| 1 / 15 | Montana Outdoors (re articles, expense of operations,
etc.) |
1975-1981 |
| 1 / 16 | Office memoranda (re elk habitat, logging, employees,
environmental impact statements, etc.) |
1964-1978 |
| 1 / 17 | Parks Division |
1968-1969 |
Subject Files (organizations & government) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 18 | Blackfeet Reservation hunting permits |
1962 |
| 1 / 19 | Crow Reservation |
1961, 1967 |
| 1 / 20 | Gallatin Canyon Planning Committee; Gallatin
Sportsmen's Association |
1971-1972 |
| 1 / 21 | Glacier National Park (re coho salmon) |
1969 |
| 1 / 22 | Idaho Legislative Auditor questionnaire (re big game
management) |
1972 |
| 1 / 23 | International Association of Game, Fish, and
Conservation Commissioners |
1971, 1975 |
| 1 / 24 | Montana Bow Hunters Association |
1973 |
| 1 / 25 | Montana Department of Highways (re game bird habitat
on right-of-way to Boulder-Butte interstate) |
1961-1975 |
| 1 / 26 | Montana Department of Natural Resources and
Conservation |
1979 |
| 1 / 27 | Montana Governor's Office |
1970 |
| 1 / 28 | Montana Rural Areas Development Committee |
1968 |
| 1 / 29 | Montana State Land Committee |
1967, 1970 |
| 1 / 30 | Montana Water Resources Board |
1968 |
| 1 / 31 | Montana Wilderness Association |
1969 |
| 1 / 32 | Montana Wildlife Federation |
1967-1970, 1976 |
| 1 / 33 | Montana Woodland Council |
1973 |
| 1 / 34 | National Wildlife Federation, "Endangered species
listed by state" |
undated |
| 1 / 35 | Outdoor Life (re mule deer population) |
1971 |
| 1 / 36 | Public Land Law Review Commission |
1967 |
| 1 / 37 | Stouffer Productions (Marty Stouffer) |
1975 |
| 1 / 38 | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Fort Peck Inter-Agency
Council |
1964, 1972 |
| 1 / 39 | U.S. Bureau of Land Management Advisory Board
(includes material on sagebrush spraying project) |
1960-1968 |
| 1 / 40 | U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Pryor Mountain
Wildlife Refuge (re wild horse herd) |
1966-1968 |
| 1 / 41 | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (re Tiber Dam-Marias /
Milk River diversion) |
1971 |
| 1 / 42 | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (re Yellowstone River
report on proposed Allenspur Dam) |
1961 |
| 1 / 43 | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation Service |
1967-1968 |
| 1 / 44 | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Advisory
Committee |
1975 |
| 1 / 45 | U.S. Farm Home Administration-financed grazing
associations |
1967 |
| 1 / 46 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service symposium |
1970 |
| 1 / 47 | U.S. Forest Service (re cooperation) |
1968-1969 |
| 1 / 48 | U.S. Forest Service (re Lolo National Forest) |
1971 |
| 1 / 49 | U.S. Forest Service (re timber harvest, clear
cutting, road closures, wildlife habitat, etc.) |
1970-1972, 1976 |
| 1 / 50 | U.S. Soil Conservation Service (re sagebrush
spraying, etc.) |
1962-1972 |
| 1 / 51 | University of Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research
Units (McIntire-Stennis Forestry Research Program) |
1962-1973 |
| 1 / 52 | Western Association of State Game and Fish
Commissioners |
1970-1973 |
| 1 / 53 | Wildlife Management Institute (re falconry) |
1970 |
Subject Files (topics)Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 54 | Big game management |
1976 |
| 1 / 55 | Canyon Ferry Dam |
1960-1967 |
| 1 / 56 | Coal mine reclamation |
1967-1968 |
| 1 / 57 | Federal-state relations |
1967-1973 |
| 1 / 58 | Fire control |
1963-1965 |
| 1 / 59 | Fisheries: Yellowstone River |
1979 |
| 1 / 60 | Forest grouse habitat studies |
1968, 1974 |
| 1 / 61 | Game laws |
1977 |
| 1 / 62 | Indian affairs |
1976-1977 |
| 1 / 63-64 | Pesticides, weed control, predator control, etc.
(includes endrin, compound 1080) |
1954-1971 |
| 1 / 65 | Sagebrush control (spraying) |
1964-1972 |
| 1 / 66 | Upper Missouri River Basin |
1954, 1966 |
| 1 / 67 | Weather modification (includes cloud seeding) |
1968 |
| 1 / 68 | "Index to Montana wildlife literature" (by region of
state and type of wildlife) |
1950-1976 |
| 1 / 69 | List of Fish and Game commissioners |
1948-1977 |
| 1 / 70 | Jim Posewitz writings (re wildlife management) |
1976-1977 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Conservation of natural resources--Montana
- Fishing--Montana
- Hunting--Montana
- Lumber Trade--Montana
- Pesticides--Montana
- Weeds--Control--Montana
- Wildlife conservation--Montana
Finding aid prepared by MTHS Staff; Updated by Lindsey
Mick
2004;
2024
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
