Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Oscar A. Baarson papers, 1916-1958
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Baarson, Oscar A., 1889-1971
- Title
- Oscar A. Baarson papers
- Dates
- 1916-1958 (inclusive)19161958
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 238 (collection)
- Summary
- Oscar Baarson was assistant superintendent of the Anaconda Company's East Helena, Montana, plant; Helena City Engineer; district manager for the U.S. War Production Board during World War II, engineer for the State Examiners Office and Lewis and Clark County surveyor. This collection consists of Oscar Baarson's files (1925-1950) concerning his work with the Anaconda Company, the City of Helena, and the State Examiners Office; and a small group of personal papers relating to Baarson's family, private engineering business, and Masonic activities.
- 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.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Oscar A. Baarson was born in Madison, South Dakota, on November 16, 1889, the son of Bars Christian Baarson. He served for a time as assistant to the North Dakota State Geologist doing field surveys, and worked for the Homestake Gold Mining Company in Lead, South Dakota. In 1917 he graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Mines, and then went to work for the Cerro de Pasco Mining Company in Peru, and the following year for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's Chuquicamata Mine in Chile. In 1922 Baarson began teaching high school science in Idaho. He then took graduate work at the University of Washington. After completing his graduate work he returned to Idaho as a teacher at Burley and then as superintendent of schools in Roberts. In 1928 Baarson moved to Great Falls, Montana, to work for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, first at their Great Falls Refinery and then as assistant superintendent of the East Helena Slag Treatment Plant. From 1931 to 1933 he worked as a private mining engineer, and then in 1933 as a bridge inspector for the State Highway Commission. In 1935 he was hired as Helena City Engineer. One of his first tasks as city engineer was surveying earthquake damage from the 1935 Helena earthquakes. He worked for the city until the start of World War II, when he was hired as district manager for the U.S. War Production Board. After the war he resumed his private mine engineering business, until 1953 when he became Assistant State Engineer for the State Board of Examiners. In this position he evaluated the engineering plans for state buildings. During the 1960s Baarson served as deputy appraiser in the Lewis and Clark County Assessor's Office, and then as County Surveyor. Oscar Baarson was married to Camilla Walton and had five children: Robert, William, Barbara, Mary, and Beverly. He was active in the Episcopal Church, the Eagles Lodge, and the Morning Star Lodge of the Masons. Oscar Baarson died November 29, 1971 in Helena.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists primarily of papers reflecting Oscar Baarson's work as a mining and civil engineer. Included are records (1928-1929) from his work for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's East Helena Slag Treatment Plant; records (1933) from his work on the Sun River Bridge for the State Highway Commission; records (1935-1941) on his work as Helena City Engineer, including files on the Helena earthquakes of 1935, water system improvements, and street resurfacing; records (1949-1954) of his work checking construction plans for Montana state government buildings, including a renovation of the Montana State Capitol Building; and records (1955-1958) of his mine surveying work on the Valley View Group of mines near Townsend for Geominerals Corporation. There is also a small amount of family correspondence, and files concerning his teaching career in Idaho; the Masonic order; his work at Chuquicamata, Chile; and private surveying work. [Records of his work for the U.S. War Production Board are included in Manuscript Collection 239. Printed materials, photographs, and maps have been transferred to the Library, Photograph Archives, and Library Map Collection respectively.]
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
Arrangement
Arrangement by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Archvies Map Case. See inventory below for more information.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Oscar A. Baarson Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Biographical Material |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | "Brief outline of qualifications and experience of
Oscar A. Baarson as mining and metallurgical engineer" |
circa 1955 |
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 2 | Barbara Baarson, Don Baarson [nephew], and Mary
Baarson |
1940, 1945 |
1 / 3 | Robert E. Baarson |
1940-1953 |
1 / 4 | William E. Baarson |
1942-1953 |
1 / 5 | J.J. La Buff (re Ralph G. Cushman mining
properties) |
1958 |
1 / 6 | McIver and Associates, Architects (re employment) |
1948-1951 |
1 / 7 | William H. Thompson (re proposed sale of Montana
mining property by Oscar Baarson and William M. Manning) |
1936 |
1 / 8 | Miscellaneous |
1917-1952 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 9 | Bills and house pattern (re construction and
furnishing of Baarson home at 600 Hauser Boulevard, Helena) |
1934-1940 |
1 / 10 | Bills (re services as surveyor) |
1934-1939 |
1 / 11 | Income tax RESTRICTED
|
1941, 1947 |
1 / 12 | Miscellaneous |
1927-1941 |
Subject File |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 13 | Broadwater County High School bid proposal |
1941 |
1 / 14 | East Helena platting |
circa 1936 |
1 / 15 | Helena High School contract with Cushing and
Terrell, Architects |
1954-1955 |
1 / 16 | Helena water system proposed improvements |
1951 |
1 / 17 | High school chemistry essays by Baarson's students
at Burley, Idaho |
circa 1924 |
1 / 18 | Idaho school teaching and superintendency |
1922-1927 |
1 / 19 | Masonic order; Knights Templar |
1917-1954 |
1 / 20 | Missouri-Souris Project |
1948-1950 |
1 / 21 | Proposed Hauser Paving District |
1952 |
1 / 22 | Townsend sewer system and pump house bid proposal |
1940-1941 |
1 / 23 | Work at Chuquicamata Plant in Chile |
1918 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 24 | J.A. Brown will |
1940 |
1 / 25 | Greeting cards |
undated |
1 / 26 | Humor |
undated |
1 / 27 | Math notes |
undated |
1 / 28 | Organizational diagram of boy scout troop |
undated |
1 / 29 | Ration books |
1945 |
1 / 30 | Suggestive guide for self-appraisal in art |
undated |
1 / 31 | Miscellaneous (includes membership cards, programs,
postcards, certificates, etc.) |
1916-1956 |
Montana State Highway Commission Bridge Inspector Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Outgoing Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 32 | Miscellaneous |
1933 September-November |
Subject File |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 33 | Sun River Bridge construction |
1933 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 34 | Drafting room procedures |
undated |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | Notary Public certificate |
1948 |
Anaconda Copper Mining Company. East Helena Slag Treatment Plant Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Interoffice Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 1 | Miscellaneous |
1927-1931 |
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 2 | Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada,
Ltd. |
1928-1929 |
2 / 3 | Miscellaneous |
1928-1930 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 4 | Construction costs |
1928 |
2 / 5 | Cost data [daily] |
1928 |
2 / 6 | Cost data [weekly] |
1928 |
Production Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 7-8 | Analyses |
1928-1929 |
2 / 9 | Chemical analysis of slag |
1927-1928 |
2 / 10 | Coal comparisons for Utah and Montana coal |
1928-1929 |
2 / 11 | Foreman's report |
1929 |
2 / 12-13 | Furnace operation |
1928-1929 |
2 / 14 | Furnace tests |
1928-1929 |
2 / 15 | Scaleman's report |
1929 |
2 / 16 | Shipments of product [scattered] |
1928 |
2 / 17 | Slag treatment reports |
1928-1929 |
2 / 18 | Superintendent's weekly reports [scattered] |
1927-1929 |
2 / 19 | Miscellaneous |
1927-1929 |
Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 20 | "Fuming Treatment of Lead Blast Furnace Slags for
Recovery of Zinc", by E.M. Baldwin (includes history and description of East Helena
Slag Treatment Plant) |
circa 1944 |
2 / 21 | "The Recovery of Zinc from Lead Blast-Furnace
Slags", by Guy Courtney |
1920 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 22 | List of operating employees |
1929 December |
2 / 23 | Technical notes on mining, chemistry, etc. |
undated |
Helena City Engineer Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Interoffice Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 1 | Directives from Helena City Council |
1931-1939 |
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 2 | Miscellaneous |
1935-1940 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 3 | Report of the financial condition of the City of
Helena |
1936 |
Subject File |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 4 | Helena earthquake (includes report by Board of Fire
Underwriters of the Pacific; list of properties for which waivers had been signed;
lawsuit involving Trerise house) |
1935-1939 |
3 / 5 | Helena Housing Authority project (re construction
of Stuart Homes) |
1939 |
3 / 6 | Helena street resurfacing |
1936-1940 |
3 / 7 | Helena surveying |
1934-1939 |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | Minnehaha Watershed Hazard Reduction mineral survey
[Oversize: see Archvies Map Case] |
1939 |
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 8 | Helena tennis court paving |
1935-1936 |
3 / 9 | Helena water quality (includes "Report of mineral
analyses of the various Helena City water supplies" by W.F. Cogswell, 1930) |
1930-1939 |
3 / 10 | Helena water system improvements and rate study |
1935-1939 |
3 / 11 | Helena Waterworks Company (includes brochures;
briefs of Oscar Carlson vs. City of Helena; reports on water sources, and notes) |
1910-1911 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 12 | Engineers' License Law [proposed] |
circa 1937 |
3 / 13 | List of City of Helena maps by C.W. Helmick |
undated |
3 / 14 | Montana State College (Bozeman) School for Water
Works Operators lecture outlines, etc. |
circa 1936 |
3 / 15 | Property assessments on C & D Placer Claim lots
(Front Street) |
1936 |
3 / 16 | "Working rules for gas installations" |
undated |
Montana State Board of Examiners Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Subject File |
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 17 | Oscar Baarson personal |
1950-1953 |
3 / 18 | School and institution building construction
allotment of architectural contracts |
1948-1954 |
3 / 19 | State Capitol Building renovation |
1954 |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | State Capitol Complex underground pipes blueprint;
State Capitol Building Door Schedule blueprint [Oversize: see Archives Map Case] |
1955 |
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 20 | State Capitol Building renovation bid and
specifications |
1954 |
3 / 21 | Statewide construction projects |
1949-1954 |
3 / 22 | Veterans and Pioneers Memorial Building
construction (re Montana Historical Society's building) |
1951 |
Geominerals Corporation Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
General Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 1 | Tschirn Exploration Company; Geominerals
Corporation (re Valley View Mines, Townsend) |
1955-1957 |
Assay Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 2 | Valley View Mining Claims, Townsend (Tschirn
Exploration Company) |
1956-1957 |
Court Papers |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 3 | Oscar Baarson vs. Geominerals Corporation and
Warren Schreiner |
1957-1958 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 4 | Mining claims: Park and Hassell mining districts,
Broadwater County |
1955-1956 |
Subject File |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 5 | Valley View Group tunnel proposal (Tschirn
Exploration Company) |
1955-1956 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Bridges--Design and construction
- Bridges--Montana
- Capitols--Montana
- Earthquakes--Montana--Helena
- Freemasons. Grand Lodge Of Montana
- Municipal water supply--Montana--Helena
- School buildings--Design and construction--Montana
- Smelters--Montana--East Helena
- Surveyors--Montana
- Teachers--Montana
- Water quality--Montana
Personal Names
- Baarson, Oscar A., 1889-1971 (creator)
Geographical Names
- Broadwater County (Mont.)
- Chuquicamata Mine (Chile)
- East Helena (Mont.)
- Helena (Mont.)--Earthquake, 1935
- Helena (Mont.). City Engineer
- Valley View Mines (Broadwater County, Mont.)
- Veterans and Pioneers Memorial Building (Helena, Mont.)