Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Conservation Districts Bureau records, 1940-1999
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana. Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
- Title
- Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Conservation Districts Bureau records
- Dates
- 1940-1999 (inclusive)19401999
- Quantity
- 18.4 linear feet
- Collection Number
- RS 496 (Formerly RS 337)
- Summary
- This collection is a sub-subgroup (Bureau) of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation records, RS 496. The Conservation Districts Bureau operates within the Conservation and Resource Development Division. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation records. These records (1940-1999) of the Conservation Districts Bureau consist of minutes and are arranged alphabetically by conservation district.
- Repository
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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
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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 Note
In response to a preceived threat to the farm and grazing lands of Montana, the 1939 Montana Legislative Assembly created the State Soil Conservation Committee to "conserve soil resources and control and prevent soil erosion." The Committee was composed of seven members, including the director of the state agricultural experiment station, the director of the state extension service, one members of the state grazing commission, one member of the water conservation board, and the commissioner of the state department of agriculture. Two additional members were to be farmers chosed by the governor. The primary duty of the Committee was to supervise and offer assistance to the soil conservation districts established around the state. Soil conservation districts could be established by any ten occupiers of land within a given area where there was a need and interest in soil conservation. Conservation districts were considered a government office and were to study soil erosion, educate the public, and take active measures to correct erosion.
In 1961, the name of the State Soil Conservation Committee and the name of the conservation districts were changed to reflect the addition of water conservation to their duties. In 1971, the name was changed again to the State Conservation Commission. Following the reorganization of state government in 1972, oversight of conservation districts was moved from the Commission to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The Conservation District Bureau currently oversees conservation districts and operates in the Conservation and Resource Development Division of DNRC.
Content Description
These records consist of minutes of conservation district meetings. They are arranged alphabetically by the name of the district.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. 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 Information
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by series.
Location of Collection
33:3-7Processing Note
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 496, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's various Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 496. Rather than reprocessing over 280 linear feet of DNRC 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 is available upon request.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
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Minutes
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Description: Beaverhead Conservation DistrictDates: 1952-1994Container: Box/Folder 1 / 1-5
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Description: Bighorn Conservation DistrictDates: 1944, 1951-1998Container: Box/Folder 1 / 6-14
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Description: Bighorn Conservation DistrictDates: 1944, 1951-1998Container: Box/Folder 1 / 6-14
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Description: Big Sandy Conservation DistrictDates: 1947-1992, 1996Container: Box/Folder 1 / 15-19
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Description: Bitterroot Conservation DistrictDates: 1943-1996Container: Box/Folder 2 / 1-13
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Description: Blaine Conservation DistrictDates: 1951-1957, 1959-1998Container: Box/Folder 2 / 14-19
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Description: Broadwater Conservation DistrictDates: 1949-1998Container: Box/Folder 3 / 1-8
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Description: Carbon Conservation DistrictDates: 1949-1950, 1954, 1957-1999Container: Box/Folder 3 / 9-16
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Description: Carter Conservation DistrictDates: 1944, 1948-1972Container: Box/Folder 3 / 17-19
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Description: Carter Conservation DistrictDates: 1973-1998Container: Box/Folder 4 / 1-4
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Description: Cascade Conservation DistrictDates: 1946, 1949-1998Container: Box/Folder 4 / 5-14
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Description: Chouteau Conservation DistrictDates: 1943-1982Container: Box/Folder 4 / 15-18
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Description: Chouteau Conservation DistrictDates: 1983-1998Container: Box/Folder 5 / 1-3
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Description: Culbertson Conservation DistrictDates: 1941-1986Container: Box/Folder 5 / 4-11
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Description: Custer Conservation DistrictDates: 1950, 1951, 1960, 1961-1998Container: Box/Folder 5 / 12-17
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Description: Daniels Conservation DistrictDates: 1947-1998Container: Box/Folder 6 / 1-5
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Description: Dawson Conservation DistrictDates: 1948, 1950, 1957-1998Container: Box/Folder 6 / 6-11
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Description: Deer Lodge Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1998Container: Box/Folder 6 / 12-17
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Description: East Sanders Conservation DistrictDates: 1949-1980Container: Box/Folder 6 / 18-20
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Description: East Sanders Conservation DistrictDates: 1981-1996Container: Box/Folder 7 / 1-2
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Description: Fergus Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1997Container: Box/Folder 7 / 3-6
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Description: Flathead Conservation DistrictDates: 1945-1947, 1950-1998Container: Box/Folder 7 / 7-14
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Description: Gallatin Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1980, 1984-1986Container: Box/Folder 7 / 15-17
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Description: Gallatin Conservation DistrictDates: 1987-1998Container: Box/Folder 8 / 1-3
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Description: Garfield Conservation DistrictDates: 1949-1951, 1957-1998Container: Box/Folder 8 / 4-7
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Description: Glacier Conservation DistrictDates: 1949, 1951-1956, 1961-1972, 1974-1976, 1978-1998Container: Box/Folder 8 / 8-11
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Description: Granite Conservation DistrictDates: 1954-1978, 1991-1992Container: Box/Folder 8 / 12-13
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Description: Green Mountain Conservation DistrictDates: 1943, 1949-1955, 1958-1982Container: Box/Folder 8 / 13-17
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Description: Green Mountain Conservation DistrictDates: 1983-1998Container: Box/Folder 9 / 1-5
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Description: Hill Conservation DistrictDates: 1946-1998Container: Box/Folder 9 / 6-11
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Description: Jefferson Valley Conservation DistrictDates: 1948, 1950-1998Container: Box/Folder 9 / 12-16
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Description: Judith Basin Conservation DistrictDates: 1948-1984, 1987-1997Container: Box/Folder 10 / 1-5
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Description: Lake Conservation DistrictDates: 1946-1947, 1949-1950, 1952-1992Container: Box/Folder 10 / 6-8
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Description: Lewis & Clark Conservation DistrictDates: 1948-1998Container: Box/Folder 10 / 9-15
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Description: Liberty Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1975Container: Box/Folder 10 / 16-17
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Description: Liberty Conservation DistrictDates: 1976-1998Container: Box/Folder 11 / 1-4
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Description: Lincoln (Tobacco Valley) Conservation DistrictDates: 1951-1996Container: Box/Folder 11 / 5-11
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Description: Little Beaver Conservation DistrictDates: 1948-1952, 1969-1984, 1988-1997Container: Box/Folder 11 / 12-15
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Description: Lower Musselshell Conservation DistrictDates: 1943-1944, 1950-1972, 1974-1977, 1979-1986, 1989, 1991, 1993- 1995Container: Box/Folder 11 / 16-17
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Description: Madison Conservation DistrictDates: 1947-1948, 1951-1976Container: Box/Folder 12 / 1-2
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Description: McCone Conservation District (Contains 3 folders of un- processed election records)Dates: 1943-1945, 1949-1984, 1986, 1993- 1999Container: Box/Folder 12 / 3-12
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Description: Meagher Conservation DistrictDates: 1958-1964, 1966-1998Container: Box/Folder 12 / 13-15
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Description: Mile High Conservation DistrictDates: 1969-1974, 1976, 1978-1998Container: Box/Folder 12 / 16-18
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Description: Mineral Conservation DistrictDates: 1946, 1948-1952, 1956-1979, 1982-1985, 1989-1990, 1992Container: Box/Folder 12 / 19-20
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Description: Missoula Conservation DistrictDates: 1949-1998Container: Box/Folder 13 / 1-6
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Description: North Powell Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1951, 1953-1998Container: Box/Folder 13 / 7-10
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Description: Park Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1951, 1953, 1957-1998Container: Box/Folder 13 / 11-16
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Description: Petroleum Conservation DistrictDates: 1951-1955, 1960- 1998Container: Box/Folder 14 / 1-3
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Description: Phillips Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1953, 1956-1998Container: Box/Folder 14 / 4-8
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Description: Pondera Conservation DistrictDates: 1949, 1953-1998Container: Box/Folder 14 / 9-14
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Description: Powder River Conservation DistrictDates: 1954, 1958-1968, 1970-1985Container: Box/Folder 14 / 15-16
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Description: Prairie Conservation DistrictDates: 1976-1985, 1987-1989Container: Box/Folder 14 / 17
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Description: Richland Conservation DistrictDates: 1940, 1943-1944, 1948- 1998Container: Box/Folder 15 / 1-7
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Description: Roosevelt Conservation District (fsee also: Culbertson-Bainville Conservation District)Dates: 1941-1942, 1944-1945, 1962-1971, 1977-1984Container: Box/Folder 15 / 8-11
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Description: Rosebud Conservation DistrictDates: 1942, 1944, 1951-1999Container: Box/Folder 15 / 12-17
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Description: Ruby Valley Conservation DistrictDates: 1951-1998Container: Box/Folder 16 / 1-7
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Description: Sheridan Conservation DistrictDates: 1939-1998Container: Box/Folder 16 / 8-16
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Description: Stillwater Conservation DistrictDates: 1955-1974Container: Box/Folder 16 / 17-18
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Description: Stillwater Conservation DistrictDates: 1975-1992Container: Box/Folder 17 / 1-2
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Description: Sweet Grass Conservation DistrictDates: 1953-1996Container: Box/Folder 17 / 3-7
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Description: Sun River Conservation DistrictDates: 1948-1954, 1958-1960Container: Box/Folder 17 / 8
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Description: Teton Conservation DistrictDates: 1948-1997Container: Box/Folder 17 / 9-14
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Description: Three Forks Conservation DistrictDates: 1945, 1950-1959, 1961-1966, 1968Container: Box/Folder 17 / 15-16
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Description: Treasure Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1965, 1968-1982Container: Box/Folder 17 / 17-18
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Description: Treasure Conservation DistrictDates: 1983-1984, 1986, 1989, 1993-1998Container: Box/Folder 18 / 1-2
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Description: Toole Conservation DistrictDates: 1949-1995, 1996Container: Box/Folder 18 / 3-8
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Description: Upper Musselshell Conservation DistrictDates: 1951-1952, 1954, 1957-1984, 1986, 1993-1994, 1996-1997Container: Box/Folder 18 / 9-11
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Description: Nashua/Valley Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1984, 1986, 1993-1998Container: Box/Folder 18 / 12-15
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Description: Wibaux Conservation DistrictDates: 1951, 1954, 1957-1984, 1986Container: Box/Folder 18 / 16-18
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Description: Yellowstone Conservation DistrictDates: 1950-1954, 1959-1984, 1986, 1993-1999Container: Box/Folder 19 / 1-5
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Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Conservation of natural resources--Montana
- Soil conservation districts--Montana
