Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Montana Office of the State Coordinator of Indian Affairs Records, 1948-1971
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana Office of the State Co-ordinator of Indian Affairs
- Title
- Montana Office of the State Coordinator of Indian Affairs Records
- Dates
- 1948-1971 (inclusive)19481971
- Quantity
- 5 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- RS 25
- Summary
- Montana Coordinator of Indian Affairs records (1948-1971) records consist of correspondence, subject files, financial records, organizational materials, reports, and clippings, concerning education, tribal industries, housing, legislation, statistics, meetings, etc.
- 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
The office of Montana State Coordinator of Indian Affairs was created by the legislature in 1951. The Coordinator was appointed by the governor from a list of five persons agreed upon by the tribal councils of the Indian tribes of Montana for a four-year term at a salary of one dollar per annum. The Coordinator, based in Helena, was to foster a program designed to establish and place Indian citizens in a position "whereby they will be able to take their rightful place in society and assume the rights, duties, and privileges of full citizenship." The Coordinator was to accomplish this goal by soliciting rehabilitation loans "for the purpose of enabling deserving Indians to become self sufficient," to be disbursed through Indian loan associations; by promoting the welfare of Indians, especially adequate housing; by acquainting himself with the problems confronting Montana Indians and advising the legislature and the executive branch of such problems and making recommendations for the alleviation thereof; and by serving the Montana delegation in the U.S. Congress as an advisor and intermediary in Indian affairs. The Coordinator was to cooperate with federal and state agencies and "make quarterly reports to the governor concerning the physical and moral well being of Montana Indians" and make a similar report to each legislative assembly. In 1967 a law was passed stipulating that the Coordinator's salary was to be specified by the legislature. In 1969 several changes were made in the Coordinator's duties. In addition to soliciting rehabilitation loans, he was to solicit educational, economic, health, and housing funds, which were to be disbursed through various federal programs. He was also charged with the duty of promoting sanitation for Indians whether or not they resided on reservations, and was empowered to act, upon request, as spokesman for representative Indian organizations and groups. The Coordinator's report requirement was changed to a yearly report to the governor. Knute W. Bergan, formerly school principal in Browning for many years, was appointed State Coordinator in 1951. He served until his death in 1968 when he was replaced by Harold J. Boyd.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection has been divided into six series. The general correspondence series (1951-1971) discusses education, tribal industries, housing, legislation, statistics, personal problems of tribal members, meeting, donations to the tribes, etc. Information about numerous subjects for which a subject file was established is also found in the general correspondence series. The financial records series (1965-1970) contains information about the budget of the Coordinator. The organizational materials series (undated) includes a description of the Coordinator's goals and duties and a criticism of a proposed state Indian commission. The subject files series (1948-1971, undated) comprises the bulk of the collection and includes information on all the reservations and many Indian organizations and programs. Information on specific subjects can often be found in the subject files on affected tribes as well as in the file with the subject heading. For instance, information concerning Indian housing is found both in the subject file with that title as well as in the subject files on specific tribes. The miscellany series (1951-1970, undated) contains a variety of writings, news releases, lists, proceedings of conferences of concern to Indians, etc. The clippings series (1930, 1954-1967) includes clippings on a variety of subjects. Printed material has been transferred to the Library. Notable persons who appear throughout the collection include Ed Belgard (Landless Indians), Freda Beazley (Fort Peck), Steve DeMers (Flathead), Walter McDonald (Flathead), Earl Old Person (Blackfeet), Sister Providencia, Walter Wetzel (Blackfeet), John Wooden Legs (Northern Cheyenne), and Robert Yellowtail (Crow).
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
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 Supt. of Public
Instruction, Carling Malouf, North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, R.H. Willcomb,
Alvin Pollock, Glenn O. Lockwood, James X. Brown, Arrow Inc.) |
1951-1961 |
1 / 2 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Crow Indian
Celebration and Rodeo; Montronics Inc.; Robert W. Waugh; Commission on the Rights,
Liberties, and Responsibilities of the American Indian; Rocky Mountain College;
Association of American Indian Affairs; James R. Shaw; Blaine County Board of
Commissioners; St. Labre Indian Mission) |
1962 |
1 / 3 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include President John
F. Kennedy circular letter; Association on American Indian Affairs; Northern Montana
College; Montana Inter-Tribal Policy Board; American Jewish Society for Service; S.C.
DeMers re civil rights area meeting; Northern Cheyenne Mennonite Mission; Robert
Yellowtail) |
1963 |
1 / 4 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Montana
Legislative Council; Robert Yellowtail; Idaho Dept. of Education; Association on
American Indian Affairs; U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs; Mental Retardation Planning
Project; John W. Cragun re Turtle Mountain Chippewa; Stephen C. DeMers; Northern
Montana College's program for disabled Indians) |
1964-1965 |
1 / 5 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Association on
American Indian Affairs; University of Montana Foundation Division of Indian Services;
Joy Toineeta; Richard S. McDermott re land interests; State Budget Director; Sonosky
and White re Indian Claims Commission extension; Wilkinson, Cragun and Barker re
various legal issues; Bert Hansen) |
1966 |
1 / 6 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Association on
American Indian Affairs; state colleges and universities enclosing lists of students
attending under Indian Education Scholarships; Robert Yellowtail; Wilkinson, Cragun
and Barker re various legal issues; University of Montana Foundation Division of
Indian Services) |
1967 |
1 / 7 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include University of
Montana re alleged discrimination, enclosing list of Indian students; Harold J. Boyd;
Kyi-yo Indian Club; Sister Providencia) |
1968-1969 |
1 / 8 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include Governors'
Interstate Indian Council; North American Indian League) |
1970-1971 |
1 / 9 | Congressman James Battin (re Knowles Dam, Operation
Bootstrap, Federal Housing Administration, Office of Economic Opportunity) |
1961-1967 |
1 / 10 | Blackfeet Indian Reservation (re Indian claims
contracts, oil leases, Jim Peters, grazing leases, tribal elections, Heart Butte
School, school lunch program, educational grants, Industrial Redevelopment Committee,
hunting and fishing, racial discrimination, vocational training) |
1951-1962 |
1 / 11 | Blackfeet Indian Reservation (re civil law
jurisdiction, death of Meade Swingley, Arkinson family, termination and relocation,
proposed plastics industry, Starr School, Office of Economic Opportunity, Community
Action Program, conference on Acceleration of Educational Opportunities for Blackfeet
through Full Utilization of Available Resources, National Association of Blackfeet
Indians, guaranteed loan program) |
1963-1969 |
1 / 12 | James X. Brown (re Chippewa, Cree, and Blackfeet
history; also includes current political issues including economic development at
Rocky Boy's Reservation, Landless Indians, and family concerns) |
1952-1963, undated |
1 / 13 | Flathead Reservation (re education, economic
development, school lunches, Hot Springs bathhouse, complaints against Confederated
Salish and Kootenai Tribes by Flathead-Kootenai Organization, hydroelectric dams,
termination policy, Head Start programs, Montana Power Company's Kerr Dam) |
1951-1970 |
1 / 14 | Governor (re Blaine County Indian health problems,
St. Labre Indian School, need for a Lame Deer High School, jurisdiction issues, Office
of Economic Opportunity Poverty Program) |
1962-1971 |
1 / 15-16 | Governors' Interstate Indian Council (re background
of the Council, plans for meetings, common issues, etc.) |
1961-1966 |
1 / 17 | David Higgins (Cut Bank farmer re Farmers Home
Administration loan program) |
1964-1967 |
1 / 18 | Irrigation and water resources |
1967 |
1 / 19 | Knowles Dam (correspondents include Montana Power
Company, Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes,
Indian Rights Association, John Cragun, Hugh Downs of National Broadcasting Company) |
1962-1963 |
1 / 20 | Mike Mansfield (re education, jurisdiction, other
issues of federal policy) |
1961-1970 |
1 / 21 | Lee Metcalf (re education, jurisdiction, other issues
of federal policy) |
1960-1969 |
1 / 22-23 | Montana Inter-Tribal Policy Board |
1951-1967 |
1 / 24 | Northern Cheyenne Tribe (re land ownership, health
care, First Americans Inc., St. Labre Mission, economic development, Lame Deer School) |
1951-1962 |
2 / 1 | Northern Cheyenne Tribe (re economic development,
housing, Lame Deer School, Northern Cheyenne Arts and Crafts Association, school lunch
program, John Wooden Legs' report on progress during his administration) |
1963-1969 |
2 / 2 | Arnold Olsen (re Flathead Reservation schools, health
care, other federal policy issues) |
1962-1969 |
2 / 3 | Prison inmates (re parole, commutation of sentences,
etc.) |
1952-1961 |
2 / 4 | Rocky Boy's Reservation (re petitions on several
federal bills, economic development, health care, Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky
Boy's Reservation, Lutheran Mission Advisory Committee, Community Action Program) |
1950-1969 |
2 / 5-6 | Robert Yellowtail (re termination policy, opposition
to building of Yellowtail Dam, land issues, politics, Indian memorial at Fort
Wadsworth, civil rights legislation, individual economic responsibility, heirship
lands) |
1962-1968 |
Financial Records Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 7 | Budget |
1956-1961 |
Organization Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 8 | Description of goals and duties of Coordinator of
Indian Affairs; criticism of a proposed state Indian Commission |
circa 1967 |
Printed Material Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 9 | List of printed materials transferred to Library |
undated |
2 / 9a | Legislative bulletin |
1963 |
2 / 9b-9c | Bulletins |
1962, 1965 |
Subject Files Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 10 | Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (includes
constitution, annual convention materials, reports on meetings, resolutions, speeches,
clippings) |
1962-1968 |
2 / 11 | Blackfeet Reservation (includes financial statements,
Blackfeet Tribe vs. Dillon S. Myer et al. record, proposed revisions to constitution,
analysis of expenditures of School District 7, donation of land for missile base,
charter of Blackfeet Indian Housing Authority, resolution re compulsory school
attendance, Economic Development Administration planning grant, evaluation of
Community Action Agency, description of sweat lodge) |
1952-1969 |
2 / 12 | Compulsory school attendance (primarily re Fort Peck
Reservation; also includes tribal resolutions for each reservation endorsing
compulsory school attendance) |
1948-1961 |
2 / 13-16 | Cooperative Area Manpower Planning System [CAMPS]
(includes explanation of program, minutes, descriptions of programs, etc.) |
1969-1971 |
2 / 17 | Crow Reservation (includes resolution on sale of land
to individual families, Crow Indian Fair and Rodeo, Crow Tribe vs. Bureau of
Reclamation, evaluation of Head Start program, Community Action Program, "Investment
Opportunities on the Crow Reservation Montana") |
1951-1969 |
2 / 18-19 | Federal reimbursement to schools (includes "Montana
Plan for Education Reimbursement to School Districts by the Bureau of Indian Affairs,"
lists of eligible districts, budgets) |
1955-1963 |
2 / 20-22 | Flathead Reservation (includes minutes of Tribal
Council of Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; hearing on Earl Sanders'
activities as chief of police; chronology of health care by Sisters of Charity;
reports; brochures; list of tribal members; financial records) |
1951-1970 |
3 / 1 | Flathead Reservation (re federal reimbursements to
schools) |
1961-1962 |
3 / 2 | Flathead Reservation (re hydroelectric projects,
including Knowles, Kerr, and Buffalo Rapids dams) |
1962-1967 |
3 / 3 | Fort Belknap Reservation (includes correspondence;
resolutions re schools; statement by Richard King [Bob- Tail Horse]; Head Start
Program; report on "Poverty and Promise for the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation,
Montana"; personnel policies) |
1951-1967 |
3 / 4 | Fort Peck Reservation (includes correspondence; Head
Start Program; "Fort Peck Caravan: a Study of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation by the
Montana Human Relations Committee"; application for Community Action Program grant;
Neighborhood Youth Corps) |
1954-1969 |
3 / 5-7 | Governors' Interstate Indian Council (includes lists
of delegates, programs, resolutions, Robert Yellowtail analysis of Robert L. Bennett
Report, lists of federal programs, minutes, agendas) |
1951-1968 |
3 / 8 | Helena Indian Alliance (includes minutes, bulletins) |
1968-1969 |
3 / 9 | Housing (re Federal Housing Program for Indian
Reservations, Housing for the Elderly Program) |
1961-1962, 1970 |
3 / 10-11 | Indian education (includes letter by Sister
Providencia, circular re Indian scholarships, White House Conference on Children and
Youth report, Indian Affairs Manual, statement by Mary M. Condon, report on children
of Hill 57, "An Analysis of Federal Reimbursement to Heart Butte School District #1",
report on pre-vocational training, multi-state university consortium) |
1950-1969 |
3 / 12 | Industrial development (includes correspondence, "The
Future of Montana" by George W. O'Connor) |
1957-1963 |
3 / 13 | Industrialization Conference (includes
correspondence, conference program, report on field visitation) |
1957-1961 |
3 / 14 | Industry: Montronics, Inc. (re meetings of company
with the various reservations re possible location of plant for communications and
frequency measurement) |
1962 |
3 / 15 | Industry: nuclear waste storage (re proposed location
of storage facility for Hanford by-products on Blackfeet Reservation) |
1961-1964 |
3 / 16 | Institute on Indian Affairs in Montana (includes
programs) |
1955-1958 |
3 / 17 | Kerr Dam (re payments to Confederated Salish and
Kootenai Tribes) |
1965-1967 |
3 / 18-19 | Knowles Dam (includes preliminary study, presentation
by Montana Power Company in opposition to dam, hearings, opposition of Confederated
Salish and Kootenai Tribes) |
1958-1965 |
3 / 20-21 | Law enforcement (includes correspondence re
compulsory school attendance, drivers licenses, jurisdiction issues, Indian Law and
Order Conference, Indian Law Seminar, testimony re legislation, clippings) |
1948-1966 |
3 / 22-23 | Legislation, general |
1951-1969 |
3 / 24 | Legislation, Commission on Indian Affairs |
1954 |
3 / 25 | Legislation, federal |
1965-1967 |
3 / 26 | Legislation, heirship |
1961-1966 |
3 / 26 | Legislation, income taxes |
1965-1967 |
4 / 1 | Legislation, Indian Resources Development Act
("Omnibus Bill") |
1966-1967 |
4 / 2 | Legislation, peyote (re Native American Church,
includes report by Bureau of Indian Affairs) |
1956-1966 |
4 / 3 | Legislation, recommendations |
1950, undated |
4 / 4 | Legislation, school transportation |
1950-1952, undated |
4 / 5 | Mental Retardation Planning Project |
1964-1968 |
4 / 6 | Montana Conference on Children and Youth |
1951 |
4 / 7 | Montana Crime Control Commission |
1970 |
4 / 8-10 | Montana Inter-Tribal Policy Board (includes
constitution, bylaws, minutes, and resolutions) |
1952-1970 |
4 / 11 | Montana Tourism Conference |
1962 |
4 / 12-13 | National Congress of American Indians (includes
constitution, bylaws, minutes, resolutions, reports on legislation, circular letters,
bulletins) |
1954-1967 |
4 / 14 | National Congress of American Indians: American
Indian Charter Convention |
1960 |
4 / 15 | National Council on Indian Opportunity |
1969 |
4 / 16 | Northern Cheyenne (includes tourist center, report re
proposed settlement before Indian Claims Commission, proposed summer college
workshops, Community Action Program) |
1962-1967 |
4 / 17 | Northern Cheyenne: housing |
1962-1964 |
4 / 18 | Northern Cheyenne: industry (includes report on
resource development plan, correspondence re proposed plastics factory, tannery, Guild
Arts and Crafts Inc.) |
1952, 1961-1966 |
4 / 19 | Northern Cheyenne: Lame Deer Schools (includes
proposal by First Americans Inc. to use old school building for factory, proposed high
school) |
1957, 1963-1965 |
4 / 20 | Northern Cheyenne: St. Labre Mission (includes
charity appeals by Rev. Emmett Hoffman, newsletter of St. Labre Indian School) |
1958-1970 |
4 / 21 | Oil production on tax exempt land: Glacier County |
1958-1962 |
4 / 22 | Oil production on tax exempt land: Pondera County |
1959-1963 |
4 / 23 | Oil production on tax exempt land: Poplar |
1958-1959 |
4 / 24 | Population statistics |
1950-1963 |
4 / 25 | President Kennedy's Task Force on Indian Affairs |
1961 |
4 / 26 | Rocky Boy's Reservation (includes report on economic
development plan, newsletter, Community Action Program, report on landless Indians) |
1951-1967, undated |
5 / 1 | Rocky Boy's Reservation: education (includes
correspondence with Havre Public Schools, agreement between Havre Public Schools and
Bureau of Indian Affairs, plans for Rocky Boy School, proposed budgets) |
1957-1961 |
5 / 2 | Scholarships: John Whitney Hay Foundation (for
advanced study) |
1952-1962 |
5 / 3 | Scholarships: Society of Colonial Dames (for nurses'
training) |
1951-1961 |
5 / 4 | Scholarships: United Scholarship Service Inc. (for
American Indian or Spanish-American students; includes lists of recipients) |
1958-1966 |
5 / 5 | Scholarships: miscellaneous (includes Colorado
College summer program, lists of students attending branches of University of Montana,
Crow Tribal Scholarship Program) |
1951-1966 |
5 / 6 | Schools: Babb (includes statistical data, budgets,
applications for federal aid, lists of eligible students) |
1959-1964 |
5 / 7 | Schools: East Glacier (includes statistical data,
budgets, applications for federal aid, lists of eligible students) |
1959-1963 |
5 / 8 | Schools: Heart Butte (includes statistical data,
budgets, applications for federal aid, lists of eligible students) |
1958-1963 |
5 / 9 | Schools: Poplar (includes statistical data, budgets,
applications for federal aid) |
1955-1961 |
5 / 10-11 | State jurisdiction on Indian reservations (includes
Great Falls' Hill 57, Indian Self-Help Bill, testimony and resolutions re bills for
state criminal and/or civil jurisdiction, clippings, comparisons with other states) |
1957-1975, undated |
5 / 12 | Termination of federal supervision over tribal lands
(includes Northern Cheyenne proposal to buy back land from individual families) |
1959-1965 |
5 / 13 | Tribal Leaders Conference (includes speech by Robert
L. Bennett, and reports on conditions on each Montana reservation) |
1966 |
5 / 14 | United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (includes memo
on Indian Social and Economic Improvement, summary of land ownership on reservations,
correspondence, report of Robert L. Bennett, removal of Gilbert Morgan as Fort Belknap
realty assistant, mineral prospecting on Indian reservations, agreement with Montana
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) |
1949-1967 |
5 / 15 | United States Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare
(re tuberculosis) |
1957, 1967-1969 |
5 / 16 | United States Office of Economic Opportunity (re War
on Poverty Programs on Montana reservations) |
1963-1966 |
5 / 17 | White House Conference on Children and Youth
(includes report of special conference by Arrow Inc. to plan Indian participation in
conference, report of committee on problems of Indian youth) |
1959-1960 |
5 / 18 | Work training programs (re "Bill to provide for the
economic development of the resources of individual Indians and Indian tribes, and for
other purposes") |
1966-1967 |
5 / 19 | Robert Yellowtail (includes writings) |
1963-1967 |
5 / 20 | Yellowtail Dam (includes article by Wilson F. Clark
and Robert Yellowtail, brochures) |
1956-1963 |
Miscellany Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 21 | Equal Employment Opportunity Seminar proceedings |
1970 |
5 / 22 | Governors' Advisory Council meeting on Indian Affairs
proceedings |
1951 |
5 / 23 | Helena Indian Conference proceedings |
1966 |
5 / 24 | Montana Indian tourism conference proceedings |
1965 |
5 / 25 | State organizations for coordination of Indian
affairs questionnaire |
1970 |
5 / 26 | Miscellaneous (includes dedication of Henrietta
Crockett Indian Wing of Montana Tuberculosis Sanitarium, party platforms, remarks of
Tim Babcock at dinner honoring Governor Knowles, statistics on Indian highway deaths,
proclamation by Gov. John Bonner, list of Indian dancers, "New Horizons in Indian Arts
and Crafts") |
1952-1967, undated |
Clippings Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 27 | Education |
1930-1967 |
5 / 28 | Juvenile delinquency |
1960-1961 |
5 / 29 | Indian programs, Economic Development Rights |
1954-1968 |
5 / 30 | Hill 57, Great Falls |
1961 |
5 / 31 | Political philosophy of K.W. Bergen |
1961 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Assiniboine Indians
- Atsina Indians
- Blackfeet Indians
- Cheyenne Indians
- Chippewa Indians
- Cree Indians
- Crow Indians
- Dakota Indians
- Electric power--Montana
- Grazing leases--Montana
- Indians of North America
- Indians of North America--Education--Montana
- Indians of North America--Government relations--Montana
- Indians of North America--Health and hygiene--Montana
- Indians of North America--Legal status, laws, etc.--Montana
- Indians of North America--Politics and government--Montana
- Indians of North America--Public welfare--Montana
- Indians of North America--Reservations--Montana
- Irrigation--Montana
- Landless Indians--Montana
- Petroleum industry and trade--Montana
- Radioactive waste disposal--Montana
- Salish Indians
- Salish Indians
- Scholarships--Montana
Geographical Names
- Blackfeet Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Crow Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Flathead Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Fort Peck Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Kerr Dam (Mont.)
- Knowles Dam (Mont.)
- Missouri River Watershed
- Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- Rocky Boys Indian Reservation (Mont.)
- St. Ignatius (Mont.)
- Wind River Indian Reservation (Wyo.)
- Yellowtail Dam (Mont.)