Department of Highways, Right of Way Bureau records

Department of Highways, Right of Way Bureau records, 1912-1987

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Montana. Department of Highways.
Title: Department of Highways, Right of Way Bureau records
Dates: 1912-1987 (inclusive)
19121987
Quantity: 44.2 linear feet
Collection Number: RS 492 (Formerly RS 419)
Summary: This collection is a sub-subgroup (Bureau) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. It currently operates under the Engineering Division. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Transportation records. This collection (1912-1987) consists primarily of official deeds, documenting the transfer of land from private citizens to both the Department of Highways for highway projects and several railway companies.
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 was headed by an administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division were furthered sub-divided into bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation.

At present, the Right-of-Way Bureau is under the umbrella of the Preconstruction Program, which administers the Highways Bureau, Bridge Bureau, Consultant Design Bureau, Traffic and Safety Bureau, Environmental Services Bureau, and the Engineering Information Management Section. Both historically and currently, it has been the Right-of-Way Bureau’s primary function to acquire land for highways, and deal legally with previous acquisitions of land. It also provides assistance and payments to individuals and businesses relocated by highways, designs the right-of-way, and arranges for relocating utilities that conflict with highway construction.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection consists primarily of subject files containing deeds to lands purchased by the Department of Highways in order to complete highways projects. The deeds in boxes 42 and 43 represent later additions to the Right-of-Way Bureau records, and thus are out of chronological order. Deeds in Box 42 consist primarily of deeds made by land owners, between 1912 and 1960, to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway Company, and the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Puget Sound Railway Company.

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

This collection is arranged by series.

Location of Collection

41:1-3

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

Series I: Department of Highways, Right of Way BureauReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
1	Deeds: # 42 – 533	1927 December–1929 April
2	Deeds: # 534 – 1052	1929 April–1929 November
3	Deeds: # 1053 – 1572	1929 November–1930 October
4	Deeds: # 1573 – 2229	1930 October–1931 April
5	Deeds: # 2230 – 2936	1931 April–1931 November
6	Deeds: # 2937 – 5663	1931 December–1934 December
7	Deeds: # 5664 – 7110	1934 December–1936 November
8	Deeds: # 7111 – 8520	1936 November–1939 August
9	Deeds: # 8521 – 9900	1939 July–1941 May
10	Deeds: # 9901 – 11300	1941 May–1945 September
11	Deeds: # 11301 – 12655	1945 September–1948 August
12	Deeds: # 12656 – 13855	1948 July–1950 November
13	Deeds: # 13856 – 15355	1950 November–1953 April
14	Deeds: # 15356 – 16855	1953 April–1954 October
15	Deeds: # 16856 – 18255	1954 September–1955 December
16	Deeds: # 18256 – 19655	1955 December–1957 February
17	Deeds: # 19656 – 21055	1957 February–1958 July
18	Deeds: # 21056 – 22455	1958 June–1959 June
19	Deeds: # 22456 – 23755	1959 June–1960 August
20	Deeds: # 23756 – 24911	1960 August–1961 October
21	Deeds: # 24912 – 26311	1961 October–1962 November
22	Deeds: # 26312 – 27661	1962 November–1963 December
23	Deeds: # 27652 – 29051	1963 November–1964 September
24	Deeds: # 29052 – 30251	1964 September–1965 July
25	Deeds: # 30252 – 31411	1965 July–1966 August
26	Deeds: # 31412 – 32514	1966 September–1968 January
27	Deeds: # 32515 – 33600	1968 January–1969 June
28	Deeds: # 33601 – 34830	1969 June–1971 January
29	Deeds: # 34831 – 35650	1971 January–1971 September
30	Deeds: # 35651 – 36630	1971 September–1972 October
31	Deeds: # 36631 – 37230	1972 September–1974 January
32	Deeds: # 37231 – 37810	1974 January–1975 May
33	Deeds: # 37811 – 38500	1976 May–September
34	Deeds: # 38501 – 39200	1976 September–1978 March
35	Deeds: # 39201 – 39770	1978 March–1979 August
36	Deeds: # 39826 – 40420	1979 October–1981 March
37	Deeds: # 40421 – 41100	1981 March–1982 November
38	Deeds: # 41101 – 41850	1982 November–1984 March
39	Deeds: # 41851 – 42427	1984 March–1985 April
40	Deeds: # 42428 – 42799	1985 May-1986 September
41	Deeds: # 42800 – 43147	1986 September–1987 September
42/1-3	Deeds - Railway: #9452 – 10583 (Choteau Co.)	1912–1960
42/4-10	Deeds - Railway: # 2103 – 4744 (Fergus Co.)	1912–1930
43	Deeds cards: # 11967 – 43416	1947 April–1987 September
44	Maps – I-15, I-90, I-94 (large format)	1967
45	“Montana Septic System Requirements – Part I – III	1979–1987
46/1	Deeds: DNRC	1986
46/2	Correspondence	1962–1968
46/3	Correspondence: Road abandonment	1976-1980
46/4	Livestock and Vehicular Underpasses Supplement	undated
46/5	Livestock and Vehicular Underpasses Reports and photos	undated
46/6	Montana Land Economic Study – Studies #1-10	circa 1964
46/7	Montana Land Economic Study – Studies #11-18	1964
46/8	Montana Land Economic Study – Studies # 22-30	1964 – 1965
46/9	Montana Land Economic Study – Studies # 31-40	1965
46/10	Montana Land Economic Study – Studies # 41-51	1965 – 1967
46/11	Montana State University – Land Economic Research	1966-1970
46/12	Interstate completion estimate	1970
46/13	Interstate completion estimate – I- 15, I-90, I-94	1970
46/14	Interstate completion estimate – I- 15, I-90, I-94	1972
42/15	Interstate completion estimate	1972
46/16	Montana Highway Commission News Roundup	1970-1972
46/17	Underpass Study Research	1966-1969
46/18	Structure inventories – Billings, Butte, Glendive, Great Falls, Missoula	1970
46/19	Maps – I-15	1969
46/20	Maps – I-90	1960, 1969
46/21	Maps – I-94	1960, 1970
	Reports
Box/Folder
47/1-2	Right of Way Division Manual	1968-1980

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Construction projects--United States
Deeds--Montana
Roads

Archives West Finding Aid

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