Montana Department of Transportation, Outdoor Advertising Control (OAC) Program records

Montana Department of Transportation, Outdoor Advertising Control (OAC) Program records, 1966–1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Montana. Department of Transportation.
Title: Montana Department of Transportation, Outdoor Advertising Control (OAC) Program records
Dates: 1966–1995 (inclusive)
19661995
Quantity: 7 linear feet
Collection Number: RS 492 (Formerly RS 422)
Summary: This collection is a sub-subgroup (Program) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. It formerly operated under the Engineering Division. Currently, its responsibilities fall under the Right of Way Bureau. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Transportation records. This collection (1966-1995) is comprised of general correspondence, case files, reports, subject files, and miscellany.
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.

The Montana Department of Highways Right of Way Bureau was given the responsibility, under the Montana Outdoor Advertising Act of 1971, to inventory signs along Montana's interstate and primary highways, license those which were legal, and remove those which were not legal.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Records include correspondence, primarily with sign companies and individual sign owners; case files for permitted and non-permitted signs statewide; case files for legal actions; reports, including appraisers' progress reports, a legislative report, statistical reports on minority contractors, and a feasibility assessment; subject files on highway beautification, Outdoor Advertising Control, and other topics; and miscellany, including sign inventories, Federal Highway Administration manuals, and other materials. The Montana Department of Transportation series also includes documents relating to the Adopt-A-Highway program, Missoula Logo Signs, OAC Basin Creek, and Yellowstone Park signage.

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

41:4-2

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

Montana Department of Highways, Outdoor Advertising ControlReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Correspondence
Box/Folder
1/1-7	Outdoor Advertising Control	1967-1978
1/8	District: Billings	1983-1991
1/9-11	District: Butte	1975-1991
1/12	District: Glendive	1983-1991
1/13	District: Great Falls	1983-1991
1/14	District: Missoula	1983-1991
1/15-19	General	1973-1991
1/20	Inquiries – pending	1989-1991
1/21-22	Myhre Advertising	1973-1982
2/1-2	Myhre Advertising	1973-1982
2/3-6	National Advertising Company	1972-1978
2/7	Naegele Outdoor Advertising company	1973
2/8	Newman Signs	1974
2/9	Rainbow Sign Company	1971-1973
2/10	Randolph Sign Company	1971-1973
2/11	Sign Companies	1981-1985
2/12	Snarr Outdoor Advertising	1973-1976
2/13	SOS Sign Company	1972-1974
2/14	St. Regis Sign Company	1973-1979
2/15	Time Outdoor Inc.	1973
2/16	Walford Electric Company	1975-1976
2/17	Western Neon	1973-1980
2/18	White Advertising International	1967-1979
2/19	Young Electric Sign Company	1972-1973
2/20-21	Federal Highway Administration	1972-1991
2/22-24	Private sign owners	1975-1982
2/25	Commercial electronic variable message signs	1990
	Case Files
Box/Folder
2/26-28	Active projects: City Ordinances, A-W	1966-1972
2/29-31	Legal action: Billings district	1984-1990
2/32-42	Legal action: Butte district	1972-1991
3/1-6	Legal action: Butte district	1972-1991
3/7-10	Legal action: Glendive district	1982-1991
3/11-23	Legal action: Missoula district	1972-1991
3/24-30	Permits (applications for, cancelled) (Carter- Fallon counties)	1972-1991
4/1-14	Permits (applications for, cancelled) (Garfield- Wibaux counties)	1972-1990
4/15-16	Permitted signs, inactive (includes Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Flathead, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Madison, Missoula)	1972-1980
5/1-2	Permitted signs, inactive (includes Musselshell, Park, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, and Ravalli counties)	1972-1980
5/3-11	Non-permitted signs, removed (Beaverhead- Yellowstone counties)	1972-1980
5/12-14	Surveillance – original forms: Billings-Missoula Districts	1976-1988
5/15-17	Surveillance (1988): Billings-Missoula districts	1976-1991
	Financial Records
Box/Folder
6/1	Highway beautification cost estimates	1971
	Legal Documents
Box/Folder
6/2	Montana Outdoor Advertising Act	1971, 1991
6/3	Legal counsel – agreements & opinions	1972-1982, 1987
6/4	Model for city resolution for regulating encroachments	undated
	Reports
Box/Folder
6/5	Appraisers’ progress reports (Billings, Butte, Glendive, Great Falls, and Missoula districts)	1969-1971
6/6	Department Of Transportation Feasibility Assessment	1990
6/7	Federal Highway Administration reports	1971-1974
6/8	Legislative Report: a Statewide Plan for Highway Signing	1989
6/9	Minority contractors statistical reports	1980
6/10	“Report on Montana’s OAC Program and the Restrictions Imposed By the Federal Government”	1986
6/11	Companies wishing to sell and miscellaneous	1973-1976
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
6/12	Administrative rules of Montana	1989-1991
6/13	Basin Creek (Eckman)	1985-1990
6/14	Coalition for Scenic Beauty	1985-1988
6/15	Columbus Chamber of Commerce, I90 Exit 408	1989
6/16-20	District R/W agent information (arranged by county)	1984-1989
6/21	Federal Highway Association	1972-1991
6/22	Highway beautification	1966-1978
6/23	Laws – regulations	1985-1991
6/24	Legal action – case summary (re: illegal signs)	1987-1990
6/25	Mom & Pop signs	1981
6/26	Non-conforming signs	1979-1992
6/27	Operations: Scenic America Organization and Scenic Byways (Nat’l Forest Service)	1989-1991
6/28	Outdoor Advertising	1986
6/29	Permit / sticker information	1975-1992
6/30	Political signs & Real Estate signs	1984-1986, 1989
6/31	Jack Ricker working files	1977-1986
6/32	Scenic byways	1967-1993
6/33	Signing committee	1986
6/34	Statewide Outdoor Advertising Control	1982-1991
6/35	Workshops	undated
	Miscellany
Box/Folder
6/36	Billboard inventory	1971
6/37	Control of outdoor advertising agreement: other states	1967-1972
6/38	Federal Highway Act: Indian reservations	1972-1976
6/39	Federal Highway admin manuals and directives	1971-1982
6/40	Handbook	1987
6/41	Illegal signs: list submitted to legal	1984-1994
6/42	Junkyard administrative data	1974
6/43	Manual for Classifying and Valuing Outdoor Advertising Devices	1972
7/1	National reassessment inventory	1980
7/2	Original forms & Sample letters	1979-1982
7/3	Rules and regulations: other states	1971-1991
7/4	Sign statistics	1976-1977
7/5	Signs erected before 1965	1973

Montana Department of Transportation, Outdoor Advertising Control ProgramReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Correspondence
Box/Folder
7/6	Project # STPE 0002 (125)	1994
7/7	OAC and Right of Way Bureau	1993-1994
7/8	Billings District	1992
7/9	Butte District	1992-1993
7/10	Glendive District	1992-1993
7/11	Great Falls District	1992-1993
7/12	Missoula District	1992-1993
7/13	Federal Highway Administration	1996
7/14	Motorist Information Sign Program	1991
7/15	Motorist Information Sign Program	1992
7/16	Miscellany	1992-1993
	Case Files
Box/Folder
7/17	Legal Action, Butte District: Hall Outdoor	1984-1992
7/18	Legal Action, Butte District: Beaverhead and Gallatin Counties	1991-1993
7/19	Legal Action, Glendive District: Wibaux and Valley Counties	1990-1992
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
7/20	Adopt-a-Highway Program	1991-1993
7/21	Columbus Chamber of Commerce	1992
7/22	Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)	1991
7/23	Logo Signs: Billings	1992-1993
7/24	Logo Signs: Missoula	1990-1992
7/25	Montana Power Company – Education and Information Plans	1992
7/26	Basin Creek (Eckman)	1992
7/27	Non-conforming signs, FHWA	1992
7/28	Public Involvement Handbook	1994
7/29	Operations: Scenic Byways (Nat’l Forest Service)	1993-1994
7/30	Primary OAC: Funding and Projects	1994
	Miscellany
Box/Folder
7/31	“General File”	1994
7/32	“General File”	1993
7/33	“General File”	1994-1995

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Roads
Roads--Montana
Signs and signboards--Montana
Transportation--Montana

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