Archives West Finding Aid

The Montana Historical Society’s Research Historian position was established in 1993 to “provide verification, research, writing, and editing for projects and publications by the Society and cooperating agencies.” The position also served as a representative of the Society at public events, conducted radio and television interviews, and served as a historical consultant.

Major projects undertaken by the office included serving as the Society’s consultant with the Montana Heritage Project, the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Advisory Council (later renamed the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission), and the Virginia City/Nevada City Task Force, along with writing and editing text for the Montana history textbook for middle school students, editing interpretive script for museum exhibits, and writing biographical sketches for the “Capital Niches” and nominees for Trustees Awards.

Dave Walter was Montana Historical Society's first Research Historian. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1943 and graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1965. He then entered the University of Montana as a graduate student, where he worked closely with historian K. Ross Toole, taught undergraduate history classes, and developed educational materials for schools. In 1979, he was hired as a Reference Librarian at the Montana Historical Society and in 1993, he became the first Research Historian at MTHS. In 1994, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Montana.

Additionally, Walter had a regular history column in Montana, Magazine of the Northern Rockies and the Helena Independent Record. He wrote numerous articles for other publications, including Montana, the Magazine of Western History. Walter also initiated and moderated the “Jerks in Montana History : Speaking Ill of the Dead” session at the annual Montana History Conference and the "More Quarries of Last Chance Gulch" column in the Helena Independent Record, both of which became published books. He also wrote Christmastime in Montana and Campfire Tales, among other books. Walter conducted many oral history interviews, including a series of interviews on conscientious objectors during World War II, and co-authored Speaking of Montana, a guide to oral histories at the Montana Historical Society. Dave Walter died July 19, 2006.