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Montana Cattlemen's Association records, 1957-1980

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana Cattlemen's Association
Title
Montana Cattlemen's Association records
Dates
1957-1980 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.5 linear feet
Collection Number
MC 245 (collection)
Summary
The Montana Cattlemen's Association is a beef cattle ranchers' organization. Collection (1957-1980) includes correspondence (1958-1980), subject files (1957-1981), organizational records and membership materials (1957-1980), financial records (1972-1978), newsletters, printed materials, and clippings. [The bulk of the material are from 1972-1980 with very little documentation of the 1959-1971 period].
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.
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Historical Note

The Montana Cattlemen's Association, International (MCA) was founded in 1957 to represent the exclusive interests of beef cattle producers in the state. Many of the founding members of MCA had belonged to the more broad-based Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSA) but formed the new organization in order to represent cattlemen, particularly those with smaller herds, more adequately. MCA also differed from MSA over how to control the spread of brucellosis in cattle. The Stockmen favored the state's program of extensive testing of herds, while the Cattlemen favored a less intrusive method involving vaccination. Over the years the activities of this non-profit organization have included publication of newsletters and a monthly magazine; lobbying the state legislature and the U.S. Congress; research services; and efforts to market cattle abroad. Governance of the organization is through the annual convention, district meetings, and board of directors meetings. In 1964 MCA helped initiate a class-action anti-trust suit against supermarket retailers A. & P., Kroger's, and Safeway for price-fixing in the purchase of beef. Cattle ranchers finally won the suit. Among the presidents of MCA were Jack Toole, Art Watson, I.H. Halverson, Sid Fraser, Swede Schlesinger, Charles Bascom, Eugene Walker, Stan Booth, and Paul Ringling. Beginning in 1972 the administrative end of the organization was run by an executive secretary, Alice Fryslie.

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Content Description

Records. 2.5 linear feet. 1957-1980. Records of the Montana Cattlemen's Association consist of general correspondence (1958-1980), primarily between Executive Secretary Alice Fryslie and MCA officers and members, and government officials, allied organizations, and others. Financial records (1972-1978) consist of financial statements, bills and statements, and miscellany. Organizational records (1957-1980) include bylaws, annual reports of the corporation, membership lists, and minutes of the board of directors and of the annual business meeting. The major portion of the collection consists of a subject file (1957-1981) including materials on the anti-trust law suit, brucellosis control, convention preparations, land use, landowner-sportsmen relations, legislation, marketing, predator control, federal lobbying trips, water resources, and wilderness. There are also subject files on a variety of related organizations. Miscellaneous material includes membership questionnaires on political and policy issues. [There is very little documentation of the 1959-1971 period.]

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives 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.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into seven series.

Location of Collection

13:1-2

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

  • General Correspondence

  • Financial Records

    • Description: Bills and statements
      Dates: 1974-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 8
      Location: Financial Records
    • Description: Bills and statements: anti-trust suit
      Dates: 1976
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 9
      Location: Financial Records
    • Description: Financial statements
      Dates: 1972-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 10
      Location: Financial Records
    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1974-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 11
      Location: Financial Records

  • Press Releases

    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1958, 1973-1975
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 12
      Location: Press Releases

  • Organization

    • Description: Bylaws
      Dates: 1957, 1973
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 13
      Location: Organization
    • Description: Membership lists
      Dates: 1958-1980
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 14-15
      Location: Organization
    • Description: Minutes of board of directors meetings [scattered]
      Dates: 1958-1959
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 1
      Location: Organization
    • Description: Minutes of board of directors, executive board, and general membership meetings
      Dates: 1973-1980
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 2-3
      Location: Organization
    • Description: Resolutions
      Dates: 1957-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 4
      Location: Organization
    • Description: Miscellaneous (includes annual report of the corporation, lists of directors)
      Dates: 1968-1979
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 5
      Location: Organization

  • Subject Files

    • Description: 160-acre limitation
      Dates: 1977
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 6
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Anti-trust suit: Bray vs. Safeway, et al.
      Dates: 1968, 1973-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 7-8
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Beef imports, exports, and prices
      Dates: 1957-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 9
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Brucellosis (includes transcript of unidentified conference)
      Dates: 1958-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 10
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Computerized brand registration project
      Dates: 1974
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 11
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Consumer Federation of America
      Dates: 1978
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 12
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Conventions [scattered]
      Dates: 1958-1969
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 13
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Convention planning
      Dates: 1972-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 14-17
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Convention planning
      Dates: 1977-1981
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 1-3
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: District meeting planning
      Dates: 1958, 1974-1975
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 4
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Executive secretary position
      Dates: 1972-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 5
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Feedlot pollution
      Dates: 1972
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 6
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Herd Health Seminar
      Dates: 1975-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 7
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Land Use Committee
      Dates: 1977-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 8
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Landowner Relations/Sportsmen Access Advisory Council
      Dates: 1972-1981
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 9
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Legislation
      Dates: 1973-1979
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 10-13
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Legislative social seminar
      Dates: 1979, 1981
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 14
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Livestock and Dairy Industry Leadership Task Force
      Dates: 1975-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 15
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Marketing and foreign trade
      Dates: 1974-1980
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 16
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Medicine Lake Wildlife Refuge Policy Action Committee
      Dates: 1973-1974
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 17
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Membership promotions
      Dates: 1957-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 18
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Montana Cattlemen's Association International Foundation
      Dates: 1976
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 19
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Montana Dept. of Livestock/Montana Board of Livestock
      Dates: 1973-1976
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 20
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Montana Governor's Ad Hoc Committee of Farm Organizations and Commodity Groups
      Dates: 1972-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 21
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Montana Media (firm)
      Dates: 1977
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 1
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Montana Rangeland Resources Committee
      Dates: 1977-1979
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 2
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Montana Trade Showcase
      Dates: 1976
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 3
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: People-to-People trip to Europe and Soviet Union
      Dates: 1978
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 4
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Position statements, research proposals, etc.
      Dates: 1973-1977
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 5
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Predator, pest, and disease control
      Dates: 1975-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 6
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Rural development issues
      Dates: 1977
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 7
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Scholarships
      Dates: 1976
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 8
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: United States Forest Service
      Dates: 1976
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 9
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Washington, D.C. annual lobbying trip
      Dates: 1976-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 10-13
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Water resources
      Dates: 1975-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 14
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture
      Dates: 1975
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 15
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Western Environmental Trade Association (WETA)
      Dates: 1977-1978
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 16
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Western Governors' Conference on Agriculture
      Dates: 1974
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 17
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Western Governors' Policy Council (includes "Imple- mentation plan for the Agricultural Resources Policy Office)
      Dates: 1977
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 18
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Wilderness and RARE II issues (re wilderness designation and U.S. Forest Service's Roadless Area Review and Evaluation program)
      Dates: 1974-1979
      Container: Box/Folder 4 / 19
      Location: Subject Files

  • Miscellany

    • Description: "Land fraud" (allegation by "A Cherokee Indian" that much of state land is held fraudulently)
      Dates: circa 1973
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 1
      Location: Miscellany
    • Description: Logo
      Dates: undated
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 2
      Location: Miscellany
    • Description: Mailing lists (includes news media, other ranch organizations, government agencies, veterinarians, and feed lot operators)
      Dates: undated
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 3
      Location: Miscellany
    • Description: Material for Montana Cattleman articles
      Dates: 1959, 1975-1977
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 4
      Location: Miscellany
    • Description: Membership questionnaires
      Dates: 1974-1977
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 5-7
      Location: Miscellany
    • Description: Statistics
      Dates: 1978
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 8
      Location: Miscellany

  • Clippings

    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1959-1979
      Container: Box/Folder 5 / 9
      Location: Clippings

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Cattle Raising
  • Cattle--Diseases
  • Lobying
  • Predatory Animals--Control
  • Water-supply
  • Wilderness areas

Corporate Names

  • Montana Cattlemen's Association (creator)

Finding aid prepared by MTHS staff
1993

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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