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Glasgow Courier Collection, 1933-1956

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Glasgow Courier
Title
Glasgow Courier Collection
Dates
1933-1956 (inclusive)
Quantity
.9 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 62 (collection)
Summary
This collection (1933-1956) consists of materials gathered by reporters while covering the planning and construction of the Fort Peck Dam, a project partially intended to provide work for the unemployed of the 1930s Depression era. Included are general correspondence, press releases, research 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 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 construction of Fort Peck Dam near Glasgow, Montana, was undertaken as one of the public works programs of the Franklin Roosevelt administration. Fort Peck, Public Works Project No. 30 was designed, in large part, to provide jobs and stimulate the depressed economy. The Army Corps of Engineers recommended the building of an earth-filled dam to provide flood control and to improve navigation on the Missouri River. On October 14, 1933, the Roosevelt administration announced that work would start on the Fort Peck Dam. At the height of construction (1935-1936) approximately 10,000 men were employed by the project. As a result of the population influx, eighteen shanty towns sprang up around the construction camp. The original project proposed a dam over four miles in length and a mile wide at its base, the world's largest earth-filled dam. Four mile-long diversion tunnels were built extending for a length of over a mile to carry controlled flows of water around the dam and a spillway capable of discharging 250,000 cubic feet of water was constructed. By 1938 it became apparent that the project had tremendous potential for hydroelectric power and generators were added to the construction. The Glasgow Courier, under the editorship of Sam Gilluly, was one of the larger daily newspapers in eastern Montana, and it covered from close range the planning, construction, and operation of the dam.

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Content Description

Collection. 1933-1956. 1 linear foot. This collection contains general correspondence including letters to Sam Gilluly and The Glasgow Courier, and news telegrams from the Associated Press. Also included are news releases; U. S. War Department announcements, circulars, notices, etc.; Fort Peck brochures and fact sheets; printed materials on the construction of the dam; and newspaper clippings.

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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. 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.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by series

Location of Collection

4:4-1

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Separated Materials

The photographs and maps from this collection were transferred to the Photo Archives and Library Map Collection respectively. Selected printed materials were also transferred to the Library. See inventory below for more information.

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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

    • Description: Miscellaneous (correspondents include Associated Press, George C. Call, Wesley A. D'Ewart, Les Hanson, Gov. Elmer Holt, Rufus E. Lee, James E. Murray, "Harold S.", U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
      Dates: 1933-1949
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 1
  • Maps

    • Description: Fort Peck maps; list of maps transferred to Library
      Dates: 1935-1949
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 2
  • Press Releases

    • Description: U.S. Engineer's Office, Fort Peck District
      Dates: 1935-1947
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 3-4
    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1934-1937
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 5
  • Photographs

    • Description: List of photographs transferred to Photo Archives
      Dates:
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 6
  • Printed Materials

    • Description: The Improvement Bulletin articles re Fort Peck Dam
      Dates: 1934
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 7
    • Description: Pacific Builder and Engineer articles re Fort Peck Dam
      Dates: 1934-1938
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 8
    • Description: U.S. Soil Conservation Service annual report; water resources in northeastern Montana; agricultural bulletins; water supply survey
      Dates: 1934-1952
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 9
    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1935-1937
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 10
    • Description: List of printed materials transferred to Library
      Dates:
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 11
  • Miscellany

    • Description: Data on Corps of Engineers activities; U.S. War Department circulars, general information announcements, lease provisions, notices, etc.; Missouri Basin Inter-Agency Committee materials; Fort Peck Relief Association announcements; President Franklin D. Roosevelt tour arrangements; Montana State Planning Board report on Columbia Basin
      Dates: 1934-1950
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 1
    • Description: Fort Peck Dam brochures, fact sheets, meteorological bulletin, statistics, etc.
      Dates: 1934-1956
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 2
    • Description: Information re bids, contractors, etc.
      Dates: 1935-1937
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 3
    • Description: Lists of employees residing at Midway, New Deal, Fort Peck, Park Grove, Delano Heights, McCone City, Wheeler
      Dates: 1935
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 4
    • Description: Notes re contracts, Burton K. Wheeler, meetings, "new people"
      Dates: 1935-1938
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 5
    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1934-1939
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 6
  • Clippings

    • Description: Miscellaneous
      Dates: 1933-1949
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 7

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Dams
  • Journalism
  • Public Works

Corporate Names

  • Glasgow Courier (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Fort Peck Dam (Mont.)
  • Glasgow (Mont.)
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