Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Montana Territory Territorial Secretary records, 1865-1891
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana Territory. Territorial Secretary
- Title
- Montana Territory Territorial Secretary records
- Dates
- 1865-1891 (inclusive)18651891
- Quantity
-
58.25 linear feet
7 volumes
1 folders, oversize - Collection Number
- RS 160
- Summary
- This collection consists of records created by the Montana Territory Territorial Secretary. Materials include correspondence; financial records; oaths of office; treaties with the Bannack, Shoshone, and Sheepeater Indian tribes; reports of the insane asylum, the superintendent of schools, and various territorial agencies; 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
-
Most of this collection is open for research. Files containing patient information from the Territorial Insane Asylum are restricted. Patient records are confidential and privileged (M.C.A. 53-21-166) but may be used for research under the administrative rule adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Contact the Research Center Archives for details.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Authorized by the Organic Act of The Territory of Montana, the Territorial Secretary was a presidential appointee whose duties included the transmittal of federal reports, and serving as Territorial Governor in the latter's absence. When Montana became a state in 1889, the Office of the Secretary of State replaced the Territorial Secretary.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of materials from the Territorial Secretary's Office. Records include incoming correspondence (1866-1889) regarding incorporations, legislature, military affairs, and notary publics; outgoing correspondence to state businesses; a diary of the daily activities of the Secretary; and financial records including account books, ledgers and vouchers for expenses for Secretary and Governor's offices. The bulk of the collection consists of county business license records.
The collection also contains correspondence, reports, and petitions submitted to the Territorial Governor's Office legal documents, as well as some materials produced by the Governor. There also some records created by other territorial or federal government entities that were submitted to the Secretary's Office and pertain to the function of that office, such as correspondence from U.S. departments and reports submitted from the Territorial Prison and Insane Asylum.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
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 holders. For more information, contact the Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives.
Preferred Citation
[Name of document or photograph number], Montana Territory Territorial Secretary records, RS 160, [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by creating agency or office. In some instances, the creating agency could not be ascertained, so those materials were filed with other materials produced by the Secretary's Office. The county business license records are organized chronologically, then alphabetically by county.
Location of Collection
Acquisition Information
The materials in this collection were obtained via a series of transfers from the Secretary of State's office. Information about specific transfers is available upon request.
Processing Note
These materials were originally processed with Montana Secretary of State records, RS 250. In 2021, the Territorial Secretary records were separated from that collection and reprocessed as RS 160. County business license records were originally processed as RS 477. In 2022, licenses issues from 1868 to 1888 were integrated into RS 160 to facilitate better access.
Related Materials
Records produced by the Secretary of State, including business license information for defunct businesses, are available in RS 250.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Attorney General reports 1 folders
|
undated (circa 1860s) |
| 1 | 2 | Bureau of Indian Affairs disbursement list to indigenous tribes 1 folders
|
1868-1881 |
| 1 | 3 | Centennial Board of Montana 1 folders
|
1873-1876 |
| 1 | 4 - 5 | Commissioner of Deeds oaths of office 2 folders
|
1865-1888 |
| 1 | 6 - 8 | Commissioner of Deeds correspondence 3 folders
|
1869-1889 |
| 1 | 9 - 12 | County poll lists for 1864 general election 4 folders
|
1864 |
| 2 | 1 - 3 | County poll lists for 1864 general election 3 folders
|
1864 |
| 2 | 4 - 6 | Executive Office correspondence 3 folders
|
1868-1889 |
| Volume | |||
| 3 | Executive Office correspondence 1 volumes
|
1871 | |
| 4 | Executive Office correspondence 1 volumes
|
1871 | |
| 5 | Executive Office correspondence 1 volumes
|
1871 | |
| 6 | Executive Office correspondence 1 volumes
|
1871 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 1 - 3 | Governor's Office pardon applications 3 folders
|
1870-1889 |
| 3 | 4 | Governor's Office reports 1 folders
|
1884 |
| 3 | 5 | Governor's Office and Secretary's Office expenses 1 folders
|
1867-1879 |
| 3 | 6 | Governor's Office proclamations 1 folders
|
1864-1888 |
| Oversize Folder | |||
| 1 | Governor's Office proclamations 1 folders, oversize
Declaring an extra legislative session
|
1864-1888 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 7 | Governor's Office account book 1 folders
|
1883-1891 |
| Volume | |||
| 2 | Governor's Office appointments 1 volumes
|
1881-1887 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 8 | Governor's messages to the Legislature 1 folders
|
1873 |
| 7 | 28 - 29 | Petitions submitted to the Governor's Office 2 folders
Extra legislative session; Railroad subsidy
|
1872 |
| 3 | 9 | Jefferson County abstract of votes 1 folders
|
1883 |
| 3 | 10 | Legislative Apportionment Board 1 folders
|
1880-1882 |
| 3 | 11 - 13 | Legislative Assembly correspondence 3 folders
|
1867-1881 |
| Volume | |||
| 7 | Legislative bills 1 volumes
|
1883-1891 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 14 - 17 | Legislature expenses 4 folders
|
1866-1887 |
| 3 | 18 - 19 | Lewis and Clark County mechanics' liens 2 folders
|
1866-1868 |
| 3 | 20 - 21 | Madison County Justice Court transcripts 2 folders
|
1863-1868 |
| 3 | 22 - 23 | Military affairs correspondence 2 folders
|
1867-1873 |
| 3 | 24 | Missoula County 1 folders
Poll book and oaths of office
|
1865; 1888 |
| 3 | 25 | Montana Militia muster rolls 1 folders
|
1877 |
| Oversize Folder | |||
| 1 | Montana Militia muster rolls 1 folders, oversize
|
1877 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 26 | Montana Territory treaties with Bannock, Shoshone, and Sheepeater Tribes 1 folders
|
1868 |
| 3 | 27 | Nez Perce Campaign correspondence 1 folders
|
1877-1878 |
| 3 | 28 | Notary publics 1 folders
|
1868-1876 |
| 3 | 29 | Notary public confirmations 1 folders
|
1885 |
| 3 | 30 - 31 | Notary public commissions correspondence 2 folders
|
1878-1887 |
| 4 | 1 - 12 | Notary public commissions correspondence 12 folders
|
1888-1889 |
| 4 | 13 | Notary public bonds 1 folders
|
1883 |
| 4 | 14 - 25 | Notary public oaths of office 12 folders
|
1872-1882 |
| 5 | 1 - 2 | Notary public oaths of office 2 folders
|
1883-1885 |
| 5 | 3 | Park County County Commissioners 1 folders
|
1888 |
| 5 | 4 | Secretary's Office diary 1 folders
|
1877-1885 |
| Volume | |||
| 1 | Secretary's Office cash book 1 volumes
|
1867-1889 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 5 | 5 | Secretary's Office account book 1 folders
|
1883-1891 |
| 5 | 6 | Secretary's Office patent transfer 1 folders
|
1865 |
| 5 | 7 - 29 | Secretary's Office correspondence 23 folders
|
1864-1885 |
| 6 | 1 - 25 | Secretary's Office correspondence 25 folders
Related to incorporations, document authentication and statute requests
|
1886-1889 |
| 7 | 1 - 2 | Secretary's Office correspondence 2 folders
|
1888-1889 |
| 7 | 3 | Secretary's Office vouchers and voucher payments 1 folders
|
1873-1885 |
| 7 | 4 | Secretary's Office miscellaneous financial records 1 folders
|
1872-1882 |
| 7 | 5 | Secretary's Office disbursing account 1 folders
|
1871-1885 |
| 7 | 6 | Secretary's Office expense estimates and claims 1 folders
|
1866-1889 |
| 7 | 7 | Secretary's Office territorial and county appointments 1 folders
|
1866-1873 |
| 7 | 8 - 9 | Secretary's Office contracts 2 folders
Related to school textbooks and printing of state documents
|
1869-1889 |
| 7 | 10 | Secretary's Office memoranda 1 folders
|
1868 |
| 7 | 11 | Secretary's Office inventory of holdings 1 folders
|
1877-1883 |
| 7 | 12 | Secretary's Office statistics 1 folders
Related to agriculture
|
1876-1877 |
| 7 | 30 | Township descriptions and certifications 1 folders
|
1881-1889 |
| 7 | 13 | 7th Infantry Regiment rosters 1 folders
|
1872 |
| 7 | 14 | Sisters of Charity, St. John's Hospital, Helena 1 folders
|
1874 |
| 7 | 15 | Stock Commissioners 1 folders
|
1885-1889 |
| 7 | 16 | Superintendent of Schools reports 1 folders
|
1876 |
| 7 | 17 | Insane Asylum (Hospital for the Insane) reports 1 folders
|
1881; 1885 |
| 8 | 1 - 2 | Territorial Asylum for the Insane commitment orders 2 folders
RESTRICTED: Due to the presence of patient information.
|
1874-1876 |
| 7 | 18 | Territorial Asylum for the Insane 1 folders
Commitment papers; Transfers from Territorial Prison in Deer Lodge
|
1883-1884 |
| 7 | 19 - 20 | Territorial Penitentiary construction / inspection 2 folders
|
1868-1886 |
| 7 | 21 | Territorial agency reports 1 folders
|
1872-1889 |
| 7 | 22 | United States Interior Department correspondence 1 folders
|
1885-1886 |
| 7 | 23 | United States Territorial Prison (Deer Lodge) correspondence 1 folders
|
1883-1884 |
| 7 | 24 - 27 | United States Treasury correspondence 4 folders
|
1868-1889 |
| 8 - 60 | County Business license records | 1865-1888 | |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Capitols--Montana--Helena--1890-1900
- Indians of North America--Treaties
- Liquor laws--Montana
- Military Bases--Montana
- Nez Perce Indians--Wars, 1877
- Political corruption--Montana
- Prisons--Montana
- Scales (Weighing instruments)--Calibration
- Taxation--Montana
Corporate Names
- Montana Territory. Governor
- Montana Territory. Territorial Secretary
- Montana Territory. Territorial Treasurer
Geographical Names
Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2004; updated 2021
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
