The Montana Board of Capitol Commissioners was established by the 1895 Legislature. The Board, consisting of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, was given the power to review proposals submitted by contractors for the construction of a capitol building or for modifying an existing building for use as a capitol. To be approved, the building must be in a convenient location, be available by October 1, 1896, be large enough to house all state offices, and be fire-proof, with vaults for the storage of state archives. The state would then lease the building for five years. The Board signed an initial contract with George R. Mann for the building. In 1897 the law was amended to provide for the construction of a permanent capitol building for not more than $300,000. The legislature authorized the cancellation of George R. Mann's contract and the solicitation of new bids. The board was increased to five members to consist of the governor and four citizens appointed by the governor, only one of whom could be from Helena. The 1897 legislature authorized the issuance of thirty year bonds in the amount of $350,000 for the construction of the capitol building. The cornerstone of the capitol was laid July 4, 1899 on land donated by a consortium of Helena real estate men
Records consist primarily of minutes of the Commission (1895-1912). In addition, there is general correspondence (1895-1903), an agreement (1909) for the addition of the Capitol wings, and history and description of the Capitol, a listing and description of the paintings in the Capitol, and register (1902) of visitors attending the dedication of the Capitol.
The collection is arranged by series
Collection open for research.
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.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information is available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection