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Montana Department of Highways photograph collection, 1915-1959

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana. Department of Highways
Title
Montana Department of Highways photograph collection
Dates
1915-1959 (inclusive)
Quantity
18 boxes
3216 photographic prints
37 copy prints
1674 film negatives
Collection Number
Lot 028
Summary
The photographs in this collection primarily document the bridge and road construction projects of the Montana Department of Highways (DOH).
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 is open for research.

Languages
No textual or other language materials are included in the collection.
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Biographical Note

The Montana State Highway Commission was created in 1913 by the state Legislative Assembly. The original Commission was composed of three members. In 1917 new legislation altered the organization of the Commission by authorizing the appointment of twelve members according to geographic highway districts. Membership was changed again in 1921 to three members appointed by the Governor and in 1941 to five members, also appointed by the Governor. The Highway Commission was responsible for the overall management of the Montana Highway Department and its programs. The commission developed statewide policies and programs, allocated federal and state funds for highway and bridge construction and maintenance projects, managed the department’s budgets, approved annual project schedules, and awarded contracts for federally-funded road and bridge projects. The commission ensured that the highway department met the requirements established by the Federal-Aid highway bills passed by Congress, functioning as the link between the federal Bureau of Public Roads (later FHWA), the highway department, the state legislature, and the public. The highway commission was responsible for the highway department’s preconstruction, construction, accounting, and maintenance divisions.

In 1971 the Commission was renamed the Montana Department of Highways, created by Chapter 7 of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 and implemented by executive order of the Governor on December 16, 1971. The Department of Highways took over all but the advisory functions of the State Highway Commission. By 1972, the Department consisted of seven divisions: the Legal Division, Personnel Division, Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation.

The Montana Department of Highways (DOH) photograph collection is a compilation of photographs taken of various highways projects across the state of Montana. It includes images of traffic accidents and safety procedures, construction methods and materials, and all stages of the highway projects.

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Content Description

The bulk of the collection documents pre-World War II Federal Aid Project (FAP) work done by the Department of Highways. Photographs in this collection can be grouped loosely into three broad categories: road work, which includes construction equipment, methods, and materials; bridges and bridge construction; and miscellany, which includes photographs of winter road conditions and snow removal methods. Other groupings of significance are the Works Program projects undertaken as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms (see Series I, Sub-series II). The dates of the photographs range from 1915-1959, with the bulk of the photographs falling between 1930 and 1940.

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Other Descriptive Information

Most of the photographs in this collection were taken by employees of the Montana Department of Highways, but in most cases they are not attributed to specific photographers.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Photograph Archives collections and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Photograph Archives before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in its collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Department of Highways photograph collection. Lot 028. Box and folder number. Montana Historical Society Photographs Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The photographs in the collection are arranged by subject and organized into three subject-based series and sub-series. Series I, Federally Funded Highway Projects, contains two sub-series: Pre-War and Post-War. These two sub-series were arranged according to the Administrative Fund Letter Designation, which explains the acronyms used for highway projects in the pre- and post-war periods. Those pre-war projects whose dates appear to fall outside the pre-war time period, were likely started prior to the beginning of World War II, and photographed later. Additionally, all projects designated using acronyms to denote that they were federally funded highway projects were included in this series, regardless of subject (e.g. if a series of photographs of a bridge were designated as an FAP, they were included in Series I, not in Series II: Bridges). Series I is organized alphabetically by county, and then numerically by project number.

Series II is comprised of photographs documenting bridge construction around the state of Montana. Series II is organized alphabetically by county (bridges whose county was unidentified are at the end of this series).

Series III is comprised of miscellaneous photographs that were neither bridge-related, nor identified as federally-funded highway projects. Photographs in this series are arranged alphabetically by county; routes are arranged numerically.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request.

Processing Note

This collection of photographs was transferred from the Archives to the Photograph Archives in 1986 and accessioned as PAc 86-15 with other previously accessioned photographs that had been transferred from the Department of Highways in 1965, 1985 and 1986. The Montana Department of Transportation’s Public Affairs Bureau also transferred some records and photographs to the Archives in 1993 (Ac S 93-21). The photographs in this accession were transferred from the Archives to the Photographs Archives and accessioned as PAc 93-78. Some of these photographs were views of FAPs so they were added to the FAP collection, PAc 86-15. The Photographs Archives made copy prints of some of the film negatives that did not have matching vintage prints, but many of the film negatives in the collection still have no prints.

Related Materials

See the following archival collections for related materials: Montana Department of Transportation Bridge Bureau records, Montana Department of Transportation Preconstruction Bureau records, Montana Department of Transportation Planning Division records, Montana Department of Highways Construction Bureau records, Montana Department of Highways Materials Bureau records, and the Montana Department of Highways Engineering Division records. All of these collections document, to greater or lesser extent, highway and bridge construction projects undertaken by the Department of Highways/Department of Transportation, including methods and materials that were used. See also other Department of Transportation photographs in PAc 86-15.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bridges
  • Construction equipment
  • Railroads
  • Rivers
  • Road work zones
  • Roads
  • Roads-Design and construction

Geographical Names

  • Montana

Form or Genre Terms

  • Film negatives
  • Photographic prints

Finding aid prepared by Rachel Lilley
2013

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

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