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Montana Coal and Iron Company records, 1889-1967

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana Coal and Iron Company
Title
Montana Coal and Iron Company records
Dates
1889-1967 (inclusive)
Quantity
55 linear feet
Collection Number
MC 352 (collection)
Summary
The Montana Coal and Iron Company was a Bear Creek, Montana, coal mining company. Records (1889-1967) include organizational papers; interoffice and general correspondence; financial records; production records; reports; and other materials.
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
English
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Historical Note

The Montana Coal and Iron Co. was incorporated on November 27, 1889, by Elijah Smith, Prosper W. Smith, Edward J. Berwind, John E. Berwind, Elias L. Frank, Ansley S. Davis, and John S. Tilney. The purposes of the company were far reaching, including buying and developing coal lands, marble quarries, iron and other minerals, oil wells, timber lands, saw mills, water power, real estate and other properties, and to build associated roads and railroads. The incorporators capitalized at $2,000,000. Offices were in both Billings, Montana, and New York City.

For the next twenty years, the history of the company is unclear. The Smith brothers began acquiring land and issuing stock and promissory notes in payment. Relationship of these two methods of payment was not clearly defined. Little coal was produced. The company kept very poor records of its transactions.

In 1907, shortly after the building of the Yellowstone Park Railroad (later renamed the Montana, Wyoming and Southern) to Washoe, mining at Washoe began on a regular basis. In 1911, with Elijah Smith's health failing, an attempt was made to gain control of the affairs of the company. The accounting firm Pogson, Peloubet and Co. did a massive audit of the company's finances. In 1912 a mortgage replaced all of the outstanding indebtedness.

James M. Freeman began working for the company as assistant general manager about 1908. Within a few years he had become general manager and vice president of the company. He continued in this dual role until 1945, when the Co. ceased large-scale production. He became company president in 1954 and then retired to a position as a director in 1956.

After the retirement of company president Elijah Smith, the presidency changed hands many times. Shortly before his death, Elijah Smith assigned most of his interest in the company to Charles R. Smith [relationship to Elijah unclear] of Menasha, Wisconsin. In 1911, William W. Worthington became president. On William Worthington's death on January 30, 1912, C. R. Smith succeeded to the presidency. From then on control of the company from Menasha was fairly consistent, although the offices continued to be in either New York City, Billings, or Washoe. Among the later presidents were Henry S. Fleming (1916-1919), Thomas M. Kearney (1919-1931), W. H. Miner (1932-1935), Carlton R. Smith (1936-1943), D. C. Shepard (1944-1952), James M. Freeman (1953-1958), and Oliver C. Smith (1959-1975). The Montana Coal and Iron Company was involuntarily dissolved in 1980.

The Montana Coal and Iron Company prospered through World War I. Both the Washoe / Smith Mine and the nearby Foster Creek Mine operated at full capacity. With warm winters and competition in the domestic market by natural gas, the company's fortunes declined through the 1920s and 1930s. The company's Smith Mine is most famous for the terrible explosion of February 27, 1943, which killed 73 miners.

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Content Description

Records (1889-1967) of the company consist of interoffice and general correspondence, court papers, employee records, financial records, legal documents, organizational records, reports, subject files and miscellany. There are small subgroups for two subsidiaries: the Britannic Mining Company of Shoup, Idaho, and the Ruby Creek Mine, of Madison County, Montana.

There is extensive interoffice correspondence (1900-1945) among the officers of the company. Of especial importance is the very regular correspondence between general manager of the mine James M. Freeman, and the various successive presidents of the company. During the early years from 1910-1915 there is also considerable correspondence among the various other officers of the company. Under interoffice correspondence there is also correspondence between company officials at Washoe and various sales offices around Montana, and in North Dakota and Spokane, Washington.

General correspondence (1911-1945) consists primarily of correspondence between the company and mining equipment supply houses, sales agents, and customers. These letters reflect the day-to-day operations of the company.

Court Papers (1909-1937) include several cases involving the company and its officials. Employee Records (1908-1955) including accident reports, payrolls, and miners' miscellaneous earnings reports.

Financial Records consist of audit reports (1911-1946), cash books (1906-1945), business statements and combined balance sheets (1910-1956), customer ledgers (1909-1947), expense journals and ledgers (1906-1939), general ledgers (1909-1954), ground rent books (1911-1948), insurance policies (1911-1933), inventories (1921-1946), production records (1919-1925), railroad shipments (1930-1944), tonnage books (1912-1945), trial balance sheets (1909-1951), voucher distribution registers (1909-1917), and miscellaneous other financial items.

Legal Documents (1890-1953) consist of deeds, agreements, contracts. etc. Organizational Records consist of minutes (1911-1918, plus scattered) of trustees and stockholders; presidents' and vice presidents' annual reports; annual meeting materials (1920-1938), including resolutions, scattered minutes, etc.; and stockholder ledgers and lists.

Printed Materials consist of mining equipment catalogs from a variety of suppliers.

Reports consists of corporate reports to a variety of state and federal agencies, and to Moody's and R. G. Dun and Co.; a report (1916) of James M. Freeman on the proposed Foster Creek Mine; and a report (1909) on the Yellowstone Park Railroad.

Subject Files include a variety of topics, most importantly labor-management files (1910-1945) of the Joint Board of Montana Coal Operators Association and the United Mine Workers of America.

Miscellany includes flyers; lists of sales agents and customers; "fire boss books" of mine inspection; Montana Coal Operators Association quarterly reports; etc.

The subgroup for the Britannic Mining Company of Shoup, Idaho, includes interoffice and general correspondence (1922-1924), proposals for mining and power plant equipment, blueprints, assay reports, insurance policy, and miscellany.

The subgroup for the Ruby Creek Mine of Madison County, includes interoffice and general correspondence (1935-1938), and reports to the U.S. Treasury on gold produced.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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

Preferred Citation

[item description and date]. Name of Collection. Collection Number. [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Archives map case, oversize boxes, and Manuscript volumes. See Location of Collection above and inventory below for more information.

Location of Collection

16:4-6

Location of Collection

17:5-5 (Oversize Boxes)

Location of Collection

150:4-2 (Volumes)

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request.

Processing Note

Processed in 2009. Prior to receipt by the Montana Historical Society, the collection received heavy water damage, mold damage, and infestation by rodents. The collection has been stabilized and cleaned, but much of the material is still very fragile. To the extent possible, original order has been maintained, but due to the condition it was in, considerable reorganization was necessary.

Separated Materials

Some material transferred to MC 204 Hubert A. Simmons Papers; SC 1896 the Stock Certificate Collection; and MC 284 the Bill and Letterhead Collection. Aartifacts, photographs, and printed materials transferred to the Museum, Photograph Archives, and Library respectively. See inventory below for more information.

Related Materials

The Hubert A. Simmons Papers (MC 204) contain material on the Eagle Coal Co. and other companies closely affiliated with the Montana Coal and Iron Co.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Coal mines and mining--Montana--Carbon County
  • Mine accidents--Montana--Carbon County

Corporate Names

  • Montana Coal and Iron Company (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Bear Creek (Mont.)--History
  • Carbon County (Mont.)--History
  • Washoe (Mont.)--History

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau
2009

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

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