Montana Historical Society
Archives
RS 406_RS 492
Montana. Department of Transportation.
Montana Department of Transportation, Great Falls District
Office records
1935-1991
13.2 linear feet
This collection is a sub-subgroup
(Office) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. The Great
Falls District Office currently (as of 2024) operates under the Director's Office Division. Please see
the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of
Transportation records. This collection contains correspondence, subject files,
and meeting minutes related to project planning, design, general maintenance, personnel, and
public relations issues at the Great Falls District Office and district’s area office in
Havre. Correspondence, files and minutes were primarily kept by the District
Engineer.
39:8-1
English
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. 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. Each division is headed by an
administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division,
Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division are furthered sub-divided into
bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of
Transportation. This was primarily a name change. However, there were some structural and
administrative changes.
The Highway Department, the Department of Highways, and Department of Transportation
maintained regional offices in the five commissioner districts: Billings, Butte, Glendive,
Great Falls, and Missoula. The District Engineer (later called the District Administrator)
was the chief administrative officer in each district office. District office files document
the activities of the district administrators, engineers, maintenance crew, and other
district office employees. The district offices addressed administrative, functional, and
project related issues of their particular area, including: highway needs, current
construction projects, HR/training for employees, road design, federal and state aid and
grants, reports to the Department of Highways/ Department of Transportation in Helena
regarding general maintenance, construction, and area concerns, etc. District administrators
held meetings every 6 weeks. Other employees in the district and area offices also attended
duty-specific meetings with outside district staff members; including maintenance crew
meetings, engineer meetings etc., in order to maintain consistent communication among the
districts and with other state agencies regarding programs, projects, and district goals.
The files in the district office were kept by the District Engineer/Administrator.
Records (1935-1991) of the Montana Department of Highways, Great Falls District Office,
consist of the correspondence, meeting minutes and subject files of the Great Falls District
and area offices, including the Havre Area Office. The records include correspondence files
(1935-1993), subject files (1941-1997) and meeting minutes (1997-1998). Subject files are
primarily correspondence which relate to specific subjects. The records document the
function, operation, and communication of the offices that fell within the Great Falls
District. Both correspondence and subject files document: general and special maintenance
projects of highways, bridges, and signs; public concerns; municipal concerns and projects;
Federal and State grants and funding, including Works Project Administration era projects;
civil defense and transportation concerns; accident and safety monitoring; as well as
district budget and project planning. A large portion of the files document flood damage,
flood control, and repair projects.
The Great Falls District Files are arranged into 2 subgroups: The Great Falls District
Office records, which are arranged into Correspondence and Subject files; and the Havre Area
Office records, which are arranged into Correspondence and Meeting Minutes.
Collection is open for research.
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.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Transportation were
integrated under one collection identifier, RS 492, in order to help facilitate access,
reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Transportation's various Divisions and Bureaus that
were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 492. Rather than reprocessing over 280 linear feet of
Transportation materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those
collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding
aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over
the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding
aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if
this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information 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.
Roads--Design and
construction--Administration--Montana.
Transportation. --Montana.
Helena (Mont.)--Politics and
government
Great Falls (Mont.)
Havre (Mont.)
Montana
Transportation
Detailed Description of the Collection
Great Falls District Office
1935-1989
Correspondence
1/1
Correspondence (accidents,
encroachments)
1935-1965
1/2
Correspondence (equipment, guardrails, Maintenance
Engineer)
1935-1965
1/3
Correspondence (historic markers, road condition
reports, Maintenance Engineer)
1935-1965
1/4
Correspondence (Preconstruction)
1944-1961
1/5
Correspondence (Personnel and Payroll)
1945-1962
1/6
Correspondence (sectionmen, weed control,
Maintenance Engineer)
1935-1964
1/7
Correspondence (Havre)
1964-1969
1/8
Correspondence (construction Memos Re: Right of
Way)
1947-1960
1/9
Correspondence (pre-construction)
1953
1/10
Correspondence (Bureau of Public Roads, Public Roads
Administration Procedures)
1942-1959
1/11
Correspondence (Construction Practices and
Reports)
1948-1968
1/12
Correspondence (general memos)
1936-1940
1/13
Correspondence (general memos)
1949-1955
1/14
Correspondence (general memos)
1958-1965
2
Correspondence (general)
1964-1982
3
Correspondence (general)
1983-1985
4
Correspondence (general)
1985-1987
5
Correspondence (general)
1987-1989
6
Correspondence (general)
1989-1991
7
Correspondence (general)
1991
Subject Files
8/1
Bureau of Public Roads, Inspections
1964
8/2
Construction Reports, Monthly
1964
8/3
Construction Funds, Status of Interstate
1964
8/4
County Planning Surveys, Cascade County
1949-1950
8/5
County Planning Surveys, Choteau County
1949-1950
8/6
County Planning Surveys, Lewis and Clark
County
1950
8/7
County Planning Surveys, Pondera County
1949
8/8
County Planning Surveys, Teton County
1949-1950
8/9
Flood Damage Costs and Accounting
1964
8/10
Flood Damage Repair
1964
8/11
Flood Damage and Secondary Roads
1964
8/12
Flood Damage, Federal Aid / Emergency
Relief
1964
8/13
Flood Damage, Construction and Emergency
Relief
1964
8/14
Forest Highway Projects
1941-1962
8/15
General Maintenance / Snow Removal
1964
8/16
Laboratory Testing, Forms and
Instructions
1959
8/17
Planning Surveys, Federal Aid and Research
Studies
1964
8/18
Secondary Roads
1964
8/19
Signs and Signage
1964
8/20
Wage Scale and Public Employees Craft
Council
1965
8/21
Budget
1966
8/22
Construction Reports
1966
8/23
Final Inspection Reports, Federal
1966
8/24
Funds: Status of State / Interstate Construction
Funding
1966
8/25
General Maintenance
1966
8/26
Glacier National Park Guide Signs
1966
9/1
Proposal,separation of 2nd and 10th Ave, Great
Falls
1966
9/2
Radiological Monitoring Program / Manual
1965-1966
9/3
Secondary Roads
1966
9/4
Blue Star Marker Garden Club
1967
9/5
Budget
1967
9/6
Bureau of Public Roads inspection Report
1967
9/7
Civil Defense
1967
9/8
Clippings, “New Roundup”
1967
9/9
Construction Reports
1967
9/10
Construction Engineering Costs
1967
9/11
Funding: State of Construction Funds
1967
9/12
General Maintenance
1967
9/13
Planning Surveys Fatal Accidents
1967
9/14
Secondary Roads
1967
9/15
Signs and Signage
1967
9/16
Budget
1968
9/17
Bureau of Public Roads Inspection Report
1968
9/18
Clippings, “New Roundup”
1968
9/19
Construction Reports
1968
9/20
Construction Funds
1968
9/21
Dike System – Great Falls
1968
9/22
Dupuyer Transfer Section
1968
9/23
Flood Damage and Repair
1968
9/24
General Maintenance
1968
9/25
Right of Way General
1963-1968
9/26
Special Maintenance and Betterment
1968
9/27
Secondary Roads
1968
9/28
Statewide Telephone and Telegraph Permit
1968
9/29
Specifications for Fire Protection Project: Stage
1
1968
9/30
Specifications for Fire Protection Project: Stage 1
– Maps
1968
9/31
Flood Damage and Repair
1968
9/32
Signs and Signage
1968-1969
9/33
Special Maintenance and Betterment
1969
9/34
Utility Agreements
1969
9/35
Wage Scale and Public Employees Craft
Council
1969
9/36
Planning Surveys
1969
9/37
Pre-Construction – General
1969
9/38
Right of Way – General
1969
9/39
Road Oil
1965-1969
10/1
Budget
1969
10/2
Bureau of Public Land Reports
1969
10/3
Clippings, “News Roundup”
1969
10/4
Construction Reports General
1969
10/5
Construction Engineering Costs
1969
10/6
Flood Damage
1969
10/7
Funds: Status of Funds – Construction
1969
10/8
General Maintenance
1969
10/9
Signs and Signage
1969
10/10
Bridges
1953-1970
10/11
Budget
1970-1971
10/12
Bureau of Public Roads Inspection Reports
1970
10/13
Clippings, “News Roundup”
1970
10/14
Commission, State Highway Policies and
Organization
1970
10/15
Construction General
1970
10/16
Construction Engineering Costs
1970
10/17
Funds : Status of Construction Funds
1970
10/18
Forest Highways, Kings Hill
1970
10/19
General Maintenance
1970
10/20
Interim Operating Procedures : Relocation Assistance
And Payments
1970
10/21
Mapping
1970
10/22
Pre-Construction – General
1968-1970
10/23
Planning Surveys / Fatal Accidents
1970
10/24
Right-of-Way – General
1970
10/25
Safety
1959-1970
10/26
Work Study Program
1970
10/27
Advertising
1972
10/28
Average Bidding Pricing
1972
10/29
Campground and Beautification
1972
10/30
Invitation for Bids
1971
10/31
Bridge Maintenance and Inspection
1972
10/32
Budget
1972
10/33
Budget
1974-1975
10/34
Building Program – 2 and 10 year plan
1970-1974
10/35
Catastrophes / Natural Disaster
1971-1974
10/36
City Ordinances
1939-1969
10/37
Civil Defense
1971
10/38
Construction – General
1971-1973
10/39
Construction – General
1973-1974
10/40
Culvert Pipe / Interstate 15
1972
10/41
Department of the Army: Minutemen Access
Records
1973
10/42
Engineering / Construction Costs
1971-1972
10/43
Monthly Construction Reports
1970-1971
10/44
Monthly Construction Reports
1972
10/45
Monthly Construction Reports
1973
10/46
Monthly Construction Reports
1974-1975
11/1
Army Missile Base
1971-1972
11/2
Contract on Bootlegger Trail
1971
11/3
Equipment Flasher Lights
1971-1973
11/4
General Maintenance Estimates
1971-1973
11/5
Gasoline / Fuel
1971-1973
11/6
Highway Joint Development Council
Meetings
1970-1972
11/7
Highway Patrol / Fatal Accidents
1972
11/8
Safety Projects – 5 Year Program
1971
11/9
State Highway Commission Inspection
Reports
1971-1973
11/10
Wage Schedules
1971-1972
11/11
Abandoned Right of Way
1975-1979
11/12
Agreements
1976-1979
11/13
Annexation – Right of Way
1977-1979
11/14
Beautification Projects
1976-1979
11/15
Bridges – Construction and Maintenance
1976-1979
11/16
Budget
1976-1979
11/17
Building Program – Long Range
1978
11/18
Campground and Recreational Signing
1976-1979
11/19
Contracts
1976-1979
11/20
Disasters – Maintenance
1976-1979
11/21
Emergency Energy Conservation
1976-1980
11/22
Explosives
1976-1979
11/23
Forest Service
1976-1979
11/24
General Construction
1977-1979
11/25
General Construction
1977-1980
11/26
General Construction
1975-1977
11/27
General Maintenance Correspondence
1975-1977
11/28
Hot Asphalt Plant Data
1970-1979
11/29
Historical Sites Maintenance
1976-1979
11/30
Laboratory – General
1976-1979
11/31
Legislation and Organization
1976-1979
11/32
Monthly Construction Report
1976-1979
11/33
Missiles – Maintenance
1976-1979
11/34
News Releases
1976-1979
11/35
Open Pit Mining
1976-1979
11/36
Personnel Policies
1976-1977
11/37
Priority Budgeting and Planning
1977
11/38
Public Hearings / Public Relations
1976
11/39
Rest Area Maintenance
1976-1979
11/40
Right of Way Subject Files
1974-1979
11/41
Right of Way Encroachment and Excess
Lands
1977-1979
11/42
Road Surfaces Maintenance
1976-1979
11/43
Secondary Roads Construction
1976-1979
11/44
Seeing Projects
1967-1970
11/45
State Highway Commission Inspection
Reports
1975-1976
11/46
State Highway Commission Inspection
Reports
1975-1976
12/1
Special Maintenance and Betterment
1970
12/2
Signs and Signage
1970
12/3
SPOT Improvement Safety Program
1970
12/4
State Savings Fund Program
1970
12/5
Snow Removal and Sanding
1970
12/6
Signs and Signage
1975
12/7
Signs and Signage
1975-1978
12/8
Signs and Signals Construction
1976-1979
12/9
Flood Damage and Repair
1981-1982
12/10
Flood Damage and Repair
1981-1982
13/1
Flood Repairs Costs
1981-1982
13/2
Flood Control Documentation
1986
13/3
Flood Repair Pondera County
1986
13/4
Flood and Flood Costs
1986
13/5
Flood Damage Accounts
1986
13/6
Flood Damage Repair – Marias River and Dry
Fork
1986
13/7
Flood Damage Repair – Marias River and Dry Fork
Construction Diary
1986
13/8
Organizational Charts
1984
Havre Area Office
1983-1998
Correspondence
14/1
Correspondence: Index / Filing register
1983-1987
14/2
Correspondence: Index / Filing register
1987-1988
14/3
Correspondence: Index / Filing register
1989
14/4
Correspondence: Index / Filing register
1990
14/5-62
Correspondence
1983 July-1988 June
15
Correspondence
1988 July-1993
16/1
Correspondence: Job Descriptions /
Information
1981
Meeting Minutes
16/2
AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on
Maintenance
1998
16/3
Area Maintenance Chiefs Meetings
1995-1997
16/4
District Administrators Meetings
1995-1997
16/5
District Staff Meetings (Great Falls)
1997-1999
16/6
District Staff Meetings (Great Falls)
2001
16/7
Field Maintenance Supervisors Meetings
1997
16/8
Maintenance Management System Steering Committee
Meeting
1994
16/9
Maintenance Equipment Training Committee
Meeting
1997-1998
16/10
Maintenance Chief Meetings
2001-2002
16/11
Safety Seminars
1995-1999
16/12
Safety Committee / Accident Review
1997-1998
16/13
Safety Committee / Accident Review
1998-1999
16/14
Safety Committee / Accident Review
1997-2000
16/15
Safety Committee / Accident Review
1997
16/16
Safety Committee / Accident Review
1998-1999
16/17
Safety Committee / Accident Review
1995-1999
16/18
Section Safety Meetings
1997
16/19
Section Supervisors Meetings
1997, 1999
16/20
Section Supervisors Meeting s
1999-2000
16/21
Sectionmen Meetings
1997-1998
16/22
Shop Superintendant Meetings
1995-1999
16/23
Sign Committee Meetings
1994
16/24
Staff Meetings
1995-1997
16/25
Staff Meetings
1997
Subject Files
16/26
Work Plans: Cut Bank
1996-1997
16/27
Supervisors' Area Spreadsheets
1984-1995