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Montana State University Extension Service Records, 1912-1970

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana State University--Bozeman. Extension Service
Title
Montana State University Extension Service Records
Dates
1912-1970 (inclusive)
Quantity
115.8 linear feet, (103 boxes)
Collection Number
MSU.00021
Summary
The Montana State University Extension Service Records consist of annual reports, administrative files, microfilm records and scrapbooks from 1912-1970.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
Collection materials are in English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
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Historical Note

The Extension service originated with the agricultural societies founded in the early days of the American republic which provided educational opportunities for farmers and industrial workers. These agricultural societies were influential in the passage of legislation in 1862, permitting the establishment of Colleges of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in all states. In 1887, Agricultural Experiment Stations were authorized and the Cooperative Extension Service was established in 1914 by the Smith-Lever Act. In Montana, the first county agents predated this federal legislation, with Milburn L. Wilson assigned to Custer and Dawson Counties, and Carl H. Peterson assigned to Fergus County. Gallatin and Missoula counties were the next to receive agents, and the entire program expanded rapidly in 1917 when the State Defense Council demanded more coverage in response to the United States declaration of war on Germany. Eventually almost every county in Montana had at least one agent assigned, as well as a Home Demonstration Agent. Although primarily agriculturally related in its early years, the major function of the Extension Service evolved to provide informal adult and youth education directed to helping people solve the various problems which they encounter from day to day.

All agents filed annual reports of their activities, detailing any special programs or presentations they may have performed during the year for their constituents. Information occasionally includes crop statistics, livestock statistics, weather summaries, and organizational efforts. These reports were typed in multiple carbon copies, with one sent to the state administration offices, one to Washington, D.C., and one retained by the agent.

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Content Description

The Montana State University Extension Service records contain extension agent reports documenting annual activities, special projects, and administrative decisions of Montana's Extension Service. The bulk of the collection consists of county agent reports, which feature separate reports by County Agents, Home Demonstration Agents, and Associate Agents assigned to each county. These reports date from early extension activities in 1916 up to 1970. Annual reports from agents assigned to the state's Indian reservations date from 1955 to 1970 and include reports from Reservation Agents, Home Demonstration Agents, and Associate Agents. Reports on special research topics document work related to irrigation districts as well as topically focused reports on different aspect of agricultural research in Montana. Specialist reports include topics like agronomy, clothing, dairy, economics, entomology, farm management, marketing, nutrition, 4-H, livestock, horticulture, soil conservation, and weed control.

Other reports document the administration of the Extension Service, 1914-1970. They include reports from Extension directors, county agent leaders, home demonstration agent leaders, and other specialty experts who administered Extension programs. The collection also contains microfilmed copies of agent reports held at the National Archives as well as scrapbooks related to county agent activities and special Extension projects.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged in into seven series: County Agents, Indian Reservation Agents, Special Projects, Specialists, and Administration. A sixth series of duplicate reports microfilmed from the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, forms the last series.

Series 1 County and Home Demonstration Agents Annual Reports, 1916-1970

Series 2 Indian Reservation Agents Annual Reports, 1955-1970

Series 3 Special Projects Annual Reports, 1926-1953

Series 4 Specialist Annual Reports, 1917-1968

Series 5 Administration Files, 1945-1968

Series 6 Microfilmed Records from National Archives, 1914-1944 Series 7 Scrapbooks, 1915-1972

Location of Originals

Microfilmed reports in Series 6 are duplicates of holding at the National Archives and Records Administration.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 May 12. In 2024, unprocessed scrapbooks were added to the collection as Series 7.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Kim Allen Scott, 2009. Updated by Heather Mulliner in 2024 to include Series 7.
2024

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

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