Montana Historical Society
Archives
RS 296_RS 501
Montana Public Service
Commission
Montana Public Service Commission records
1907-1994
6 linear ft
This collection is a subgroup of
the Montana Public Service Commission records, RS 501. This collection was not originally
processed separately by Division - it contains records of multiple PSC Divisions and its
predecessor agency, the Board of Railroad Commissioners. Please see the primary finding aid
for more Montana
Public Service Commission records. These records consist of correspondence
(1977-1992) of Public Service commissioners and staff; court cases (1927-1969); docket
registers (1907-1991); reports (1958-1990); and subject files (1913-1979).
32:8-5
English
The Montana Board of Railroad Commissioners was established by the Montana legislature in
1907. In 1913 the Board of Railroad Commissioners was made ex officio the newly created
Montana Public Service Commission. As such, it was given the authority to regulate a variety
of public utilities and transportation companies. In 1971, the Montana Board of Railroad
Commissioners was abolished and its work was taken over directly by the Public Service
Commission.
These records consist of correspondence(1977-1992) of Public Service commissioners and
staff; court cases (1927-1969); docket registers (1907-1991); reports (1958-1990); and
subject files (1913-1979).
The collection is arranged by series.
Collection is open for research.
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Library & Archives
and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written
permission must be obtained from the Library & Archives 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.
Item description and date. Name of Collection. Collection Number. Box and folder number.
Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Public Service Commission were integrated
under one collection identifier, RS 501, in order to help facilitate access, reduce
redundancy in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog, and to follow
best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Public Service Commission's various Divisions and Predecessor
Agencies that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 501. Rather than reprocessing over 80 linear
feet of PSC materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those
collections/finding aids and provide access to them via links in the primary 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 pertains to your research needs.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should
search under these terms.
Public utilities--Montana.
Montana--Politics and
government.
Montana
Public
Utilities
Detailed Description of the Collection
Biographical Materials
1 / 1
Resumes: Commissioners John Driscoll and Danny
Oberg
1983, undated
General Correspondence: Commissioners
1 / 2
Letters protesting Montana Power Company rate
increases [sampled]
1989-1991
1 / 3
Letters protesting US WEST rate increases and service
[sampled]
1988-1991
1 / 4
Gordon Bollinger, Commissioner
1979
1 / 5-23
John Driscoll, Commissioner
1981-1992
1 / 24
Howard Ellis, Commissioner (includes speech to
Northwest Planning Council, 1988)
1987-1991
1 / 25
Wallace W. Mercer, Commissioner
1989-1991
1 / 26-31
Danny Oberg, Commissioner
1983-1985
2 / 1-5
Danny Oberg, Commissioner (includes speeches,
1985-1986)
1986-1991
General Correspondence: Utilities Staff
2 / 6
FERC notices of proposed rulemaking
1988
2 / 7
Vicki Archibald, Utilities Engineer
1988-1990
2 / 8
Sandra Barrows, Rate Analyst
1992-1994
2 / 9
Joyce Baumberger, Administrative Aide; Compliance
Officer
1980-1990
2 / 10
Frank Buckley, Utilities Division Administrator
1978-1979
2 / 11
John Bushnell, Economist
1988-1990
2 / 12
Dennis Crawford, Assistant Utilities Division
Administrator
1978-1994
2 / 13
Judith M. Curtis, Economist
1977-1980
2 / 14
Jim Dwyer, Rate Analyst
1978-1980
2 / 15
Eric Eck, Accountant
1980-1994
2 / 16-20
Dan Elliott, Accountant; Utilities Administrator
1977-1994
2 / 21
Larry Finch, Economist
1980-1981
2 / 22-23
Mike Foster, Rate Analyst
1982-1990
2 / 24-26
Joe Holliman, Economist
1988-1992
2 / 27
Brent Ingebrigtson, Rate Analyst; Economist
1986
2 / 28
Mark Lee, Rate Analyst
1986-1992
2 / 29-30
Michael Lee, Economist
1982-1984
3 / 1-8
Michael Lee, Economist
1985-1994
3 / 9
Jasper Li, Rate Analyst
1991-1992
3 / 10-11
Joan Mandeville, Rate Analyst
1982-1989
3 / 12
Taffy Miller, Consumer Representative
1981-1987
3 / 13-14
Theodore Otis, Economist
1980-1986
3 / 15-16
Will Rosquist, Utility Division
1991-1994
3 / 17
Mike Sheard, Rate Design Bureau
1992-1994
3 / 18
G. Joel Tierney, Utility Engineer
1991-1994
3 / 19
Jim Watson, Utility Engineer
1978-1988
3 / 20-21
Kate Whitney, Consumer Representative
1989-1994
3 / 22
Ronald Woods, Rate Analyst
1980-1988
General Correspondence: Transportation Staff
4 / 1-9
Chronological (mostly routine notices of renewal,
receipt of registration, inquiries; sampled for procedures)
1988-1991, 1994
Court Papers
4 / 10-14
Board of Railroad Commissioners vs. Aero Mayflower
Transit Company (only roughly sorted by year)
1939-1948
4 / 15-16
Board of Railroad Commissioners vs. United States;
Great Northern Railway Company, intervener
1960-1962
4 / 17
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway
Company (miscellaneous cases)
1966-1969
4 / 18
City of Great Falls vs. County of Cascade, et al. (re
Poor Farm water line)
1962
4 / 19
Willard E. Fraser vs. Public Service Commission and
City of Billings (re water rates)
1954
4 / 20
Gas Consumers Committee vs. Public Service Commission
and Montana Dakota Utilities Company
1953-1954
4 / 21
Montana Eastern Pipeline Company and Capital Gas Corp.
vs. Montana Dakota Utilities Company
1938
4 / 22
Montana Motor Freight Company vs. Board of Railroad
Commissioners and Bruce Cook Transfer and Storage Company
1938
4 / 23
Joyce Nelson and Clarence Nelson vs. Estate of John
Holmes and Estate of Della Mae Morettek, et al.
1966
4 / 24
Kenneth R. St. Clair vs. State Board of Education (re
fatal car accident in Great Falls)
1966
4 / 25
State of Montana , ex rel. C. W. Lowe vs. Board of
Railroad Commissioners (re certificate of public convenience)
1963-1964
4 / 26
State of Montana , ex rel. Douglas Markegard vs.
Public Service Commission and City of Billings (re water mains)
1954
4 / 27
State of Montana vs. Theodore Underseth et al.
1927
4 / 28
State of Montana, ex rel Public Service Commission vs.
Favero Water Works et al.
1957-1967
4 / 28
State of Montana, ex rel Public Service Commission vs.
Favero Water Works et al.
1957-1967
Docket Registers
5 / 1-2
Complaint / petitioner dockets registers
#9-5831
1907-circa 1970s
5 / 3
Motor carrier dockets #2436-3454,
T-3455-T5831
1975-1981
6 / 1
Motor carrier dockets #T5629-T9428
1981-1994
6 / 2
MRC dockets #1-2435
1941-1974
6 / 3
Utility dockets list 6553-6643 (includes summary
information)
1978
Reports
6 / 4
Gilbert Dyer, "Public utilities rate policies :
Montana Board of Railroad Commissioners"
1958
6 / 5
"Historical utilities bills for selected
consumptions"
1975-1986
6 / 6
"Procedural rules for motor carriers"
1983-1990
6 / 7
"Statement of crude oil production and
valuation"
1978
6 / 8-12
Statistical reports to National Association of
Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
1980-1985
Subject Files
6 / 13
Excursion fares
1922
6 / 14
Helena water rates
1951
6 / 15
Manhattan water rates
1965
6 / 16
Montana Power Company
1961
6 / 17
Montana State College, Bozeman, railroad
spur
1922-1926
6 / 18
Mountain States Power Company electric rates,
Kalispell
1936
6 / 19
Pacific Power and Light Company, FCC cases
1961-1966
6 / 20
Pacific Power and Light Company, water
cases
1970
6 / 21
Pipeline rules and regulations
1926
6 / 22
Railroad freight rate reduction (#1522)
1921-1922
6 / 23
Railroad safety: grade crossings ("Careful Crossing
Campaign", #1532)
1922-1924
6 / 24
Railroad safety statistics
1913-1929, 1987
6 / 25
Rural electric cooperatives
1961-1979
6 / 26
Transit and Storage Company pipeline
abandonment
1938
6 / 27
Wascana Pipe Line Inc.
1972
6 / 28-29
Washington Water Power Company (re coal field
development; includes Washington Irrigation and Development Company; Centralia
Electric Steam Generating Plant)
1970
6 / 30
Water
1966
6 / 31
Western Union Telegraph Company (FCC
cases)
1953-1960
6 / 32
Western Union Telegraph Company (PSC case)
1956
Miscellany
6 / 33-34
Television licenses
1971-1972