Montana Historical Society
Archives
RS 407_RS 492
Montana. Department of
Transportation.
Montana Department of Transportation, Maintenance Division
records
1927-2001
8.8 linear feet
This collection is a subgroup
(Division) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. Please see
the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of
Transportation records. This collection is comprised of records documenting the
work of the Department of Transportation and Department of Highways Maintenance Division and
includes correspondence, "complaint" files, flood files, historical markers files, signing
and landmark files, inspector field journals, meeting minutes, and subject files. Topics
include: the statewide installation of fiber-optic cable through “Touch America” and
AT&T, the Kootenai Hydroelectric Facility Project, and aerial photographs of Seeley-Swan
Highway.
40:4-3
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 was headed by an
administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division,
Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division were furthered sub-divided into
bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of
Transportation.
The Maintenance Division oversaw general maintenance throughout the entire Department of
Highways/Transportation including flood mitigation and damage repair, installing and
maintaining road signs and Montana’s recognized Historical Highway Markers, managing public
complaints about road conditions, as well as other maintenance-related projects. The
Maintenance Division also worked closely with the district offices, overseeing the
districts’ maintenance projects.
The collection contains files for the Maintenance division as it existed under the
Department of Highways and then as part of the Department of Transportation.
The records for the Department of Highways consist of Subject Files (1927-1991) and
Correspondence. Correspondence includes general correspondence of the Governor (1978-1985),
and of the Maintenance Division Administrator and Engineer (1970-1985). Also included are
files regarding the district and area offices (1953-1991), including: correspondence;
"complaint" files; flood files; historical markers files; signing and landmark files; and
miscellaneous report and project files, including Kootenai Hydroelectric Facility Project
and aerial photographs of Seeley-Swan Highway.
The records for the Department of Transportation are comprised entirely of records
documenting the Maintenance Division’s work with Power Engineers and “Touch
America”/AT&T to install fiber optic cable in Montana. Documents include field diaries,
both bound and loose leaf, written by inspectors and project managers overseeing the
project; environmental reports and mitigation plans written by Power Engineers, one of the
companies contracted to work on the project; general subject files about the project; and
meeting minutes.
This collection is organized into two subgroups: (Subgroup 1) Department of Highways,
Maintenance Division and (Subgroup 2) Department of Transportation, Maintenance Division.
The two subgroups are further organized into series. Subgroup 1 is organized into the series
Subject Files and Correspondence. Both Series are arranged alphabetically. Subgroup 2 is
organized into the series Diaries, Minutes, Reports, and Subject Files.
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.
Highways.
Transportation--Montana.
Highways--Montana.
Highway engineering--Montana.
Roads--Design and
construction--Montana.
Highways--Flood Damage--Montana
Helena (Mont.)--Politics and
government
Montana
Transportation
Detailed Description of the Collection
Montana Department of Highways, Maintenance
Division
Subject Files
1/1
Air Field Maintenance, Army Auxiliary
1942-1946
1/2
Civil Aeronautics Administration / Flight Strip
Maintenance
1942-1957
1/3-6
Craft Council / AFSCME
1973-1986, 1984
1/7
Disasters / Emergency – Planning, Response,
Correspondence
1981-1990
1/8
Division 4 / Froid Case / Highway 16
1981-1990
1/9
Federal Emergency Relief Projects: ERF 1-ERF 7
1948
1/10
Federal Emergency Relief Projects: ERF 9-ERF 16
1948-1949
1/11
Federal Emergency Relief Projects: Flood Damage
1948-1953
1/12
Federal Emergency Relief Projects / 1981 Flood
Report
1981
1/13-25
Federal Highway Administration Projects
1977-1987
2/1-3
Environmental and Pollution Studies
1981-1985
2/4
Inactive Radar Bases
1952-1964
2/5-7
Interstate Highway System
1958-1973
2/8
Legislation Affecting Highway
1975-1985
2/9
Letters Prepared for Governor
1978-1985
2/10-11
Local Area Road Logs: Maintained by State
undated
2/12
Maintenance Division Questionnaires
1970-1983
2/13-16
Roadside Camps and Campgrounds
1935-1968
2/17-19
Research Committee
1976-1989
2/20-21
Reorganization
1970-1982
2/22
Roadside Parks and Camps
1936-1971
2/23
Signs and Signage
1952-1959
3
Sign and Sign Committee
1967-1974
4/1-5
Sign and Sign Committee
1975-1981
4/6-7
Signals
1950-1979
4/8
Signals / Crossings
1955-1976
4/9
Signing / Secondary Roads
1950-1960
4/10
Transportation / Maintenance Research
1973-1978
4/11
Transportation Research
1979-1984
Correspondence
4/12-19
Billings District, general
1972-1991
4/20
Billings District, District Engineer
1983-1991
4/21
Billings District, 1978 Flood Damage Photos
1978-1980
5/1-2
Billings District, 1978 Flood
1978-1982
5/3
Billings District, Historical Markers
1970-1972
5/4
Billings District, Legal
1976-1986
5/5-13
Bozeman District, general
1962-1987
5/14
Bozeman District, complaints
1975-1985
5/15
Bozeman District, Maintenance Chief
1985-1991
5/16-23
Butte District, general
1969-1989
5/24
Butte District, complaints
1972-1985
5/25-26
Butte District, District Engineer
1982-1986, 1989-1991
6/1
Butte District, Historical Markers
1970
6/2
Butte District, Maintenance Chief
1985-1986
6/3
May 1981 Flood, Newspaper Articles
May 1981
6/4
May 1981 Flood, Pictures
May 1981
6/5-9
Glendive District, general
1963-1991
6/10
Glendive District, Historical Markers
1970
6/11-17
Great Falls District, general
1962-1990
6/18
Great Falls District, District Engineer
1984-1991
6/19
Great Falls District, Historical Markers
1970-1976
6/20-23
Havre District, general
1960-1981
7/1-2
Havre District, Correspondence - “General File”
1979-1991
7/3
Havre District, Complaint
1977-1984
7/4
Havre District, Historical Markers
1969-1972
7/5-6
Kalispell District, general
1971-1985
7/7
Kalispell District, Maintenance Chief
1985-1991
7/8
Kalispell District, Floods
1983
7/9
Kalispell District, Historic Markers
1970-1972
7/10
Kalispell District, Kootenai Falls Hydroelectric
Facility
1981-1982
7/11
Kalispell, Signing and Landmarks
1969-1986
7/12
Kalispell District, Signing
1969-1986
7/13-17
Lewistown District, general
1968-1990
7/18
Lewistown District, Flood Damage
1970-1983
7/19
Lewistown District, Historic Markers
1970-1972
7/20
Lewistown District, Judith Basin Signing and
Historic
1982-1989
7/21
Lewistown District, Maintenance Chief
1984-1986
7/22-28
Miles City District, general
1968-1990
7/29
Miles City District, Floods
1979-1986
7/30
Miles City District, Historical Markers
1970-1985
7/31
Miles City District, Signing and Landmarks
1977-1987
7/32
Missoula District, general
1959-1975
8/1-6
Missoula District, general
1960-1991
8/7
Missoula District, District Engineer
1982-1990
8/8
Missoula District, Field Review
1982 January
8/9
Missoula District, Historical Markers
1970-1972
8/10
Missoula District, Seeley-Swan Trees Photographs
1988
8/11-12
Missoula District, Signing and Landmarks
1971-1989
8/13
Missoula District, Skakhalo Road
1975
8/14
Missoula District, Landslide Maintenance
1975-1990
8/15-18
Wolf Point District, general
1962-1991
8/19
Wolf Point District, Maintenance Chief
1985-1991
8/20
Wolf Point District, Floods
1976-1987
8/21
Wolf Point District, Historical Markers
1970-1973
8/22
Wolf Point District, Signing and Landmarks
1975-1983
Montana Department of Transportation, Maintenance
Division
Diaries
Volume 1
Tom Andrus, Inspector
2001 June–August
Volume 2
Larry Rickard, Inspector
2001 January–May
Volume 3
Larry Rickard, Inspector
2001 Febrauary–July
9/1
Field Diary: “Touch America” Fiber Optic Cable
Installation (B. Berthelson)
2001 January–June
9/2
Field Diary: “Touch America” Fiber Optic Cable
Installation Field Diary: “Touch America” Fiber Optic Cable Installation (B.
Berthelson)
2001 January–June
9/3
Field Diary: “Touch America” Fiber Optic Cable
Installation (Miller)
2001 January–June
9/4
Field Diary: “Touch America” Fiber Optic Cable
Installation (Tuhy)
2001 May–September
Minutes
9/5
Shop Superintendent Meetings
1999 May, 1999 December
Reports
10/1
“Touch America” Fiber Optic Installation: Utility
Environ. Checklist (Billings-Yakima)
2000
10/2
“Touch America” Fiber Optic Installation: Utility
Environ. Checklist (Billings-Seattle)
2000
10/3
“Touch America” Fiber Optic Installation: Biological
Assessments (Plants & Wildlife)
2000
10/4
“Touch America” Fiber Optic Installation: Biological
Assessments (Bull Trout & Sensitive Species)
2000
10/5
“Touch America” Fiber Optic Installation: Power
Engineers, “Construction Plan for National Forest Lands”
2001
10/6
“Touch America” Fiber Optic Installation: Power
Engineers, “Required Construction Mitigation Measures”
2001
Subject Files
10/7
“Touch America,” Environmental Plans and
Permits
2000
10/8
“Touch America,” General Information
1999-2000