Montana Historical Society Research
CenterArchives
MC 331
(76:7-2)
Yellowstone
Historical Society
World War II Prisoners of War in Montana Research
Collection
1943-1997
0.8 linear feet
This collection consists of materials gathered by Joyce
Jensen in her capacity as president of the Yellowstone Historical Society regarding
the use of prisoners of war as laborers in the Montana agricultural industry during
World War II. Materials include correspondence, reminiscence, reports, newspaper
clippings, ephemera, and photographs. Some materials date from the 1940s and others
from the 1990s as recollections, including one audio recording.
English
Historical Note
The Yellowstone Historical Society, located in Billings, Montana, was established in
1945 for the purpose of sharing the history of Yellowstone County and the
surrounding area. It provides programs, tours, and locates, marks, and preserves
historical sites in the region.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of research material collected by Joyce Jensen, who served
as president of the Yellowstone Historical Society (1996-1997). The collection
contains the following series: correspondence from and to Joyce Jensen regarding the
research project as well as photocopies from MSS091 James E. Murray papers from
Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana;
reminiscences; photocopies of reports; writings; notes; ephemera and clippings; and
reprints of photographs from personal collections, newspapers, and the Montana
Extension Service of Montana State University.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged by series. The filing system for the research collection
has been kept substantially in its original form. That is, original order of
documents within each folder and their titles have been retained, unless otherwise
indicated. The processor devised the basic organization scheme for the collection
and, where necessary, reorganized the papers within the various component groups.
There is one cassette tape reminiscence that is foldered with the rest of the
collection.
Collection is open for research. Copyright restrictions on all images apply, as such
duplication of photographs is prohibited. Contact Archivist for more
information.
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Center
and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written
permission must be obtained from the Research Center 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 Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Processed in 2016
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical
Society Research Center catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related
topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
Yellowstone Historical
Society
Yellowstone County (Mont.)--History
Billings (Mont.)
History--Research--Montana--Yellowstone county
Prisoners of war--United States--20th century
Detailed Description of the Collection
Correspondence
1 / 1
Joyce Jensen
1996
1 / 2
Joyce Jensen
1996-1997
1 / 3
Photocopies from MSS 091 James E. Murray
Papers 1876-1961, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library,
University of Montana
1943-1946
1 / 4
Miscellaneous correspondence and
transcripts
1946-1990
Reminiscence
1 / 5
Cassette tape regarding the use of
prisoners of war on Hesper Farm
1944-1946
Copyright held by Yellowstone Historical Society. Reference use only.
1 / 6
Derek Ehrich, Geraldine Borer, Duane and
Mary Ann Guenthner, Dr. Ken Steffensen, Oren C. Burd, Reverend Bob
Lamphere, Martin Hogan, George Bohl and Marvin Balzer, and Lawrence S.
(Larry) Carter
1996-1997
Reports
1 / 7
Photocopies of reports regarding the use
of prisoners of war as laborers
1943-1975
Writings
1 /8
"We Weren't Supposed to Feed Them, But We
Did! The Story of German and Italian Prisoners of War in Montana Sugar
Beet Fields during World War II," by Joyce Jensen
1996-1997
Notes
1 /9
Research
1996-1997
Clippings and Ephemera
2 / 1
Photocopies of newspapers, magazine
articles, bulletins
1996-1997
2 / 2
Photocopies of newspapers, magazine
articles, bulletins
1996-1997
Photographs
2 / 3
Riverside Park Laurel, Montana, originals
owned by Alex Robertus
undated
2 / 4
Originals belong to Gladys Hawley
Schiffer
undated
2 / 5
Cascade County Montana State University
Photo Archives PAB45-352
undated
2 / 6
Italian POWs at Billings Polytechnic
courtesy Billings Gazette
undated
2 / 7
Mexican, Japanese, and Italian laborers
doing agricultural work, courtesy Montana State University
Bozeman
undated
2 /8
Cascade County Extension Report 1945
"POWs topping beets" Montana State University Bozeman
PAB45-351
undated
2 / 9
Big Horn County Extension Agent Annual
Report 1944, Montana State University Bozeman
undated
2 / 10
Carbon County Extension Agent Report,
1945, Montana State University Bozeman
undated
2 / 11
Phillips County Extension Agent Report,
1945, Montana State University Bozeman
undated
2 /12
"Chalet made by unknown P.W." Riverside
Camp, Laurel, Montana, owned by Adam Scheeler
undated
2 / 13
"P.W.s in Montana" originals owned by
Milton Hein
undated
2 /14
Great Falls Tribune Photo Essay
1945
undated
2 / 15
Unknown
undated
2 / 16
Photographs of Gerhard and Lelo Mehlberg
(Germany), originals owned by Duane and Mary Ann Guenthner
undated
2 / 17
RESTRICTED Negatives
RESTRICTED
undated