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U.S. Work Projects Administration records, 1935-1943

Overview of the Collection

Creator
United States. Work Projects Administration
Title
U.S. Work Projects Administration records
Dates
1935-1943 (inclusive)
Quantity
40 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 77 (collection)
Summary
These records (1935-1943) of the U.S. Work Projects Administration (WPA) in Montana consist of administrative materials; historic record surveys of county, state, and federal agencies and local service and church organizations; and writers' project materials, including correspondence, research files, interviews with pioneers, and drafts of articles and books including Copper Camp, Land of Nakoda, and Montana Almanac, 1941.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The Work Projects Administration (originally the Works Progress Administration) was established in 1935 with Harry Hopkins at its head. Under Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration the WPA directed all relief projects except the CCC and the PWA. It was established to complete projects on public property at federal expense. By 1943, its termination date, the WPA had spent eleven billion dollars, given work to eight million people, and completed 250,000 public-works projects. President Roosevelt believed that artists, actors, musicians and writers were entitled to government aid during the depression, as well as farmers and other workers.

Two WPA programs undertaken in Montana were the Federal Writers' Project and the Historical Records Survey.

Montana's Writers' Project, guided by Byron Crane, employed teachers and writers to write state and local histories, interview pioneers, and prepare guidebooks for tourists. A few of the project's notable publications were Copper Camp (Butte history), Land of Nakoda (Assiniboine Indians), and the Montana State Almanac. In addition other unpublished accounts explored the state's livestock and mining history.

Montana's Historical Records Survey, headed by Paul C. Phillips, completed a massive statewide survey of private and public repositories. Included were records in Montana's fifty-six county court houses, state agencies, various civic organizations, churches, and federal offices located in the state. The project's field workers systematically surveyed these records and prepared inventories that were later published.

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Content Description

These records are divided into three categories; Administrative, Federal Writers' Project, and Historical Records Survey. The administrative files include general correspondence, subject files, some financial records, and reports. The Writers' Project contains original writings, interviews, research data, and secondary source material. The bulk of this segment is various drafts of published works (Copper Camp, Land of Nakoda, etc.). Contained within the records are survey forms that detail the types of records maintained in the different county, state, and federal agencies. These vary from building forms to map surveys and were included in a final published format. The majority of the records (approximately 26 feet) comprise this final segment of WPA Papers.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Name of Collection. Collection Number. [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series

Location of Collection

4:5-2

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Authors
  • Genealogy--Sources
  • Ghost towns
  • History--Research
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Mineral County
  • Public works

Corporate Names

  • United States. Work Projects Administration (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Black Pine (Mont.)--Industries
  • Burlington (Mont.)
  • Cable City (Mont.)--Industries
  • Cataract (Mont.)
  • Champion (Mont.)
  • Glendive (Mont.)--Politics and government
  • Mineral County (Mont.)--Industries
  • Neihart (Mont.)
  • New Chicago (Mont.)
  • Pioneer (Mont.)
  • Quigley (Mont.)

Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2004

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

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