Montana Historical Society
Archives
RS 261_RS 497
Montana. Department of Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks. Fisheries Division.
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Fisheries
Division records
1906-1991
8.2 linear feet
This collection is a subgroup
(Division) of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks records, RS 497.
Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of
Fish, Wildlife, and Parks records. Records (1906-1991) from the Fisheries
Division consist of general correspondence, minutes, financial records, hatchery activity
logs, lake and stream survey cards, reports, subject files, and clippings.
32:4-7
English
Montana passed its first laws related to fish regulation in 1864, governing the manner in
which fish could be caught. Additional laws governing fish were passed in the ensuing years
and fish stocking occurred in many rivers and lakes, but it was not until 1896 that the
first fish hatchery was built in Montana. Located on Bridger Creek near Bozeman, this
hatchery was built by the federal government and operated under the direction of Dr. James
Henshall. In 1901, the Montana Department of Fish and Game was organized, with W. F. Scott
appointed as the first State Game Warden. By 1907, regulations on fishing were on the rise,
with the requirement of a license for both resident and non-resident fisherman.
The first state fish hatchery was approved by the 1907 Legislative Assembly and was built
in Anaconda in 1908 under the direction of C. F. Healea. The Anaconda hatchery was credited
with noticeably increasing the number of fish in Montana streams and produced primarily
blackspotted or cutthroat trout. Additional hatcheries were built in the ensuing years,
including those at Somers (1912), Emigrant (1919), Lewistown (1922), Great Falls (1922), Big
Timber (1922), Red Lodge (1922), and Ovando (1922). In 1913, the position of hatchery
superintendent was created to oversee the expanded fish hatchery program. The first
superintendent was H. D. Dean. The first fisheries biologist was requested in 1924, but not
hired until 1947.
Additional fish hatcheries were built throughout the next decade, including the Miles City
Pond Culture Station and the Ennis fish hatchery in 1933. Also during the 1930s, under
Superintendent K. F. MacDonald, the division initiated a survey crew to study streams in the
hatchery areas. Several spawning stations, including those at Flint Creek, Stewart Mill
Creek, Ashley Lake and Hebgen Lake, were constructed. Several additional construction
projects at the various hatcheries were completed during the 1930s through assistance from
federal relief work programs.
In 1947 a biology section was created in the Fisheries Division, headed by C. K. Phenicie,
to implement more scientific studies of the hatcheries in the state. Additional hatcheries
were constructed in the following years and educational programs were developed within the
division to educate the public on fish and fisheries. During the 1950s several dams were
constructed in Montana that effected the development of the fisheries division in Montana;
these include the Tiber Dam and the Canyon Ferry Dam. Also during this time, the fisheries
division was changed from having several district-based supervisors to one statewide
hatchery supervisor. Pollution was recognized as a problem in 1957 and appropriate staff
positions were created to address it.
Records (1906-1991) from the Fisheries Division of the Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife and Parks consist of general correspondence (1930-1988); minutes (1940-1991);
financial records (1910-1970); hatchery activity logs (1920-1965); lake and stream survey
cards; reports (1906-1990); subject files (1879-1990); and clippings (1964). (Photographs
were separated to the Photograph Archives).
The collection is arranged by series.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection.
In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright
owners. For more information contact an archivist.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 497, 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 Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks' various Divisions and
Commissions that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 497. Rather than reprocessing over 17 linear feet
of FWP materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those
collections/finding aids and provide access to them via links in the master 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.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information is 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.
Fish populations
Emigrant (Mont.)
Great Falls (Mont.)
Hamilton (Mont.)
Knowles Dam (Mont.)
Libby (Mont.)
Missouri Breaks Region (Mont.)
Yellowtail Dam (Mont.)
Paradise Dam (Mont.)
Polson (Mont.)
Somers (Mont.)
Anaconda (Mont.)
Montana
Fisheries and
Wildlife
Government and
Politics
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
General Correspondence
1 / 1
Correspondence (correspondents include John W.
Schofield, H. H. Koessler, Leo Gilroy, Robert Yellowtail, A. G. Stubblefield, A. A.
O'Claire)
1930-1949
1 / 2
Correspondence (correspondents include R. H. Lambeth,
Iver Hoglund, Walter M. Allen, Ovie N. Woolverton, A. A. O'Claire, V. K. Roberts,
Johnny Spindler, Jack E. Bailey, Bob Turnbull, Don. L. Brown)
1950-1959
1 / 3
Correspondence (correspondents include Don L. Brown,
Forest Keller, Cliff Hill, Eugene McBride, William Alvord, Wade Fredenberg, Walter J.
Everin)
1960-1990, undated
Financial Records
Vol. 1
Ledger: Anaconda Fish Hatchery
1910-1915
1 / 4
Ledger: Great Falls Fish Hatchery (also includes
McNeil, Libby and Lewistown)
1937-1940, 1955
1 / 5-10
Ledger: Great Falls Fish Hatchery
1940-1970
1 / 11
Per diem accounts: Great Falls Fish Hatchery
1958-1960
Log Books
1 / 12
Daily activities: Emigrant Fish Hatchery
1920-1925
1 / 13
Daily activities: Great Falls Fish Hatchery
1961-1965
1 / 14-18
Daily activities: Hamilton Fish Hatchery (includes
WPA activities in 1937)
1924-1961
Minutes
2 / 1-4
Annual division meetings
1954-1990
2 / 5-7
Fish managers meetings
1984-1991
2 / 8
Fish staff meetings
1985-1990
2 / 9
Hatchery managers meetings
1984-1987
2 / 10
Miscellaneous meetings
1940-1970
Reports
2 / 11
Cost in Relation to Size of Hatchery Trout by Jack E.
Bailey
1959
2 / 12-14
End of year project reports
1987-1990
2 / 15
Five Year Fish Distribution and Management Plans --
Arlee, Hamilton and Polson Districts
1948-1952
2 / 16
Flint Creek Hatchery Study
1954-1960, 1978
2 / 17
Instructions for Stream and Lake Survey Work
1935
2 / 18
Job completion reports
1953-1954
2 / 19
Joint Survey by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
Montana Fish and Game Department of the Great Falls and Lewistown Fish Hatcheries
1956
2 / 20
A list of the fishes of Montana
1906
2 / 21
Quarterly progress reports, restoration section
1952
Vol. 2
Report of distribution: Emigrant Hatchery
1931-1947
Vols. / 3-4
Report of distribution: Libby Hatchery
1931-1960
Vol. 5
Report of distribution: Polson Hatchery
1931-1947
Vol. 6
Report of distribution: Somers Hatchery
1931-1943
Vols. / 7-13
Report of distribution: state-wide
1928, 1933-1952
2 / 22
Salmanoid Game Fishes in the National Forests of the
Pacific Northwest
1935
Subject Files
2 / 23
1964 Centennial flood
1964-1966
2 / 24
Fish hatcheries and hatchery managers (list of)
1908-1970
2 / 25
Fisheries notes, including notes on history of
Montana hatchery system
1967-1971
2 / 26
Glacier View dam
1956-1965
2 / 27
Glacier National Park
1966-1970
2 / 28
Hatcheries: Anaconda
undated
2 / 29-32
Hatcheries: Great Falls (includes daily feed charts,
production sheets, and temperature records)
1944-1956
2 / 33
Hatcheries: Lake Ronan
undated
2 / 34
Hatcheries: Polson
undated
2 / 35
Helena valley regulating reservoir
1966-1982
2 / 36
Knowles dam
1961-1963
2 / 37
Long Meadow dam
1959-1962
2 / 38
Missouri Breaks
1961-1971
2 / 39-40
Missouri River basin studies (OVERSIZE: map case)
1953-1969
2 / 41
Ninemile Prairie dam
1957-1959
2 / 42
Paradise dam
1948, 1957-1961
2 / 43
Spruce Park dam
1957-1960
2 / 44
Sun Butte dam (OVERSIZE: map case)
1952-1967
2 / 44
Sun Butte dam (OVERSIZE: map case)
1952-1967
2 / 45
Yellowtail dam (OVERSIZE: map case)
1959-1967
Miscellany
2 / 47
Articles -- miscellaneous
undated
3-5 /
Lake and stream survey card (includes water analysis,
stream summary, notes and references, and water temperature)
1972-1974
2 / 49
Miscellaneous
undated