Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Montana Children's Center records, 1894-1984
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana Children's Center
- Title
- Montana Children's Center records
- Dates
- 1894-1984 (inclusive)18941984
- Quantity
- 13.5 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- RS 95
- Summary
- These records (1894-1975) of the Montana Children's Center in Twin Bridges, and of its predecessor the State Orphans' Home, consist of executive board minutes, indexed records of children received at the center, financial records, blueprints, and miscellany.
- 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
-
Administrative records are open for research. RESTRICTION: Access to children's records limited to individual or closest living relative. Access to adoption records allowed only with a court order from a Montana District Court. Contact State Archivist for details of access.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Montana State Orphan's Asylum was established by the 1893 legislature for the "care and education of orphans, foundlings, and destitute children". The Asylum was governed by a board of five trustees, who were empowered to select a suitable site at Twin Bridges, to adopt rules for the governance of the home, and to hire a superintendent and a matron. The superintendent would, in turn, hire nurses, attendants, and others. The trustees were also authorized to establish schools and vocational training shops.
Any child under the age of 12 was eligible for admission, and children 12 and over if it was deemed advisable by the Board. When the Board determined it was suitable, children could be placed in private homes. Over the years, a large percentage of children at the home were not orphans, but were children who for a variety of reasons could not be cared for by their parents.
In 1959 the home was renamed the Montana Children's Center. The Center closed in 1979.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Records include financial records (1894-1973) including cash books, journals, ledgers, trial balances, voucher registers, etc.; board of trustees minutes (1893-1955); copies of minutes of the State Board of Education (1944-1962) and the State Board of Institutions (1965-1974); annual reports (1910-1951) and other reports; subject files; and children's records (1894-1975)
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
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. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
General Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | Miscellaneous |
1919-1973 |
Financial Records Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1a | Account book |
1917-1924 |
| 1 / 2 | Appropriations |
1897-1915, 1926 |
| 1 / 3 | Budgets (proposed) |
1955-1961 |
| Volume | ||
| 1-5 | Cash books |
1917-1968 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 4 | Classification of Accounts and Manual of Accounting
Procedures |
1921 |
| 1 / 5 | Expenses |
1894-1895 |
| 1 / 6-11 | Financial reports |
1928-1961 |
| 1 / 12 | Financial reports: State Examiner |
1962-1967 |
| 1 / 13 | Journal |
1894-1899 |
| Volume | ||
| 6-7 | Journals |
1898-1909 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 14 | Journal |
1909-1915 |
| Volume | ||
| 8 | Journal |
1915-1928 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 15 | Ledger |
1894-1899 |
| Volume | ||
| 9 | Ledger |
1900-1905 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 16 | Ledger |
1909-1915 |
| Volume | ||
| 10-11 | Ledgers |
1915-1927 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 1-8 | Ledgers |
1928-1957 |
| 2 / 9 | Ledgers: monthly totals |
1935-1955 |
| 3 / 1-2 | Petty ledgers |
1915-1923 |
| 3 / 3-5 | Payroll books |
1912-1928 |
| Volume | ||
| 12-13 | Payroll books |
1929-1941 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 6-9 | Payroll books |
1941-1955 |
| 3 / 10-14 | Payroll sheets |
1955-1967 |
| 4 / 1 | Revolving fund |
1965-1973 |
| 4 / 2 | Trial balance |
1917 |
| 4 / 3-8 | Trial balances, financial statements, etc. |
1953-1973 |
| Volume | ||
| 14 | Voucher register #1-3175 |
1909-1915 |
| 15 | Voucher register #3176-7108 |
1915-1920 |
| 16 | Voucher register #7109-9560 |
1920-1924 |
| 17 | Voucher register #9561-11394 |
1925-1928 |
| 18 | Voucher register #11395-12238; 1-11061 |
1928-1950 |
| 19 | Voucher register #11062-12806; 1-1216 |
1950-1955 |
| 20 | Voucher register #1199-5500; 1-1120; 1-306 |
1955-1960 |
| 21 | Voucher register (separate run) |
1917-1928 |
Minutes Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 9-13 | Board minutes |
1893-1955 |
| 4 / 14 | Council of Superintendents of Children's Institutions |
1956 |
| 4 / 15 | Council of Superintendents of Juvenile Institutions |
1966-1972 |
| 5 / 1-4 | State Board of Education (copies) |
1944-1962 |
| 5 / 5-6 | State Board of Institutions (copies) |
1965-1974 |
Printed Materials Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5 / 6a |
The Home Echo (newsletter) |
1949 |
Reports Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5 / 7 | Annual reports of Department of Institutions |
1967-1974 |
| 5 / 8-10 | Annual reports of Executive Board |
1910-1951 |
| 5 / 11 | Biennial reports of Executive Board |
1914, 1918, 1932 |
| 5 / 12-13a | Quarterly reports of Executive Board |
1932-1962 |
| 5 / 14 | School year reports |
1942-1950 |
| 5 / 15 | Semi-annual reports of Executive Board |
1910-1919 |
| 5 / 16 | Special Report on Education Bond Fund Account |
1924 |
| 5 / 17 | Special reports: miscellaneous |
1921-1923 |
| 5 / 18 | Statistical reports |
1918-1967 |
| 5 / 19 | Studies and reports |
1963-1971 |
Subject Files Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 6 / 1 | American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees |
1969-1970 |
| 6 / 2 | Architects' drawings (sketches): boilers |
undated |
| 6 / OVSZ | Blueprints of buildings (cottages, gymnasium, Moler
Memorial Building, boiler room, kitchen, recreation center, laundry building, grounds) |
1905-1968 |
| 6 / 3 | Capital building projects |
1967 |
| 6 / 4 | Casey Family program |
1973-1975 |
| 6 / 5 | Chaplains |
1967-1972 |
| 6 / 6 | Children's accounts |
1965-1966 |
| 6 / 7 | Constitutional Convention |
1971 |
| 6 / 8 | Crime Control Commission |
1973 |
| 6 / 9 | Elementary school accreditation |
1964-1975 |
| 6 / 10-11 | Employee memos |
1964-1975 |
| 6 / 12 | Estates: Wilbur C. Cook |
1956 |
| 6 / 13 | Estates: Bertha B. Larter |
1962 |
| 6 / 14-15 | Estates: John W. Moler |
1932-1953 |
| 6 / 16 | Fire drills and regulations |
undated |
| 6 / 17 | Fire inspection |
1960-1973 |
| 6 / 18 | Fishing licenses |
1969 |
| 6 / 19 | Hammond - Everly Engineering Company: report on water
and heating system |
1963 |
| 6 / 20 | M. A. Harmon |
1964 |
| 6 / 21 | Senator Frank Hazelbaker |
1967-1970 |
| 6 / 22 | Inventory and appraisal of land and buildings |
1960s |
| 6 / 23 | Investigation of charge of tainted meat |
1915 |
| 6 / 24 | Bob Jensen, State Training Coordinator |
1971-1972 |
| 6 / 25 | Edwin G. Kellner |
1969-1975 |
| 6 / 26 | Laws pertaining to Department of Institutions |
1962-1971, undated |
| 6 / 27 | Legal custody |
1959-1965 |
| 6 / 28 | Long-range building program |
1968-1972 |
| 6 / 29 | Montana Aeronautics Commission |
1967-1969 |
| 6 / 30 | Montana Attorney General |
1962-1971 |
| 6 / 31 | Montana Council on Human Resources |
1969 |
| 7 / 1 | Montana Department of Health and Environmental
Sciences |
1960-1974 |
| 7 / 2-5 | Montana Department of Institutions |
1964-1974 |
| 7 / 6 | Montana Department of Institutions reorganization |
1971-1972 |
| 7 / 7 | Montana Department of Public Welfare |
1958-1938 |
| 7 / 8 | Montana Governor's Committee on Mental Health |
1963 |
| 7 / 9 | Montana Industrial Accident Board: building
inspection |
1963-1972 |
| 7 / 10 | Montana Law Enforcement Planning Committee |
1969 |
| 7 / 11 | Montana Legislative Council |
1963-1974 |
| 7 / 12 | Montana State University (Bozeman): Children's Center
Needs Assessment Study |
1973-1974 |
| 7 / 13 | Montana Federation of Teachers |
1974-1975 |
| 7 / 14 | Repair and renovation: cottages and gymnasium |
1966-1967 |
| 7 / 15 | Repair and renovation: miscellaneous projects |
1975 |
| 7 / 16 | Selective Service system |
1972 |
| 7 / 17 | School district state impact aid |
1966-1974 |
| 7 / 18 | Senate bill 52: establishing state orphan home |
1893 |
| 7 / 19 | Specifications on building |
1922, undated |
| 7 / 20 | Speed control, Highway 91 |
1970 |
| 7 / 21 | State Orphan's Home information: miscellaneous
(speeches, history, reports) |
1920s-1960s |
| 7 / 22 | Twin Bridges High School |
1971-1974 |
| 7 / 23 | Twin Bridges High School: tuition |
1966-1972 |
| 7 / 24 | U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farm Home
Administration |
1967 |
| 7 / 25 | U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Master Facility inventory |
1967 |
| 7 / 26 | Vocational education |
1971 |
| 7 / 27 | Vocational rehabilitation |
1968 |
| 7 / 28 | Youth Forest Camp, Swan Rivers |
1966 |
| 7 / 29 | Miscellaneous (includes interoffice memos, payroll
sheets (1912-1922)) |
1912-1967 |
Children's Records (Restricted: see restriction statement above) Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 8 / 1 | List of deceased residents |
1895-1944 |
| 8 / 2-4 | Record of children admitted and released |
1908-1975 |
| 8 / 5 | Visitors' register |
1927-1952 |
| 9a / 1 | Children's record (loose sheets) |
1894-1896 |
| 9a / 2 | Children's record I |
1894-1916 |
| 9a / 3 | Children's record I: index |
undated |
| 9a / 4 | Children's record II |
1914-1927 |
| 9a / 5 | Children's record II: index |
undated |
| Volume | ||
| 24 | Children's record: A - G |
circa 1923-1955 |
| 25 | Children's record: H - P |
circa 1923-1955 |
| 26 | Children's record: P - Z |
circa 1923-1955 |
| 27 | Children's record: A - Z |
circa 1953-1957 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 9b / 6 | Children's register: A - Z |
1894-1914 |
| 9b / 7 | Children's register: A - Z |
1908-1911 |
| 9b / 8 | Children returned to parents, sent to reform school,
etc. |
1912 |
| 9b / 9 | Discipline problems |
1963-1974 |
| 9b / 10-11 | Hospital record |
1907-1943 |
| 9b / 12 | IQs of children |
1963 |
| 9b / 13 | Record of children returned and replaced (also deaths
and adoptions) |
1928-1943 |
| 9b / 14 | Reports on children |
circa 1930 |
| 9b / 15 | Reports on children (for committee of 39th
Legislature) |
1965 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Abused children--Montana
- Orphanages--Montana--Twin Bridges
- Youth --Montana
Corporate Names
- Montana State Orphans' Home.
Geographical Names
- Twin Bridges (Mont.)--Education
Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 1982
2006
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
