MTLrs95.xml Guide to the Montana Children's Center records 1894-1984 Montana Children's Center records Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 1982 Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Montana Historical Society 2006 Finding aid encoded by Ellie Arguimbau with assistance by Cuadra Associates 2006 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition) Montana Historical Society Archives RS 95 Montana Children's Center Montana Children's Center records 1894-1984 13.5 linear feet of shelf space 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. 20:2-2 English

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.

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)

The collection is arranged by series.

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.

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.

item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, 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.

Montana State Orphans' Home. Abused children--Montana Orphanages--Montana--Twin Bridges Youth --Montana Twin Bridges (Mont.)--Education Montana Children and Youth Detailed Description of the Collection General Correspondence 1 / 1 Miscellaneous 1919-1973 Financial Records 1 / 1a Account book 1917-1924 1 / 2 Appropriations 1897-1915, 1926 1 / 3 Budgets (proposed) 1955-1961 1-5 Cash books 1917-1968 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 6-7 Journals 1898-1909 1 / 14 Journal 1909-1915 8 Journal 1915-1928 1 / 15 Ledger 1894-1899 9 Ledger 1900-1905 1 / 16 Ledger 1909-1915 10-11 Ledgers 1915-1927 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 12-13 Payroll books 1929-1941 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 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 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 5 / 6a The Home Echo (newsletter) 1949 Reports 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 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) 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 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 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