MTLRS091.xml Guide to the Montana Board of Institutions Records1963-1979 Montana Board of Institutions Records Finding aid prepared by MTHS Staff; Updated by Lindsey Mick Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives 2004; 2025 Finding aid encoded by Ellie Arguimbau with assistance by Cuadra Associates; Updated by Lindsey Mick2004; 2025 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition) Montana Historical Society Archives RS 91_ RS 506 Montana. Board of Institutions Montana Board of Institutions records 1963-1979 0.4 linear feet This collection is a subgroup (Former Board) of the Montana Department of Corrections records. The Montana State Board of Public Institutions, later named Board of Institutions, was established in 1963 as the official administrator of nine Montana state institutions providing care and rehabilitation to state residents requiring institutional care. This Board was terminated in 1979. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Corrections records. This collection consists of the records of the Board of Public Institutions (1963-1965), Montana Board of Public Institutions (1965), and Montana Board of Institutions (1965-1979). The records consist of minutes books (July 1, 1963-July 10, 1967 and August 14, 1967-May 21, 1979) and an index to minutes (July 1, 1963-July 11, 1977). 20:2-2 English

The Montana State Board of Public Institutions was established in 1963, along with the Department of Institutions, as the official administrator of nine Montana state institutions providing care and rehabilitation to state residents requiring institutional care. The institutions governed at the time the Board was established included: the Montana Children's Center, the State Soldier's Home (Montana Veterans Home), the Montana State Hospital (Warm Springs State Hospital), the State Training School and Hospital (Boulder River School and Hospital), the State Industrial School for Boys (Pine Hills School), the State Vocational School for Girls (Mountain View School), Montana State Tuberculosis Sanitarium (Galen State Hospital), the State Prison, and the Montana Center for the Aged.

Members of the Board were appointed by the Governor, and Dr. H.T. Caraway, M.D. was elected as it's first chairman. The establishment of this Board led to the replacement of governor-appointed local Advisory Boards for the separate institutions, with Boards appointed locally by the institutions themselves. The Board was later known as the Board of Institutions of the Department of Public Institutions (later the Department of Institutions). Included in the minutes are references to additional institutions that were governed by the Board in later years. These "new" institutions included: the Eastmont Training Center, the Division of Mental Hygiene, and the Swan River Youth Forest Camp. The Board was abolished in 1979.

This collection consists of the records of the Board of Public Institutions (1963-1965), Montana Board of Public Institutions (1965), and Montana Board of Institutions (1965-1979). The records consist of minutes books (July 1, 1963-July 10, 1967 and August 14, 1967-May 21, 1979) and an index to minutes (July 1, 1963-July 11, 1977).

The collection is arranged by series.

Collection open for research.

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives 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 2025, the various collections of the Montana Department of Corrections and its predecessor agencies were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 506, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.

Collections from Montana Department of Corrections' various Divisions, State Institutions, and Boards that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 506. Rather than reprocessing over 1,100 linear feet of Corrections materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central 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/sub-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.

Asylums--Montana Correctional institutions--Montana Institutional care--Montana Reformatories--Montana Public hospitals--Montana Medicine and health Montana Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Minutes 1 / 1 "Index to minutes" 1963 July - 1977 July 1 / 2 "Minutes" 1963 July- 1967 July, 1973 1 / 3 "Minutes" 1967 August - 1979 May