In 1885, the Montana Board of Stock Commissioners was established to protect the interests of cattle and horse ranchers. In 1897, the Fifth Legislative Assembly created the Board of Sheep Commissioners to protect the rights and interests of sheep owners. The Governor appointed one Board member from each county to serve a two-year term on the Board of Sheep Commissioners. These Commissioners were required to be an elector, sheep owner, and resident of the county from which they were appointed. In 1917, the Board of Stock Commissioners and the Board of Sheep Commission consolidated to form the Montana Livestock Commission.
In 1907, the Montana Livestock Sanitary Board was established and consisted of three members: the president of the Board of Stock Commissioners, the president of the Board of Sheep Commissioners, and the president of the State Board of Health. The State Veterinarian served as secretary and executive officer of the Board. The Board was empowered to govern quarantines, establish and maintain livestock sanitary regulations, direct and regulate the slaughter of all diseased animals, provide for meat inspection, and provide for the payment of indemnity when required.
In 1909, the State Legislature created the Montana Stallion Registration Board, to verify and register pedigrees, examine stallions for soundness, pass upon certificates of veterinary examination, issue stallion license certificates, among other duties. The Stallion Registration Board was abolished in 1943, and its duties were transferred to the Livestock Sanitary Board.
In 1921, the Montana Legislature increased the size of the Livestock Sanitary Board to include all six members of the Livestock Commission, with the chairman of the Commission serving as chairman of the Board. The Livestock Sanitary Board was also given additional powers, including the power to regulate the importation of livestock, the eradication and control of livestock diseases, and the movement and quarantine of animals infected with contagious diseases within the state. Additional powers were gradually granted by succeeding legislatures. In 1929, an act passed, giving the Livestock Sanitary Board responsibility for preventing, controlling and exterminating infectious-contagious diseases of poultry. In 1931, another act passed, requiring that the Sanitary Board provide inspections and grading of meats intended for human consumption. In 1935, the Legislature established the Montana Milk Control Program.
As a result of the government reorganization of 1971, the Livestock Sanitary Board was abolished and its duties transferred to the Livestock Commission, renamed the Board of Livestock. The Board of Livestock became a purely governing body and gave up its administrative functions to the Department of Livestock.
As of 2024, the Department of Livestock has three divisions: Animal Health and Food
Safety, which oversees Animal Health, Meat, Milk and Egg Inspection, and the
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Brands Enforcement Division, which oversees
Livestock Crime Investigation, Helena Administration and Brand Recording, and
Livestock Market Regulation, and Centralized Services Division, which oversees
Accounting, Information Technology, Livestock Loss and the Milk Control Program.
Please see the
This collection contains records from the various Divisions, Bureaus, and Boards/Commissions of the Department of Livestock. The Department of Livestock records were integrated under one collection number to help facilitate access and reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog.
To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup, please click on the links below in the arrangement section to be redirected to those finding aids.
This subgroup (1974-1982) consists of records from the Animal Health and Food Safety Division (formerly named Animal Health Division). It includes general correspondence, interoffice correspondence, miscellany and clippings. The correspondence is arranged by the bureau that wrote or received the correspondence, including the administration, Animal Health Division, Diagnostic Laboratory Bureau, Disease Control Bureau, the Milk and Egg Bureau, and the staff attorney. Correspondence addresses brucellosis, leptospirosis, pseudorabies, and various other diseases affecting livestock.
This subgroup (1887-1985) consists of records from the Brands Enforcement Division, including general correspondence (primarily concerning cattle shipments, law enforcement, brand registration, legislation, and relations with other states' law enforcement and livestock agencies and local Stockgrowers associations), case files (concerning cattle theft, marketing issues, and fee collection), financial records, scattered minutes, reports (including annual and monthly reports), and miscellaneous (including lists of brands, brand inspectors, and lost/stolen cattle from various regions).
This subgroup (1935-1983) consists solely of records from the sub-subgroup, Milk Control Program (formerly named Milk Control Bureau), which operates within Centralized Services. It includes correspondence, court records, financial records, maps, minutes, press releases, printed materials, reports, speeches and writings, miscellany and, primarily, hearing dockets. Most of the hearing dockets pertain to market pricing.
This subgroup (1889-1970) includes records from the Board of Livestock (formerly named Livestock Commission). Records consist primarily of bounty certificate registers and a bounty claim list. In addition, there are numerous financial volumes, including cash books, journals, ledgers, warrant registers, salaries and expenses, and egg seals cash receipts.
This subgroup (1900-1902) consists of records from the Board of Sheep Commissioners (defunct), including general correspondence, which discusses appointments of inspectors, quarantines, meetings, and the National Wool Growers Association, along with reports of county sheep commissioners and miscellany, which contains lists of sheep ranchers in various Montana counties.
This subgroup (1907-1967) consists of records from the Montana Livestock Sanitary Board (defunct). Records include correspondence, financial records, legal documents, legislative materials, minutes, press releases, annual reports, weekly field reports, correspondence pertaining to the Foot-and-Mouth disease epidemic in 1914-1915, and records documenting the Tuberculosis Control Program during the 1930s.
This subgroup (1909-1944) consists of records from the Montana Stallion Registration Board (defunct), including financial records, minutes, miscellany (including sample licenses and an employee surety bond), and blank stationery.
This collection is arranged into seven subgroups, represented by the Divisions and
Boards/Commissions of the Department of Livestock. Please note that some of the
subgroups contain sub-subgroups, which represent Programs or Bureaus within a
Division.
To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup/sub-subgroup, please click on the links below to be redirected to those finding aids.
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Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. 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 Department of Livestock were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 500, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from the Department of Livestock's Divisions and Boards that were
previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into
Each of the links above will redirect the user to a specific subgroup
(Division/Board) or sub-subgroup (Program/Bureau) of the Department of Livestock.
There may be some overlap or inconsistencies in terms of which records are in which
subgroup or sub-subgroup, as these collections have
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Research Center catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.