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Montana Irrigation Commission records, 1919-1929

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana. Irrigation Commission
Title
Montana Irrigation Commission records
Dates
1919-1929 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.5 linear ft
Collection Number
RS 501 (Formerly RS 116)
Summary
This collection is a subgroup (Predecessor Agency) of the Montana Public Service Commission records, RS 501. The Board of Railroad Commissioners, predecessor agency to the PSC, served ex-officio as the Montana Irrigation Commission from 1919 until it was abolished in 1929. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Public Service Commission records. These Montana Irrigation Commission records consist predominantly of subject files (1919-1929) for irrigation districts around the state.
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

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

In 1913, the Board of Railroad Commissioners was made ex officio the newly created Montana Public Service Commission. In 1919, the Board also was made ex officio the Montana Irrigation Commission and the Montana Trade Commission. The Irrigation Commission assisted in organizing and management of irrigation districts around the state. It also had jurisdiction over the sale of water, water rights, and the contracting of water for irrigation. The Montana Irrigation Commission was abolished in 1929.

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Content Description

This collection consists predominantly of subject files (1919-1929) for irrigation districts around the state. The files include correspondence, petitions, legal documents, court papers, reports, and maps concerning the founding of the districts, plans for their developments, reports on their feasibility, and engineering reports. There are also project histories, arranged by district number; and project surveys arranged by county.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by series.

Location of Collection

28:2-7

Processing Note

In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Public Service Commission were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 501, 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 Public Service Commission's various Divisions and Predecessor Agencies that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 501. Rather than reprocessing over 80 linear feet of PSC materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids and provide access to them via links in the primary 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.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information is available upon request.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Reports

    • Description: Project histories: Irrigation Districts #1-20
      Dates: 1919-1922
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 1
      Location: Reports
    • Description: Survey of irrigation projects in Montana: statewide
      Dates: 1920
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 2
      Location: Reports
    • Description: Survey of irrigation projects in Montana: by county, Beaverhead - Yellowstone (includes maps, county descriptions, etc.)
      Dates: 1920
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 3-5
      Location: Reports

  • Subject Files

    • Description: Brackett Creek Irrigation District (Park County): correspondence, petition, maps, engineering data, etc. (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1922
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 6-7
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Brockway Irrigation District (McCone County): correspondence, petition, maps, etc. (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 8
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Brockway-Ash Creek Irrigation District (McCone County): correspondence, report, etc.
      Dates: 1920-1922
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 9
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Chapman Irrigation District (Carbon and Yellowstone Counties): correspondence, maps, report, computations, etc.; (includes 1910 report on White Horse Ditch; maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1922-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 10-11
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Cooper's Lake Irrigation District (Granite County): correspondence
      Dates: 1919-1929
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 12
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Crow Creek Irrigation District (Broadwater County): correspondence, reports, maps (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1923
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 13
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: DeSmet Irrigation District (Missoula County): correspondence, reports, maps, court papers (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1923
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 14-16
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: East Bench Irrigation District (Beaverhead County): correspondence, reports, maps, court papers (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 17-21
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: East Bench Irrigation District (Beaverhead County): correspondence, reports, maps, court papers (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 17-21
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Fish Creek Irrigation District (Golden Valley and Wheatland Counties): correspondence, petition, reports, maps (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 22-23
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Frenchtown Valley Irrigation District (Missoula County): correspondence, maps (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 24
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Glendive-Fallon Irrigation District (Dawson and Fallon Counties): correspondence, petition, maps (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1931
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 25
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Harlowton-Durand Irrigation District (Wheatland County): correspondence, agreement, reports, petition
      Dates: 1920-1930
      Container: Box/Folder 1 / 26-29
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Harlowton-Durand Irrigation District (Wheatland County): reports, specifications
      Dates: 1923-1924
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 1-2
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Meadow Farm Irrigation District (Gallatin County): petition, correspondence, maps (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1920-1922
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 3
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Nine Mile Prairie Irrigation District (Missoula County): correspondence
      Dates: 1919-1922
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 4
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Red Lodge-Rosebud Irrigation District (Carbon County): correspondence, petition, court papers, contracts, maps, reports (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1925
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 5-11
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Trout Creek Basin Irrigation District (Granite County): correspondence, petition, maps, reports, specifications (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1920-1925
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 14-19
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Upper Glendive-Fallon Irrigation District (Dawson and Prairie Counties): correspondence, petition, minutes, contracts, maps, reports, specifications (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1920-1925
      Container: Box/Folder 2 / 20-26
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Valley View Irrigation District (Broadwater County): correspondence, petition, court papers, contracts, maps, reports (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1919-1925
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 1-6
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Whitetail Irrigation District (Jefferson County): engineering data, maps, reports (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1922
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 7-9
      Location: Subject Files
    • Description: Wood's Gulch Irrigation District (Meagher County): correspondence, petition, engineering data, maps, reports (maps in Oversize folder)
      Dates: 1920-1927
      Container: Box/Folder 3 / 10-11
      Location: Subject Files

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Irrigation districts--Montana
  • Irrigation--Montana

Corporate Names

  • Montana. Board of Railroad Commissioners
  • Montana. Irrigation Commission
  • Montana. Public Service Commission

Geographical Names

  • Montana--Politics and government

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau; Updated by Lindsey Mick
2008; 2025

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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