MTLMC157.xml Guide to the Seaton Ranch Company records 1917-1970 Seaton Ranch Company records Finding aid prepared by MHS Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Montana Historical Society 2004
Helena, MT
Finding aid encoded by Ellie Arguimbau with assistance by Cuadra Assoc. 2004 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard 2nd Edition) Montana Historical Society Archives MC 157 Seaton Ranch Company Seaton Ranch Company Records 1917-1970 4 linear feet of shelf space The Seaton Ranch Company was organized in Cascade County, Montana, in 1922 by Frank W. Seaton and Theodora E. Seaton, and operated from 1945 to 1965 by their son Edward W. Seaton, and from 1965 to 1970 by his widow Dorothy M. Seaton. Records include financial records (1944-1968), minute and record books (1922, 1942-1968); subject files, primarily concerning the Production Credit Association from 1952 to 1968; and miscellany. There is a small subgroup of records (1939-1960) of The Sanitary Cleaners, in Great Falls. 7:5-1 English

Frank W. Seaton and his family moved from McCune (Macoun), Saskatchewan, Canada, to the Cascade-Fort Shaw, Montana, area in 1910. The Seaton Ranch Company, originally organized as a sheep business, was incorporated on July 27, 1922, by F.W. Seaton, his wife Theodora Seaton, and Ralph E. Bancroft.

Following the death of F.W. Seaton in November 1945, his oldest son, Edward W. Seaton, was chosen as company president. In 1965 the firm owned a herd of more than 30,000 sheep and held interests in wheat and cattle. The company possessed property not only in Cascade County, but also in Browning, Montana. In the 1960s the company was involved in a court case with Browning over the proposed location of the municipal sewage system adjacent to Seaton Ranch Company land.

Ed Seaton, who resided with his family in Fort Shaw, served for several years as a school trustee for that town and for Simms and was a Republican candidate for the Montana House of Representatives in 1960. Seaton died of a heart attack on December 29, 1965.

Dorothy M. Seaton, Edward's wife, was also an officer of the Seaton Ranch Company, serving as vice president, secretary, and, in 1966, following her husband's death, president. At that time Harold A. Johnson, an accountant, became the company's secretary and Robert W. Gronberg was elected vice president. The Seaton Ranch Company remained in operation until 1968 when the ranch holdings were sold to the local Hutterite Colony.

Harold A. Johnson was also an accountant for The Sanitary Cleaners of Great Falls which was owned by William J. Burlingame.

This collection contains financial records of the Seaton Ranch Company, including annual statements, ledgers, journals, timebooks, etc. Two volumes of organizational materials, including minutes, by-laws, and articles of incorporation, detail some of the company's operational activities. The subject files have been maintained in original order as received from the donor. These materials deal primarily with financial matters. The Miscellaneous subgroup in the collection contains two financial volumes for The Sanitary Cleaners and bank statements for the Simms Women's Society of Christian Service.

Arranged by series. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes. Some material housed in Archives Map Case. See inventory below for more information.

Collection open for research.

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. 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.

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

Acquisition information 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.

Seaton Ranch Company Browning (Mont.) Cascade County (Mont.) Great Falls (Mont.)-Commerce Laundries Ranches Montana Agriculture Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Seaton Ranch Company Court Papers 1 / 1 Seaton Ranch Company v. Montana Vegetable Oil and Seed Company 1951 Financial Records 1 / 2-4 Annual financial statements 1944-1968 1 / 5 Bank statements: Dorothy M. Seaton, Citizens State Bank (Choteau) 1967-1968 1 / 6 Bank statements: Ed and Dorothy M. Seaton, Montana Bank (Great Falls) 1965-1966 1 / 7 Bank statements: Seaton Ranch Company, Citizens State Bank (Choteau) 1967-1968 2 / 1-5 Bank statements: Seaton Ranch Company, Stockmans Bank (Cascade) 1963-1967 2 / 6 Bills, receipts, etc. 1952-1969 2 / 7 General ledger sheets: assets and liabilities 1944-1968 2 / 8 General ledger sheets: capital, sales, and purchases 1944-1968 2 / 9 General ledger sheets: expenses (1) 1944-1968 3 / 1 General ledger sheets: expenses (2) 1944-1968 1 Journal 1949-1954 2 Journal 1954-1962 3 Journal 1962-1968 3 / 2-3 Time books 1950-1965 3 / 4 Wages, Social Security, labor supply expenses 1954-1968 Legal Documents 3 / 5 Indentures with the Holter Company 1917, 1941 3 / 6 Sheep contract, farm rental contract, chattel mortgage 1954-1963 Organizational Records 3 / 7 Record book (includes articles of incorporation, bylaws, minutes of stockholder meetings) 1922, 1942-1962 4 / 1 Record book (includes articles of incorporation, bylaws, minutes of stockholder meetings) 1963-1968 Subject Files 4 / 2 Anthony-Conrad Land 1929, 1958-1963 4 / 3 Browning Lagoon (Browning v. Seaton Ranch Company) 1961-1965 MC 122-157 Browning Lagoon (Browning v. Seaton Ranch Company) [Map Case See Folder MC 122-157] 1961-1965 4 / 4 Browning Sewage System - Frisbee and Moore (attorneys) 1963-1965 4 / 5 Graham Bertsche Contract 1958-1960 4 / 6 Phil Burgess 1958-1962 4 / 7 Estate letters, sales of land, Harold Johnson (CPA) 1963-1968 4 / 8 Federal Land Bank 1963-1969 4 / 9 Gasoline Refund Claim 1960-1968 4 / 10 Harold A. Johnson (CPA) 1945-1962 4 / 11 Old Land Bank papers 1943-1964 4 / 12 Lease bonds 1952-1966 4 / 13 State lease 1959-1964 4 / 14 Montana Mineral and Feed Corporation 1962-1964 5 / 1-16 Production Credit Association papers 1952-1968 6 / 1 Land papers 1942, 1961-1962 6 / 2 Seaton Ranch Company by-laws 1922, 1957 6 / 3 Ray Snider 1957 6 / 4 Social Security records 1951-1968 6 / 5 Taxes: Federal Use Tax for the Mack truck 1960-1966

RESTRICTED

 6 / 6 Taxes: income taxes 1960-1968

RESTRICTED

 6 / 7 Taxes: personal income taxes (Edward, Dorothy, and Tim Seaton) 1963-1970

RESTRICTED

 6 / 8 Taxes: state corporation taxes 1960-1968

RESTRICTED

 6 / 9 John Weathered 1957-1963 6 / 10 Accounting of livestock numbers 1959 6 / 11 Moving inventory, etc. 1973, undated 6 / 12 Seaton Ranch Company plat of ranch buildings undated Miscellaneous Subgroup Financial Records 6 / 13 Sanitary Cleaners: general ledger 1939-1960 6 / 14 Sanitary Cleaners: journal 1954-1959 6 / 15 Simms Women's Society of Christian Service: bank statements, Montana Bank (Great Falls) 1968-1969