Montana Historical Society
Archives
RS 422_RS 492
Montana. Department of
Transportation
Montana Department of Transportation, Outdoor Advertising
Control (OAC) Program records
1966–1995
7 linear feet
This collection is a sub-subgroup
(Program) of the Montana Department of Transportation records, RS 492. It formerly
operated under the Engineering Division. Currently, its responsibilities fall under the
Right of Way Bureau. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of
Transportation records. This collection (1966-1995) is comprised of general
correspondence, case files, reports, subject files, and miscellany.
41:4-2
English
The Montana State Highway Commission was created in 1913 by the state Legislative Assembly.
The original Commission was composed of three members. In 1917 new legislation altered the
organization of the Commission by authorizing the appointment of twelve members according to
geographic highway districts. Membership was changed again in 1921 to three members
appointed by the Governor and in 1941 to five members, also appointed by the Governor. In
1971 the Commission was renamed the Montana Department of Highways, created by Chapter 7 of
the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 and implemented by executive order of the Governor
on December 16, 1971. The Department of Highways took over all but the advisory functions of
the State Highway Commission.
By 1972, the Department consisted of seven divisions: the Legal Division, Personnel
Division, Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross
Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division. Each division was headed by an
administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division,
Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division were furthered sub-divided into
bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of
Transportation.
The Montana Department of Highways Right of Way Bureau was given the responsibility, under
the Montana Outdoor Advertising Act of 1971, to inventory signs along Montana's interstate
and primary highways, license those which were legal, and remove those which were not
legal.
Records include correspondence, primarily with sign companies and individual sign owners;
case files for permitted and non-permitted signs statewide; case files for legal actions;
reports, including appraisers' progress reports, a legislative report, statistical reports
on minority contractors, and a feasibility assessment; subject files on highway
beautification, Outdoor Advertising Control, and other topics; and miscellany, including
sign inventories, Federal Highway Administration manuals, and other materials. The Montana
Department of Transportation series also includes documents relating to the Adopt-A-Highway
program, Missoula Logo Signs, OAC Basin Creek, and Yellowstone Park signage.
This collection is arranged by series.
Collection is open for research.
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.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Transportation were
integrated under one collection identifier, RS 492, in order to help facilitate access,
reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Transportation's various Divisions and Bureaus that
were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 492. Rather than reprocessing over 280 linear feet of
Transportation 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 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.
Roads
Transportation--Montana
Roads--Montana
Signs and signboards--Montana
Montana
Transportation
Detailed Description of the Collection
Montana Department of Highways, Outdoor Advertising
Control
Correspondence
1/1-7
Outdoor Advertising Control
1967-1978
1/8
District: Billings
1983-1991
1/9-11
District: Butte
1975-1991
1/12
District: Glendive
1983-1991
1/13
District: Great Falls
1983-1991
1/14
District: Missoula
1983-1991
1/15-19
General
1973-1991
1/20
Inquiries – pending
1989-1991
1/21-22
Myhre Advertising
1973-1982
2/1-2
Myhre Advertising
1973-1982
2/3-6
National Advertising Company
1972-1978
2/7
Naegele Outdoor Advertising company
1973
2/8
Newman Signs
1974
2/9
Rainbow Sign Company
1971-1973
2/10
Randolph Sign Company
1971-1973
2/11
Sign Companies
1981-1985
2/12
Snarr Outdoor Advertising
1973-1976
2/13
SOS Sign Company
1972-1974
2/14
St. Regis Sign Company
1973-1979
2/15
Time Outdoor Inc.
1973
2/16
Walford Electric Company
1975-1976
2/17
Western Neon
1973-1980
2/18
White Advertising International
1967-1979
2/19
Young Electric Sign Company
1972-1973
2/20-21
Federal Highway Administration
1972-1991
2/22-24
Private sign owners
1975-1982
2/25
Commercial electronic variable message
signs
1990
Case Files
2/26-28
Active projects: City Ordinances, A-W
1966-1972
2/29-31
Legal action: Billings district
1984-1990
2/32-42
Legal action: Butte district
1972-1991
3/1-6
Legal action: Butte district
1972-1991
3/7-10
Legal action: Glendive district
1982-1991
3/11-23
Legal action: Missoula district
1972-1991
3/24-30
Permits (applications for, cancelled) (Carter-
Fallon counties)
1972-1991
4/1-14
Permits (applications for, cancelled) (Garfield-
Wibaux counties)
1972-1990
4/15-16
Permitted signs, inactive (includes Big Horn,
Blaine, Broadwater, Flathead, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Madison,
Missoula)
1972-1980
5/1-2
Permitted signs, inactive (includes Musselshell,
Park, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, and Ravalli
counties)
1972-1980
5/3-11
Non-permitted signs, removed (Beaverhead-
Yellowstone counties)
1972-1980
5/12-14
Surveillance – original forms: Billings-Missoula
Districts
1976-1988
5/15-17
Surveillance (1988): Billings-Missoula
districts
1976-1991
Financial Records
6/1
Highway beautification cost estimates
1971
Legal Documents
6/2
Montana Outdoor Advertising Act
1971, 1991
6/3
Legal counsel – agreements & opinions
1972-1982, 1987
6/4
Model for city resolution for regulating
encroachments
undated
Reports
6/5
Appraisers’ progress reports (Billings, Butte,
Glendive, Great Falls, and Missoula districts)
1969-1971
6/6
Department Of Transportation Feasibility
Assessment
1990
6/7
Federal Highway Administration reports
1971-1974
6/8
Legislative Report: a Statewide Plan for Highway
Signing
1989
6/9
Minority contractors statistical reports
1980
6/10
“Report on Montana’s OAC Program and the
Restrictions Imposed By the Federal Government”
1986
6/11
Companies wishing to sell and
miscellaneous
1973-1976
Subject Files
6/12
Administrative rules of Montana
1989-1991
6/13
Basin Creek (Eckman)
1985-1990
6/14
Coalition for Scenic Beauty
1985-1988
6/15
Columbus Chamber of Commerce, I90 Exit
408
1989
6/16-20
District R/W agent information (arranged by
county)
1984-1989
6/21
Federal Highway Association
1972-1991
6/22
Highway beautification
1966-1978
6/23
Laws – regulations
1985-1991
6/24
Legal action – case summary (re: illegal
signs)
1987-1990
6/25
Mom & Pop signs
1981
6/26
Non-conforming signs
1979-1992
6/27
Operations: Scenic America Organization and Scenic
Byways (Nat’l Forest Service)
1989-1991
6/28
Outdoor Advertising
1986
6/29
Permit / sticker information
1975-1992
6/30
Political signs & Real Estate signs
1984-1986, 1989
6/31
Jack Ricker working files
1977-1986
6/32
Scenic byways
1967-1993
6/33
Signing committee
1986
6/34
Statewide Outdoor Advertising Control
1982-1991
6/35
Workshops
undated
Miscellany
6/36
Billboard inventory
1971
6/37
Control of outdoor advertising agreement: other
states
1967-1972
6/38
Federal Highway Act: Indian reservations
1972-1976
6/39
Federal Highway admin manuals and
directives
1971-1982
6/40
Handbook
1987
6/41
Illegal signs: list submitted to legal
1984-1994
6/42
Junkyard administrative data
1974
6/43
Manual for Classifying and Valuing Outdoor
Advertising Devices
1972
7/1
National reassessment inventory
1980
7/2
Original forms & Sample letters
1979-1982
7/3
Rules and regulations: other states
1971-1991
7/4
Sign statistics
1976-1977
7/5
Signs erected before 1965
1973
Montana Department of Transportation, Outdoor
Advertising Control Program
Correspondence
7/6
Project # STPE 0002 (125)
1994
7/7
OAC and Right of Way Bureau
1993-1994
7/8
Billings District
1992
7/9
Butte District
1992-1993
7/10
Glendive District
1992-1993
7/11
Great Falls District
1992-1993
7/12
Missoula District
1992-1993
7/13
Federal Highway Administration
1996
7/14
Motorist Information Sign Program
1991
7/15
Motorist Information Sign Program
1992
7/16
Miscellany
1992-1993
Case Files
7/17
Legal Action, Butte District: Hall
Outdoor
1984-1992
7/18
Legal Action, Butte District: Beaverhead and
Gallatin Counties
1991-1993
7/19
Legal Action, Glendive District: Wibaux and Valley
Counties
1990-1992
Subject Files
7/20
Adopt-a-Highway Program
1991-1993
7/21
Columbus Chamber of Commerce
1992
7/22
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
(ISTEA)
1991
7/23
Logo Signs: Billings
1992-1993
7/24
Logo Signs: Missoula
1990-1992
7/25
Montana Power Company – Education and Information
Plans
1992
7/26
Basin Creek (Eckman)
1992
7/27
Non-conforming signs, FHWA
1992
7/28
Public Involvement Handbook
1994
7/29
Operations: Scenic Byways (Nat’l Forest
Service)
1993-1994
7/30
Primary OAC: Funding and Projects
1994
Miscellany
7/31
“General File”
1994
7/32
“General File”
1993
7/33
“General File”
1994-1995