Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives
Montana Territory Territorial Secretary records
Montana Territory. Territorial Secretary
RS 160
58.25 linear feet
7 volumes
1 folders, oversize
1865-1891
This collection consists of records created by the Montana Territory Territorial Secretary. Materials include correspondence; financial records; oaths of office; treaties with the Bannack, Shoshone, and Sheepeater Indian tribes; reports of the insane asylum, the superintendent of schools, and various territorial agencies; and miscellany.
31:8-3; volumes, 120:7-5; oversize folder, map drawer
English
.
Authorized by the Organic Act of The Territory of Montana, the Territorial Secretary was a presidential appointee whose duties included the transmittal of federal reports, and serving as Territorial Governor in the latter's absence. When Montana became a state in 1889, the Office of the Secretary of State replaced the Territorial Secretary.
This collection consists of materials from the Territorial Secretary's Office. Records include incoming correspondence (1866-1889) regarding incorporations, legislature, military affairs, and notary publics; outgoing correspondence to state businesses; a diary of the daily activities of the Secretary; and financial records including account books, ledgers and vouchers for expenses for Secretary and Governor's offices. The bulk of the collection consists of county business license records.
The collection also contains correspondence, reports, and petitions submitted to the Territorial Governor's Office legal documents, as well as some materials produced by the Governor. There also some records created by other territorial or federal government entities that were submitted to the Secretary's Office and pertain to the function of that office, such as correspondence from U.S. departments and reports submitted from the Territorial Prison and Insane Asylum.
Most of this collection is open for research. Files containing patient information from the Territorial Insane Asylum are restricted. Patient records are confidential and privileged (M.C.A. 53-21-166) but may be used for research under the administrative rule adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Contact the Research Center Archives for details.
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 holders. For more information, contact the Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives.
[Name of document or photograph number], Montana Territory Territorial Secretary records, RS 160, [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives, Helena, Montana.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by creating agency or office. In some instances, the creating agency could not be ascertained, so those materials were filed with other materials produced by the Secretary's Office. The county business license records are organized chronologically, then alphabetically by county.
The materials in this collection were obtained via a series of transfers from the Secretary of State's office. Information about specific transfers is available upon request.
These materials were originally processed with Montana Secretary of State records, RS 250. In 2021, the Territorial Secretary records were separated from that collection and reprocessed as RS 160. County business license records were originally processed as RS 477. In 2022, licenses issues from 1868 to 1888 were integrated into RS 160 to facilitate better access.
Records produced by the Secretary of State, including business license information for defunct businesses, are available in RS 250.
Montana Territory. Territorial Secretary
Montana Territory. Governor
Montana Territory. Territorial Treasurer
Capitols--Montana--Helena--1890-1900
Indians of North America--Treaties
Liquor laws--Montana
Military Bases--Montana
Nez Perce Indians--Wars, 1877
Political corruption--Montana
Prisons--Montana
Scales (Weighing instruments)--Calibration
Taxation--Montana
Dakota Territory
Attorney General reports
1 folders
undated (circa 1860s)
1
1
Bureau of Indian Affairs disbursement list to indigenous tribes
1 folders
1868-1881
1
2
Centennial Board of Montana
1 folders
1873-1876
1
3
Commissioner of Deeds oaths of office
2 folders
1865-1888
1
4 - 5
Commissioner of Deeds correspondence
3 folders
1869-1889
1
6 - 8
County poll lists for 1864 general election
4 folders
1864
1
9 - 12
County poll lists for 1864 general election
3 folders
1864
2
1 - 3
Executive Office correspondence
3 folders
1868-1889
2
4 - 6
Executive Office correspondence
1 volumes
1871
3
Executive Office correspondence
1 volumes
1871
4
Executive Office correspondence
1 volumes
1871
5
Executive Office correspondence
1 volumes
1871
6
Governor's Office pardon applications
3 folders
1870-1889
3
1 - 3
Governor's Office reports
1 folders
1884
3
4
Governor's Office and Secretary's Office expenses
1 folders
1867-1879
3
5
Governor's Office proclamations
1 folders
1864-1888
3
6
Governor's Office proclamations
1 folders, oversize
1864-1888
1
Declaring an extra legislative session
Governor's Office account book
1 folders
1883-1891
3
7
Governor's Office appointments
1 volumes
1881-1887
2
Governor's messages to the Legislature
1 folders
1873
3
8
Petitions submitted to the Governor's Office
2 folders
1872
7
28 - 29
Extra legislative session; Railroad subsidy
Jefferson County abstract of votes
1 folders
1883
3
9
Legislative Apportionment Board
1 folders
1880-1882
3
10
Legislative Assembly correspondence
3 folders
1867-1881
3
11 - 13
Legislative bills
1 volumes
1883-1891
7
Legislature expenses
4 folders
1866-1887
3
14 - 17
Lewis and Clark County mechanics' liens
2 folders
1866-1868
3
18 - 19
Madison County Justice Court transcripts
2 folders
1863-1868
3
20 - 21
Military affairs correspondence
2 folders
1867-1873
3
22 - 23
Missoula County
1 folders
1865; 1888
3
24
Poll book and oaths of office
Montana Militia muster rolls
1 folders
1877
3
25
Montana Militia muster rolls
1 folders, oversize
1877
1
Montana Territory treaties with Bannock, Shoshone, and Sheepeater Tribes
1 folders
1868
3
26
Nez Perce Campaign correspondence
1 folders
1877-1878
3
27
Notary publics
1 folders
1868-1876
3
28
Notary public confirmations
1 folders
1885
3
29
Notary public commissions correspondence
2 folders
1878-1887
3
30 - 31
Notary public commissions correspondence
12 folders
1888-1889
4
1 - 12
Notary public bonds
1 folders
1883
4
13
Notary public oaths of office
12 folders
1872-1882
4
14 - 25
Notary public oaths of office
2 folders
1883-1885
5
1 - 2
Park County County Commissioners
1 folders
1888
5
3
Secretary's Office diary
1 folders
1877-1885
5
4
Secretary's Office cash book
1 volumes
1867-1889
1
Secretary's Office account book
1 folders
1883-1891
5
5
Secretary's Office patent transfer
1 folders
1865
5
6
Secretary's Office correspondence
23 folders
1864-1885
5
7 - 29
Secretary's Office correspondence
25 folders
1886-1889
6
1 - 25
Related to incorporations, document authentication and statute requests
Secretary's Office correspondence
2 folders
1888-1889
7
1 - 2
Secretary's Office vouchers and voucher payments
1 folders
1873-1885
7
3
Secretary's Office miscellaneous financial records
1 folders
1872-1882
7
4
Secretary's Office disbursing account
1 folders
1871-1885
7
5
Secretary's Office expense estimates and claims
1 folders
1866-1889
7
6
Secretary's Office territorial and county appointments
1 folders
1866-1873
7
7
Secretary's Office contracts
2 folders
1869-1889
7
8 - 9
Related to school textbooks and printing of state documents
Secretary's Office memoranda
1 folders
1868
7
10
Secretary's Office inventory of holdings
1 folders
1877-1883
7
11
Secretary's Office statistics
1 folders
1876-1877
7
12
Related to agriculture
Township descriptions and certifications
1 folders
1881-1889
7
30
7th Infantry Regiment rosters
1 folders
1872
7
13
Sisters of Charity, St. John's Hospital, Helena
1 folders
1874
7
14
Stock Commissioners
1 folders
1885-1889
7
15
Superintendent of Schools reports
1 folders
1876
7
16
Insane Asylum (Hospital for the Insane) reports
1 folders
1881; 1885
7
17
Territorial Asylum for the Insane commitment orders
2 folders
1874-1876
8
1 - 2
RESTRICTED: Due to the presence of patient information.
Territorial Asylum for the Insane
1 folders
1883-1884
7
18
Commitment papers; Transfers from Territorial Prison in Deer Lodge
Territorial Penitentiary construction / inspection
2 folders
1868-1886
7
19 - 20
Territorial agency reports
1 folders
1872-1889
7
21
United States Interior Department correspondence
1 folders
1885-1886
7
22
United States Territorial Prison (Deer Lodge) correspondence
1 folders
1883-1884
7
23
United States Treasury correspondence
4 folders
1868-1889
7
24 - 27
County Business license records
1865-1888
8 - 60