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Montana Board of Sheep Commissioners records

 Collection
Identifier: RS-41

Scope and Contents

This collection is a subgroup (Commission) of the Montana Department of Livestock records, RS 500. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Livestock records.

This collection contains general correspondence of the Board of Sheep Commissioners which discusses appointments of inspectors, quarantines, meetings, the National Wool Growers Association, annual reports, sheep diseases, poisonous plants, etc. The collection also contains lists of sheep ranchers in Chouteau, Dawson, Park, and Rosebud counties and reports from commissioners in Beaverhead, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Dawson, Fergus, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Madison, Missoula, Park, Powell, Silver Bow, Teton, and Valley counties. These reports give the number of sheep, number of inspectors, pounds of wool, health condition of stock, etc.

Dates

  • Creation: 1900-1902

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Collection open for research

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Biographical / Historical

The Fifth Legislative Assembly of Montana created the Board of Sheep Commissioners in 1897. The governor appointed one Board member from each county to serve a two-year term. Commissioners were required to be an elector, sheep owner, and resident of the county from which they were appointed. A president and secretary of the Board were elected by the members. The Board was created "for protection of the rights and interests of sheep owners." In order to achieve this end, the Board could divide the state into districts for inspection purposes and appoint inspectors to monitor diseases and impose quarantines when necessary. The counties were required to institute a tax on sheep to pay the expenses of the sheep inspectors. T.C. Power and Cornelius Hedges served as president and secretary respectively of the Board at the turn of the century. The Board of Sheep Commissioners was abolished in 1917 when its duties were transferred to the newly created Livestock Commission. The Livestock Commission was renamed the Board of Livestock in 1971.

Extent

.4 linear feet

Abstract

This collection is a subgroup (Commission) of the Montana Department of Livestock records, RS 500. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Livestock records. These Montana Board of Sheep Commissioners records (1900-1902), include correspondence to various board members regarding administrative matters, sheep inspection and disease control, annual reports of county sheep commissioners, statistical reports and lists of Montana wool growers, printed materials, and miscellany.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by series.

Physical Location

18:7-6

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquisition information available upon request

Separated Materials

Separated from Hedges Family Papers (MC33).

Title
Guide to the Montana Board of Sheep Commissioners records, 1900-1902
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Sue Jackson in 1988
Date
2006
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Repository Details

Part of the Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives Repository

Contact:
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT 59620-1201 United States
406-444-2681
406-444-2696 (Fax)