Skip to main content

Montana Irrigation Commission records

 Collection
Identifier: RS-116

Scope and Contents

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.

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.

Dates

  • Creation: 1919-1929

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

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.

Extent

2.5 linear feet

Abstract

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.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by series.

Physical Location

28:2-7

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquisition information is available upon request.

Processing Information

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.

Title
Guide to Montana Irrigation Commission records 1919-1929
Author
Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau
Date
2008
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

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)