Montana Department of Transportation, Billings District Office records
Scope and Contents
This collection is a sub-subgroup under the Montana Department of Transportations records, RS 492. The Billings District Office operates under the DOT Director's Office Division. To see the other Department of Transportation records, visit the primary finding aid, RS 492.
These records of the Billings District Office includes the files of the Billings office along with those of the district area office located in Lewistown. Montana Department of Transportation Billings District records include the district’s records as part of the Department of Highways, and after reorganization in 1991, as part of the Department of Transportation. There were some structural and administrative changes for the Department. Though the function of the Billings district did not significantly change, the files were kept separate.
The Billings District Office subgroup includes interoffice correspondence (1971-1983, 1989-2001); incoming correspondence (1989-2001); outgoing correspondence (1989-2001); general correspondence (1967-1982, 1989-2001); minutes of Project Managers meetings (1986-2001) and of Supervisors meetings (1986-2001); Engineer meetings (1989-2001); and reports and subject files (1947-1984, 1989-2001). Correspondence and subject files document such things as various maintenance projects, historical markers, rest areas, snow removal, vandalism, long-range building plans, the Emergency Building Temperature Restrictions Program (1979), gasoline allocation, weed control, and public and municipal concerns. The majority of the files were those kept by Ray Ventura, Billings District Engineer (1989-2001). The interoffice correspondence includes separate files for internal Billings Division memos, and memos and correspondence coming in from and going out to headquarters in Helena. The correspondence documents area projects, coordination on projects with other district and area offices, coordination with other MDT agencies such as Right-of-Way, Rail, Maintenance, Planning, and Construction. The minutes consist of meetings of the Project Managers, Division Supervisors, Administrative and Office Staff. Some maps and photographs are included. The files were kept by the District Engineers, later called the District Administrators, Ray Ventura and Bruce Barrett.
The Lewistown Area Office subgroup is divided into two separate series, Correspondence and Subject Files. Topics documented in the files include flood control, general maintenance, collaboration with the Highway Patrol, bridges and building maintenance and construction, as well as federally funded projects and maintenance, including Works Project Administration (WPA) projects.
Dates
- Creation: 1947-2001
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Biographical / Historical
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 is headed by an administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division are furthered sub-divided into bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation. This was primarily a name change. However, there were some structural and administrative changes.
The Highway Department, the Department of Highways, and Department of Transportation maintained regional offices in the five commissioner districts: Billings, Butte, Glendive, Great Falls, and Missoula. The District Engineer (later called the District Administrator) was the chief administrative officer in each district office. District office files document the activities of the district administrators, engineers, maintenance crew, and other district office employees. The district offices addressed administrative, functional, and project related issues of their particular area, including: highway needs, current construction projects, HR/training for employees, road design, federal and state aid and grants, reports to the Department of Highways/ Department of Transportation in Helena regarding general maintenance, construction, and area concerns, etc. District administrators held meetings every 6 weeks. Other employees in the district and area offices also attended duty-specific meetings with outside district staff members; including maintenance crew meetings, engineer meetings etc., in order to maintain consistent communication among the districts and with other state agencies regarding programs, projects, and district goals.
The files of the Billings District Office and the Lewistown Area Office were kept by the District Engineers/Administrators Ray Ventura and Bruce Barrett
Extent
30.4 linear feet
Abstract
Correspondence, subject files, reports, and minutes of the Montana Department of Transportation Billings District Office, and Lewiston Area Office.
Arrangement
Files are arranged into two subgroups: Billings District Office and Lewistown Area Office. The subgroups are divided further into series.
Physical Location
40:2-1
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquisition information available upon request
- Title
- Guide to the Montana Department of Transportation Billings District Office records 1947-2001
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Ellie Letterman
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard)
- Language of description
- English
- 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 Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
Repository Details
Part of the Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives Repository
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT 59620-1201 United States
406-444-2681
406-444-2696 (Fax)
mhslibrary@mt.gov