Montana Department of Transportation Directors' Office records
Scope and Contents
This collection is a subgroup under RS 492, Montana Department of Transportation records. You can find more information about the Department of Transportation in the primary finding aid, RS 492.
The records of the Director’s Office of the Department of Transportation consist of the files of the Directors of the Highways Department (until 1991) and the Department of Transportation (1991 on). The files include correspondence, subject files, reports and some minutes. The Department of Highways Director's Office records (1970-1991) includes the administration of six directors: H.J. Anderson, Ron Richards, Gary Wicks, Jesse Munro (an Interim Director), Larry Larson, and John Rothwell. The Department of Transportation Director’s files include the files of John Rothwell (his administration bridged the departmental reorganization), Marvin Dye, and David Galt. The Director’s files predominately include correspondence with State Governors, other State Agencies and Departments, Federal Agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), correspondence with state Congressional leaders, as well as correspondence with the general public, and other Highway or Transportation divisions and district offices. Topics covered among the files include federal funding, and gas tax revenue, various long-term highways projects, program planning, and various departmental audits. Included in DOT Director’s files (Larry Larson, John Rothwell, and Marvin Dye) are feasibility studies for, and other general files related to, the creation of a Department of Transportation. The files also include some records of the Internal Audit Unit such as subject files, audit reports, strategic plans, and records of the Environmental Services Bureau. Other topics reflected within the files include: the 1970s energy crisis; public employee unions and labor management; contracted researchers who worked on specific projects for the department; Federal Highway Administrators correspondence; as well as Western State Highway Officials and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHO and AASHTO) meetings and correspondence.
Also included, as a separate series, are the records of the Organizational Development Bureau, which was under the umbrella of the Director’s Office in 1994.
Dates
- Creation: 1956-2001
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 position of the Director of the Department of Highways, and later the Department of Transportation, was created in 1971 when the Department of Highways was created. The Director acts as the Department head, directing and advising the Department, communicating with Federal Agencies and Legislators, interpreting Federal guidelines and advising the administration of federal-aid, communicating with State and Local Congressional leaders and State Governors, as well as directing and advising the implementation of divisional programs and funding. The Director’s position was maintained during the Departmental reorganization in 1991.
Extent
29.2 linear feet
Abstract
These records of the Director's Office of the Department of Transportation consist of correspondence, subject files, reports, meeting minutes, and organizational charts kept by directors of the Montana Department of Highways and Montana Department of Transportation.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into two subgroups: Directors’ Office and Organizational Development Bureau. The Directors subgroup is organized into eight series, arranged by each directors’ administration. Each director had a unique organizational structure, and occasionally these were maintained. Arrangement is based upon each director’s particular structure—organized alphabetically into subseries: Correspondence, Subject Files, Reports, and Meeting Minutes. Correspondence was further organized alphabetically by subject. Some Director’s maintained an inventory--or guide--to their Congressional, Governor’s, and Director’s Correspondence. Inventories are indicated in the folder headings, and included to assist the researcher. A number of the Directors’ Correspondence files overlapped, and some folders will contain multiple directors’ correspondence. These are indicated on the folder title, as well.
Physical Location
40:5-5
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquisition information available upon request
Processing Information
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 in this Master 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.
- Title
- Guide to the Montana Department of Transportation Directors' Office records 1956-2001
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Ellie Letterman; intellectually integrated by Lindsey Mick in 2024
- Date
- 2012
- 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.
- 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