This collection contains records from the various divisions and predecessor agencies of the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC). The Public Service Commission records were integrated under one collection number to help facilitate access and reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog.

To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup, please click on the links below in the arrangement section to be redirected to those finding aids.

Subgroup 1: Public Service Commission

This subgroup consists of two collections that contain materials from multiple divisions, as well as predecessor agencies, of the Public Service Commission, primarily the Board of Railroad Commissioners. These collections were not originally processed by division, and they have not yet been integrated.

The first collection, Public Service Commission records (formerly RS 296, date 1907-1994) consists of correspondence from various Commissioners, correspondence from the Utility Division staff, correspondence from the Transportation Division Staff, as well as court papers, docket registers, reports, subject files, and miscellaneous records. The second collection, Public Service Commission records (formerly RS 479, 1958-1979) consists of quarterly reports, Transportation Division dockets, and minutes.

Subgroup 2: Utility Division

This subgroup (1913-1986) contains records from the Public Service Commission’s Utility Division and predominantly consists of annual reports made by electric utility companies, gas companies, heating utility companies, water companies, telegraph companies, telephone companies, and pipeline companies to the Montana Public Service Commission. The reports include a vast amount of data on the history, financing, corporate ownership, physical plants, and production. Some of the reports are copies of the reports made to the Federal Power Commission and do not directly reflect their Montana operations. Additionally, there are accident reports for electric, gas, and telephone utilities, appraisal reports for several electric utilities, and other reports for several water companies.

Subgroup 3: Transportation Division

This subgroup (1907-1981) contains records from the Public Service Commission’s Transportation Division. In the mid-2010s, the Transportation/Centralized Services Division became the Centralized Services Division. Records predominantly include annual reports made by railroads and express companies to the Montana Public Service Commission and its predecessor the Montana Board of Railroad Commissioners. The reports include a vast amount of data on the history, financing, corporate ownership, track mileage, freight shipment statistics, and other nationwide information of railroads doing business in Montana. Many of the reports are copies of the reports made to the federal Interstate Commerce Commission.

Additionally, there are railroad accident reports, annual reports for motor carrier companies, including trucks, buses, taxies, etc., two special reports are an engineering report of the Butte Electric Railway Company, and a report on railroad grade crossing elimination in Billings.

Subgroup 4: Board of Railroad Commissioners

This subgroup (1907-1971) contains records from the Montana Board of Railroad Commissioners, a predecessor agency to the Montana Public Service Commission. Records consist of annual reports.

Subgroup 5: Irrigation Commission

This subgroup (1919-1929) contains records from the Montana Irrigation Commission. The Board of Railroad Commissioners served ex-officio as the Irrigation Commission until it was abolished in 1929. Records consist predominantly of subject files 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.