Archives & Special Collections houses over 600 different manuscript collections. We focus on collecting the environmental, political, and cultural histories of Western Montana but our holdings also include rich documentation of Montana's early settlers, western Montana businesses, and the Missoula area. Click on a topic for a detailed list:

Or scroll down for examples of our collections. Clicking on the collection title will link you through to a complete guide to the collection when one is available.

Anaconda Forest Products Company (1890-1971), Mss 57, 534 linear feet
This collection includes records of the Anaconda Forest Products Company and 16 subsidiary divisions owned, operated, or directly associated with the Bonner, Montana-based logging and lumber processing company between the years 1890 and 1971. Materials in this collection consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, financial records, legal documents, personnel records, annual reports, company publications, photographs, 16-millimeter film, maps, and blueprints.

Big Blackfoot Milling Company Records (1882-1899), Mss 246, 47 volumes
The Big Blackfoot Milling Company was a timber company based in Missoula, Montana. The collection contains minutes, organizational and financial records of the Big Blackfoot Milling Company, and financial records (1882-1890) of the various sub-groups which were predecessor and successor businesses of that corporation. Montana Improvement Company; Spokane Falls Lumber Company; W. H. Hammond; Eddy, Hammond and Company; and the Missoula Mercantile Company.

Edward H. Boos Photographs (1900-1908), Mss 346, 305 images
This collection includes 305 glass plate and modern film negatives and prints created by Edward H. Boos between 1900 and 1908. This photographic collection constitutes one of the most extensive and detailed visual records of the Missoula, Mission, and Flathead valleys at the beginning of the 20th Century. Boos' Flathead Reservation portraits document particularly insightful details regarding the lifestyle, possessions, and landscapes of tribal members just prior to the 1910 Allotment Act.

Stewart M. Brandborg Papers (1932-2000), Mss 699, 45.0 linear feet
This collection consists of the professional papers of environmental activist Stewart M. Brandborg. Brandborg served as Executive Director of The Wilderness Society from 1964-1977 and his papers include correspondence, research files and other documents from his time with that agency. Other materials cover his work with the National Wildlife Federation, the National Park Service, Wilderness Watch, and Friends of the Bitterroot (Montana.)

City of Missoula (Montana) Records (1883-1996), Mss 216, 79 linear feet
This collection includes records from various agencies within the Missoula city government and includes Assessment Books, Ordinances, Resolutions, Register of Prisoners, Town Council Meeting Minutes, and Treasurer's Financial Records.

Joseph M. Dixon Papers (1772-1944), Mss 55, 70 linear feet
Joseph M. Dixon served in the Montana legislature (1901-1903), the U.S. House of Representatives (1903-1907) and the U.S. Senate (1907-1913), and was governor of Montana (1921-1925). He was also national leader in the Republican and Bull Moose (Progressive National Committee) parties. From 1929-1933 he held the position of First Assistant Secretary of the Interior. This collection contains a large portion of his personal and professional correspondence files, legal documents, financial records, campaign/political materials, photographs, and personal effects.

James Watson Gerard Papers (1750-1955) 273.5 linear feet
This collection contains personal and professional papers, photographic materials, and scrapbooks generated and/or collected by James W. Gerard. These materials present a substantial documentation of Gerard's activities as Ambassador to Germany leading up to World War I, American Democratic Party activist, New York City philanthropist, and international mining industry investor.

Gibson, Kirkemo, and Bakke Architectural Drawings (1890-1971), Mss 20, 428 drawings
Gibson, Kirkemo, and Bakke were Missoula, Montana, residential and commercial architects. This collection of original architectural drawings and blueprints include the plans for many prominent buildings in western Montana and parts of northern Idaho.

Maggie Smith Hathaway Collection (1893-1954), Mss 224, 1.0 linear foot
Maggie Smith Hathaway worked in education and child welfare in Montana and was one of the first two women to serve in the Montana legislature. The collection contains scrapbooks and the manuscript for a book, Maggie and Montana, written by Harold Tascher.

Richard Hugo Papers (1960s), Mss 488, 1.0 linear foot
Richard Hugo was a poet who taught at the University of Montana. The collection contains fifteen of his poetry notebooks, and other miscellaneous literary manuscripts.

Frank Bird Linderman Memorial Collection (1885-1986), 7.0 linear feet and 43 objects
This collection represents the productive and collective efforts of Frank Linderman and his many careers as writer, politician, assayer, and Native American ally and ethnographer. The correspondence and photographs are especially extensive and represent his many important and significant friends and acquaintances.

Mike Mansfield Papers (1903-1990), Mss 65, 2450 linear feet
Mike Mansfield was a Butte, Montana, miner who served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1943-1952), the U.S. Senate (1953-1977), and as the U. S. Ambassador to Japan (1977-1988). The collection consists of his congressional and unofficial ambassadorial papers, along with audio, moving image, and photographic materials, and a collection of art objects.

Charles Herbert McLeod Papers (1865-1953), Mss 1, 43.5 linear feet
Personal and professional papers, financial records, photographic materials, and scrapbooks generated and/or collected by Charles Herbert McLeod as an official of the Missoula Mercantile Company, investor in multiple businesses throughout western Montana, and community leader.

Northern Pacific Railway Company Records (1870-1968), Mss 128, 228 linear feet
The Northern Pacific Railway Company was a transcontinental railroad that crossed Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. This collection includes both bound and unbound correspondence, construction and expense reports, financial ledgers, right-of-way descriptions and maps, activity logs, publicity materials (including photographs and film reels), and personnel records created by employees of the Company and its subsidiary lines.

Sherburne Family Papers (1823-1962), Mss 67, 90 linear feet
This collection includes personal materials, business-related materials and photographs generated or collected by Joseph Herbert Sherburne and his extended family, with particular representation from the family's business enterprises along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front Range during the early 20th Century. The Sherburne family became deeply invested into the economy and society of Browning, Montana, the Blackfeet Reservation more generally, and the eastern gateway to Glacier National Park.

Pat Williams Papers (1979-1997), Mss 239, 87.5 linear feet
Pat Williams was in the U. S. House of Representatives for Montana from 1979 to 1997. This collection consists of the materials generated and collected by Williams' office during his eighteen years in office. Significant subjects include wilderness legislation, education, Native American issues, libraries, the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, labor issues, and the environment.