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29-719: On December 21, 1864, seven months after the creation of the Montana Territory , Council Bill 15 was introduced into the Territorial legislature by Francis M. Thompson, a representative from Beaverhead County who would only live in Montana two and a half years, to create the Historical Society of Montana. The bill, "An Act to Incorporate the Historical Society of Montana", was signed into law February 2, 1865 "in order to collect and arrange facts in regard to

58-458: A lone delegate to Congress as strictly an advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives; a territorial delegate was not permitted to vote. The territorial government was meant to provide a training ground for a future move to statehood, allowing time for an area's institutions to mature and populations to grow. The governor served a four-year term, unless removed by the President. Duties of

87-552: A more complete list of regions and subdivisions of the United States used in modern times, see List of regions of the United States . † - indicates failed legal entities Unlike the land to the east, most of the land west of the Mississippi River was under French or Spanish rule until the first years of the 19th century. The following are state cessions made during the building of the U.S. The following

116-532: A result of the attempted secession of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Some were enclaves within enemy-held territories: These were regions disassociated from neighboring areas due to opposing views: Belts are loosely defined sub-regions found throughout the United States that are named for a perceived commonality among the included areas, which is often related to

145-534: A white bison mount. In November 2023, Montana historian and author Brian D'Ambrosio was indicted for theft of historic items from the Montana Historical Society. D’Ambrosio is reported to have stolen eight historic documents, which he then offered for sale on eBay or to private collectors. The thefts occurred from April 2022 to September 2023. He faces a jury trial beginning in March 2024, with

174-443: Is a list of the 31 U.S. territories that have become states, in the order of the date organized . (All were considered incorporated .) The following are land grants, cessions, defined districts (official or otherwise) or named settlements made within an area that was already part of a U.S. state or territory that did not involve international treaties or Native American cessions or land purchases. These entities were sometimes

203-890: The Bitterroot Range , which had been acquired by the United States in the Oregon Treaty , and originally included in the Oregon Territory . The part of the Oregon Territory that became part of Montana had been split off as part of the Washington Territory . The boundary between the Washington Territory and Dakota Territory was the Continental Divide (as shown on the 1861 map); however, the boundary between

232-848: The Mississippi River . On March 25, 1865, members of the society elected Wilbur Sanders President, Granville Stuart Secretary-Treasurer, and the Honorable Hezekiah L. Hosmer Historian. At the time of its founding, Granville Stuart was a merchant, Walter deLacy was the Territorial Surveyor, Hezekiah Hosmer was the Chief Justice of the Territorial Court and Wilbur Sanders was prominent in the Virginia City vigilante movement . The Society

261-608: The Idaho Territory and the Montana Territory followed the Bitterroot Range north of 46°30′ north (as shown on the 1864 map). This change was due in part to Congress unifying the area with the creation of Idaho Territory in 1863, coupled with the subsequent political maneuvering of Sidney Edgerton , soon to be the first Territorial Governor of Montana, and his allies in the Congress. They successfully implemented

290-528: The Organic Act, prescribed a somewhat standard organization for the territorial government of Montana. It established executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, however, the federal government held a dominant role in administering the new territory. Particularly, the Congress reserved the right to nullify any laws passed by the citizen-elected territorial legislature. The President of

319-446: The President. Duties of the office included 1) the recording of all laws and proceedings of the legislative assembly and the acts of the governor, 2) the transmission of copies of the laws and journals of the legislative assembly to the President and the leaders of Congress, and 3) the transmission of executive proceedings and correspondence twice a year to the President. Importantly, the secretary also served as acting governor in case of

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348-417: The United States appointed the most powerful positions in the territory, including a governor, secretary of the territory, and three members of the territorial supreme court, with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate . The citizens of the territory elected a legislative assembly, consisting of a Council and House of Representatives, which together created the laws for the territory. Citizens also elected

377-569: The United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time , from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states , international and interstate purchases, cessions , and land grants , and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today. For

406-545: The boundary change that won the Flathead and Bitterroot valleys for Montana Territory. The Organic Act of the Territory of Montana defines the boundary as extending from the modern intersection of Montana , Idaho , and Wyoming at: The forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude; thence due west along said forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with

435-543: The crest of the Rocky Mountains; thence following the crest of the Rocky Mountains northward till its intersection with the Bitter Root Mountains; thence northward along the crest of the Bitter Root Mountains to its intersection with the thirty-ninth degree of longitude west from Washington; thence along said thirty-ninth degree of longitude northward to the boundary line of British possessions. Upon

464-461: The death, removal, resignation, or absence of the governor from the territory. Dem Democratic Rep Republican The eligible citizens of Montana Territory voted for a delegate to Congress, electing them to a two-year term. The territorial delegate had a seat in the House of Representatives and, as any other representative, participated in debates, yet they did not have the right to vote. During

493-580: The early 1860s to the present, in addition to a large number of oral histories , mostly from the 20th and 21st centuries. The archives has served as the legal repository, or state archives , for Montana state and local government since 1969, and therefore includes a great number of government records. The photograph archives are extensive, housing over half-a-million images from the 19th and 20th centuries. The library collection comprises books and pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, maps, federal and state publications, posters and musical scores, as well as

522-407: The early history of this Territory, the discovery of its mines, incidents of the fur trade, etc." and was incorporated by Hezekiah L. Hosmer , Christopher P. Higgins , John Owens, James Stuart, Wilbur F. Sanders , Malcolm Clark, Francis M. Thompson, William Graham, Granville Stuart , Walter W. deLacy, C.E. Irvine, and Charles S. Bagg. The society is the second oldest state historical society west of

551-651: The establishment of the Wyoming Territory in 1868, an enclave of Dakota Territory known as Lost Dakota was accidentally created. This error was overlooked by the federal government until 1873, when it was annexed and thereby incorporated into Gallatin County , Montana. The Montana Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana on November 8, 1889. The act of Congress of 1864 creating Montana, known as

580-552: The existing Idaho Territory by Act of Congress and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 26, 1864. The areas east of the Continental Divide had been previously part of the Nebraska Territory and Dakota Territory and had been acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase . The territory also included a portion of the Idaho Territory west of the continental divide and east of

609-538: The leadership of Society director K. Ross Toole , in 1951, the society began publication of the quarterly journal The Montana Magazine of History . In 1953, under the masthead "To Preserve, To Publish, and To Promote interest in, The History of Montana", the journal was renamed: Montana, The Magazine of Western History . The Society operates the Montana Historical Society Press to publish books for students and adults on subjects related to

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638-402: The office included 1) the faithful execution of the laws, 2) to serve as the commander-in-chief of the militia, and 3) to serve as the superintendent of Indian affairs. The governor also had to approve or veto laws within three days of passage by the territorial legislative assembly. Dem Democratic Rep Republican The secretary of the territory served a four-year term, unless removed by

667-590: The only governmental authority in the listed areas, although they often co-existed with civil governments in scarcely populated states and territories. Civilian administered "military" tracts, districts, departments, etc., will be listed elsewhere. During the American Civil War, the Department of the Pacific had six subordinate military districts: The Department of California (1858–1861) comprised

696-531: The people, places and events in Montana history. The Montana Historical Society Museum , also known as Montana's Museum , is located in Helena, Montana . Open year-round, the museum's displays include the state's fine art, history, archaeological and ethnological artifacts. The Mackay Gallery of Russell Art features works by Western-artist Charles M. Russell in many media. Other displays include Native Americans, settlers and home life, mining, frontier weapons and

725-467: The possibility of dozens of years of prison as penalty, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana . The Montana Territory was organized out of

754-666: The southern part of the Department of the Pacific: California, Nevada, and southern part of Oregon Territory; merged into the Department of the Pacific as the District of California. The Department of Oregon (1858–1861) comprised the northern part of the Department of the Pacific: Washington Territory and Oregon Territory. These "territories" had actual, functioning governments (recognized or not): These are functioning governments created as

783-520: The state's largest collection of newspaper clippings and magazine articles. The museum program has a substantial collection of art and artifacts documenting all of Montana history, including a large and representative group of materials documenting Montana Native American culture . The first significant publications of the society were the Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana published in ten volumes between 1876 and 1941. Under

812-503: The time Montana was a territory, some delegates to Congress were allowed to sit on select committees and even standing committees of the House, yet as on the floor of the House, they were not permitted to vote. Dem Democratic Rep Republican 46°47′N 109°22′W  /  46.78°N 109.37°W  / 46.78; -109.37 Organized incorporated territory of the United States The territory of

841-543: Was reorganized as a state agency March 4, 1891 and by "An Act to Perpetuate the Historical Society of the State of Montana" March 1, 1949. Originally located in Virginia City , it was moved to Helena in 1874 after a disputed election approved Helena as the territory's new capital. In 1902, it was located in the basement of the new Montana State Capitol building . The archives collections include manuscripts from

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