What do you do when you have a question about Montana that no one knows?
If you’re like most people, you do a Google search, find nothing, then shrug your shoulders and give up. Oh well…you tried.
If you’re not like most people, you might forgo giving up in favor of finding that answer. If you’re smart, you’ll quickly realize that the best place to find obscure Montana information is at the Montana Historical Society.
So…how do you go about that?
In this post I’d like to introduce you to the Montana Historical Society Research Center. This is where new reporters can go to learn about old and current politicians. It’s also a place for regular people to find out a bit more than is on the computer.
More than that, however, it’s a place research is done. That research leads to books and those often lead to TV shows and films. It’s the latter two especially that draw tourists to the state, and that’s why our research institutions are so important.
Let’s explore this today, and how it affects our economy.
If you’re like most people, you do a Google search, find nothing, then shrug your shoulders and give up. Oh well…you tried.
If you’re not like most people, you might forgo giving up in favor of finding that answer. If you’re smart, you’ll quickly realize that the best place to find obscure Montana information is at the Montana Historical Society.
So…how do you go about that?
In this post I’d like to introduce you to the Montana Historical Society Research Center. This is where new reporters can go to learn about old and current politicians. It’s also a place for regular people to find out a bit more than is on the computer.
More than that, however, it’s a place research is done. That research leads to books and those often lead to TV shows and films. It’s the latter two especially that draw tourists to the state, and that’s why our research institutions are so important.
Let’s explore this today, and how it affects our economy.
The Montana Historical Society Research Center
When you walk into the Montana Historical Society you’ll come in on the ground floor. The museum will be ahead of you and the gift shop will be on your right.
Entrance to Montana Historical Society Museum
Tell the person standing watch that you want to go to the Research Center. They’ll usually give you a green buffalo skull sticker and point you toward the stairs.
Stairs leading to second floor research center at Montana Historical Society
When you head upstairs you’ll see the stuffed white buffalo.
White Buffalo at Montana Historical Society
This is “Big Medicine,” which was a real buffalo that lived from 1933 to 1959 on the National Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation. His birth was “seen as an auspicious event,” Kennon Baird says on Helena History, and the article is worth checking out.
From the buffalo you turn right coming off the stairs you’ll see the doors to the Research Center.
From the buffalo you turn right coming off the stairs you’ll see the doors to the Research Center.
The Montana Historical Society Research Center
There are lockers outside and you’re supposed to put your bag in there. If you head up to the front desk, they’ll tell you all of this. You’re supposed to sign in and then fill out a green registration form. That’s where you’ll list all the newspapers or other archival material you want them to retrieve for you. Most of the time, you won’t need to use this.
Staff Desk at the Montana Historical Society Research Center
From there you have many options of what to explore. If you turn to your left, you’ll see this area:
Legislative records of the Montana Historical Society, and Photo collections
Right away you’ll see all these large black folders. These are full of images from the 1870s up to the 1910s and sometimes farther along. Many are real images with great quality. Many are also photocopies that aren’t that good when it comes to quality, but they still give you an idea. I’ve used quite a few of these in my Montana history books.
What I really like about this section, however, are the legislative records.
What I really like about this section, however, are the legislative records.
MT Legislative History
Old Montana Legislature news
Researching old Montana laws
Here you can get information on every single Montana Legislative Session, going back to the first territorial legislature in 1865. They go right up to 2013 and have the daily proceedings, votes, and legislative biographies. Really, if you need to know something about the Montana Legislature, you’ll find it all right here.
Where can I find old Montana laws?
Now, if you turn to your right from that front desk, you’ll see this area over here:
Old Montana city directories and Yellow Pages
Primarily this is a work area as well as the city directory section. If you need to find anything about a Montana town or city, this is where to look. Livingston, for instance, has business and people listings going back to 1904 and all the way up to 2010.
You’ll also find the microfiche machines in this general area of the Montana Historical Society Research Center. If you need to look up an old Montana newspaper, this is the place to find it. Personally I like finding old Montana newspapers in the appropriate folder in the subjects section, however. Alas, many of those are sorely out of date.
You’ll also find the microfiche machines in this general area of the Montana Historical Society Research Center. If you need to look up an old Montana newspaper, this is the place to find it. Personally I like finding old Montana newspapers in the appropriate folder in the subjects section, however. Alas, many of those are sorely out of date.
If you continue on past the work area and the city directory section, you’ll get to the real meat and potatoes of the Montana Historical Society Research Center as far as I’m concerned.
Finding Montana Biographical and Subject History
Information about old Montana people from history
The real treat as far as I’m concerned is the biographies section. This consists of five large file cabinets with four drawers each. So you’ve got twenty drawers and about 150 files in each.
We use letters to file
This is a drawer of old Montana lives
This seems important now, but people will forget
They’re pretty up to date on certain things, as you can see with that Steve Bullock folder, but on others they’re not so caught up. Also, for many people the files are lacking. For instance, I was looking for an image of an old Representative from the 1940s, James F. O’Connor, and there was nothing there. I think the staff needs to go to the old newspaper microfilm and find that image, make a copy, and put it in the folder.
Across from the biographical files are the subjects and places files.
Across from the biographical files are the subjects and places files.
A wealth of Montana information at your fingertips
It might not look that impressive, just a bunch of old filing cabinets, but this is where you get the information that makes history possible. For instance, here’s the file on Lewis and Clark in Montana:
Drawers need tags
Lots of Lewis and Clark information, such as firearms, flags, place names, and more
And that, my friends, is how you do historical research at the Montana Historical Society’s Research Center.
But…why do that? What benefit does it have? And gosh darn, isn’t it just a big waste of time? I mean, you could be out there making money in a real job!
But…why do that? What benefit does it have? And gosh darn, isn’t it just a big waste of time? I mean, you could be out there making money in a real job!
The Power of Film in Montana
All that research looks pretty boring and dry, huh, and seems like a waste of time, doesn’t it? Well, because Montana has things like this Research Center, researchers like me are able to go in, and after several months or years, we’re able to produce things like this:
Because books like that are written, we see things like this happen:
That’s Gavin Eldridge and his friend Lonnie Old Shoes, who did some casting calls for the new Lewis and Clark HBO series that got a lot of attention in February. The HBO Lewis and Clark series will be filmed in Canada for the most part, with location shots in Montana. Tom Hanks is producing it and Casey Affleck is starring as Captain Lewis.
That Montana HBO miniseries is expected shoot for 76 days. It’ll have a 200-person crew that will stay in 100 hotel rooms and rent 75 cars. Altogether, that’ll bring $50 million to the local Bozeman economy. Here’s a look at that production and a few others:
That Montana HBO miniseries is expected shoot for 76 days. It’ll have a 200-person crew that will stay in 100 hotel rooms and rent 75 cars. Altogether, that’ll bring $50 million to the local Bozeman economy. Here’s a look at that production and a few others:
Montana films in 2015
That’s just one example of many, showing how Montana’s history creates economic opportunities for today’s residents, and oftentimes for groups that might not have many of those opportunities. You can learn all about it in the PDF report “The State of Film in Montana: An Economic Impact Report, 2014.” The report mentions the Montana Film Office that started up in 1974. Because of them, we know what the impact of filming in the state is. And let’s face it, when it comes to filming in Montana, overwhelmingly it’s historical narratives.
Or is it? This table right here shows that commercials are quite big in the Treasure State:
Or is it? This table right here shows that commercials are quite big in the Treasure State:
Money made in Montana by films
That’s a chart showing the $37 million in expenditures that film companies put out between 2006 and 2012 in Montana. What’s interesting is that films only make up 5% of what’s shot in the state, but they “account for 25% of production revenue.” This took place in 39 counties, affecting 70 communities. Glacier and Yellowstone counties get the brunt of the revenue, as they have “existing production infrastructure” that’s “capable of supporting more production.”
Economic benefit of Montana films to local communities
Filming in Montana brings in money from those film crews and it brings in money from all the tourists that have fallen under the Montana mystique.
Many states, including Montana, use incentive programs to negotiate favorable terms and secure film production. Between 2006 and 2012 Montana provided approximately $632,299 in incentive benefits to film productions. Monies spent by these productions while in Montana generated an economic impact of $13,520,000 resulting in Montana receiving $21 back in revenue for every $1 it paid out under the incentive program.
In terms of marketing, over six years $158 million was spent on producing films in Montana and that means for every $1 “invested in marketing campaigns, social media presence, film festival attendance and other promotional efforts,” according to the Film Office, “Montana saw $89 dollars return to local communities and state coffers.”
The Montana Film Office has two main assumptions about Montana films and Montana tourism:
Assumption 1: This analysis assumes that 2.5% of non-resident visitors traveling to Montana are influenced by film media. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) at the University of Montana reports that in a survey of travelers who indicated “vacation/recreation/pleasure” as their main purpose of visiting, 2.5% said a movie filmed in Montana influenced their decision ‘a lot’. Another 14.2% said that a movie filmed in Montana influenced their decision ‘some’. Further, surveys indicate that 11.1% of all visitors to Montana either were ‘some’, or ‘a lot’ influenced by a movie filmed in Montana.
Assumption 2: It is assumed that 2.5% of Montana’s tourism impacts, totaling $2.64 billion, are attributable to film and moving pictures. The ITRR 2012 Montana Nonresident Traveler Expenditures and Economic Contribution Report3 indicates that $3.2 billion in local spending directly supported $2.64 billion of economic activity in Montana. Assuming conservatively that 2.5% of the $2.64 billion in tourism travel makes up ‘a lot’ of the visitor decision, then $66 million of visitor economic benefits are also attributable to film and moving pictures’ influence on travel decisions.
Montana tourism spending in 2012
Montana tourism spending in 2014
Flyer I got from the Jon Tester Small Business Workshop on Manufacturing in Missoula
Conclusion
The books, films and TV shows that you love oftentimes come about because of places like the Montana Historical Society and the Research Center that’s located there. They also come about because of the film infrastructure that’s been built in certain areas of the state.
Many times, this means business for Montana, and more money to local communities. That’s the power of history and the imagination, and dusty old places like the Montana Historical Society make that happen.
Many times, this means business for Montana, and more money to local communities. That’s the power of history and the imagination, and dusty old places like the Montana Historical Society make that happen.
