Montana Sites

The WPA allocated $17,394 toward a "sanitary sewer extension" for the town of Philipsburg, MT in July 1938.

The WPA allocated $3,822 for the development of a "sanitary sewer system" in Big Sandy, Montana in 1938.

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported on two WPA sewer projects in Harlowton between 1935 and 1938. The WPA contributed $5,978 toward a 5,000-foot-long eight-inch sewer with 15 manhole covers, and $18,446 toward a 9,800-foot extension with 26 manhole covers.

The WPA allocated $7,062 for development of Browning, Montana's water system, in August 1938.

Big Timber Pioneer reported in 1934 that the town of Big Timber had obtained sizable PWA funds toward the construction of a $140,000 "water works system." In January 1936, the paper reported that the project had been completed at a cost of $147,000.

WPA labor contributed to a municipal waterworks project in Columbia Falls, MT.

Big Timber Pioneer reported in early 1935: "Contract for construction of a water system at Eureka, a public works project, has been awarded to Lease & Leigland of Great Falls on a bid of $25,827, it was announced by D. A. McKinnon, state PWA engineer."

Big Timber Pioneer noted in 1934 that the PWA had allotted $45,000 toward the improvement of the waterworks in Fort Benton.

In early 1934 Big Timber Pioneer reported that the PWA allotted $3,900 for the improvement of Miles City waterworks.

In 1938, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $150,000 (about $2.8 million in 2020 dollars) for the construction of a museum in Browning, Montana, for the Blackfeet and other plains tribes. At the time, it was “the largest Government project… undertaken to aid native groups in reviving their crafts and to furnish them an outlet for the marketing and sale of their goods” (Indians at Work, July, 1941). The building was dedicated on June 29, 1941. The Museum of the Plains Indian is managed by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board (a unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior) which...

A large allocation of WPA funds for school construction and improvement projects was issued in late 1938. Among the projects provided for in Montana was a new school building in Browning, Montana. The structure, which has since been extended eastward, comprises part of what is now Napi Elementary School.

Saved from the wrecking ball after being slated for demolition in 2007, Bozeman's Daily Chronicle writes that current plans (as of 2013) for the building call for the construction of an eight-story 'boutique' hotel on top of the existing structure. The armory was designed by Fred Willson, who was also the architect behind the new WPA courthouse and multiple school construction projects in Bozeman. The Daily Chronicle writes: "The armory was built in 1941, complete with a rifle range, soundproof room and thick floors capable of accommodating military trucks." W.P.A. Official Project Numbers: 65‐91‐6550; O.P.: 265‐1‐91‐6. Details: "Complete the construction of armory building," total...

The Montana newspaper Big Timber Pioneer reported in early 1937 that "Eighteen miles from Livingston on the road to Gardiner NYA workers have transformed a wooded area into a five-acre camping spot. Rustic tables and benches were built and placed in the area, channels were dug to change the course of the creek and make water available for irrigation of grass plots at the picnic sites. Two springs were developed and 300 yards from the camp a woodland swimming pool. 50 by 120 yards, with an average depth of four feet, has been built."

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in early 1937 that several NYA recreation projects had recently been completed around Butte: a"winter sports area at Robbers' Roost, four tennis courts which will be ready for use the next spring, 44 regulation horseshoe courts and three playground areas."

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper discussed recent accomplishments of the National Youth Administration in Montana. Among the projects discussed: "In the center of Deer Lodge a skating rink has been provided and will be maintained by the NYA."

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper discussed recent accomplishments of the National Youth Administration in Montana, among which: "Two skating rinks have been provided in Anaconda. The project was sponsored by the city. The NYA also has taken over the ski slide, reconditioned it and put it in shape for use."

The Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in 1938: "City officials are improving the tourist park near Old Fort park. WPA workers have put a new cement floor in the building used for cooking; water has been piped in, casings, windows and doors installed new and the grounds improved."

"Practically every two-lane highway in Eastern Montana was built with the help of WPA funds, said Jon Axline, a historian with Montana's Department of Transportation. A prime example around Billings is the Old Hardin Highway, which was improved in the 1930s, Axline said. The road climbs out of Lockwood, clinging to the hillside in a series of tight curves. In the 1930s, roads were built to fit the landscape. The interstate highway took the opposite approach, molding the landscape to fit the road's design."

"The WPA also funded the Mossmain railroad overpass at the East Laurel exit. The design was meant to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, Axline said. The bridgework remains pleasing to the eye, despite the removal of its decorative concrete guard rails, he said."

The Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in January 1937 that a rat eradication project was being undertaken by the WPA in the Montana town of Lewistown: "A ton of rat poison and 1,500 traps arrived in the city as the first step in a campaign to rid the city of its overabundance of the pests. The extermination will be carried on as a WPA project, in co-operation with city and county authorities." Later the same year, the same paper reported that: "WPA officials have informed County Agent Ralph Stuckey the cricket and grasshopper control project will be carried on in Fergus county during...

Formerly known as 'The Indian Caves' or 'The Indian Ghost Caves' around Billings, MT, this pre-historic site has become one of the most visited state parks in Montana. Artifacts dating back several thousand years were found here in 1937. A professional excavation was overseen by William Mulloy and Larry Loendorf with work performed by the Works Progress Administration workers. Over 30,000 artifacts were recovered, but many of them lost as the site was abandoned by the WPA in 1941. Pictographs are what the site is known for today; of the 106 originally recorded images, about 10-20 are visible today. The...

"The same year the WPA crew worked on the tennis courts, they dug three lily ponds along the creek through Pioneer Park. The beautification project cost $3,537, with the city picking up just $137 of the total cost. ...  While the lily ponds have vanished, other New Deal projects remain in daily use."

"At Pioneer Park, a Works Progress Administration crew created tennis courts north of the wading pool in 1935."

In addition to specific improvements within the town of Valier, the WPA worked to improve roads throughout Pondera County, Montana. The agency allocated $55,356 for such projects during July 1938.

Constructed in 1938 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Constructed in 1935 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic post office building in Glendive, Montana was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which was constructed in 1935, is still in use today.

The historic post office building in Hamilton, Montana was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which is still in use today, was completed in 1941. A New Deal mural was installed in the lobby in 1942.

"The former site of the Sidney post office, now known as the Donald G. Nutter Building (named for a former Montana governor). The post office moved to a new building in 1987." The Treasury cornerstone is visible in the lower left hand corner of the photo.

Constructed in 1938-39. Still in use as both a post office and a courthouse.

Originally the Missoula post office completed in 1913, the now-Federal Building was extended during the late 1920s to accommodate the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. A second extension and annex -- a New Deal project -- was designed by Louis A. Simon of the U.S. Treasury Department and dedicated on October 13, 1937. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The building is still in use by the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. It also houses the Hellgate Station post office.

"New Deal mural entitled "James and Granville Stuart Prospecting in Deer Lodge Valley—1858" painted by Verona Burkhard in 1939. She also painted murals for the Powell WY and Kings Mountain, NC post offices."

Oil on canvas entitled "News from the States" painted by Elizabeth Lochrie in 1938. She also painted murals for the St Anthony and Burley Idaho post offices.

Oil on canvas entitled "Montana's Progress" painted by Forest Hill in 1942.

The historic post office building in Hamilton, Montana houses an oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Flat Head War Party." The federal Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts funded the work, painted by Henry Meloy and installed in 1942.

Oil on canvas entitled "General Sully at Yellowstone" by J. K. Ralston (1942).

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in 1938 that the WPA "began work of rehabilitating Havre" on June 24. WPA laborers "will clean streets, rebuild walks and bridges and remove debris," and would eventually "aid in repairing and replacing several bridges on ounty roads, swept away or damaged by the flood."

Then known as the Montana School of Mines, the PWA granted $320,000 for the construction of a new dormitory. The school's website explains: "Construction of the Residence Hall began in 1935 with an appropriation grant from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration of Public Works. It was open for use during the 1935-1936 academic year. The main structure has four floors each with a student lounge. In addition, there are two wings, each with one floor. It was originally designed to house 110 students."

The federal government under F.D.R. constructed a large new health research complex in Hamilton, Montana, with construction completed in 1940. The laboratory had originally been housed in a "two-story empty school building." NIH: "After its successful work with spotted fever the Rocky Mountain Laboratory expanded its facilities and programs ... to work on other insect-borne diseases, such as yellow fever and the spirochetal relapsing fevers." Now known as "Rocky Mountain Laboratories," the facility is still in use.

Big Timber's Pioneer newspaper reported: "WPA approval received here makes possible this winter of an outstanding log recreation center for the isolated Keystone community. Five unemployed men will clear the building site immediately."