Montana State Historic Preservation Office

Montana State Historic Preservation Office
Name	Montana State Historic Preservation Office
Formed	1966
Jurisdiction	Montana
Headquarters	Helena, Montana
Parent agency	Montana Department of Commerce

Montana State Historic Preservation Office is the state-level agency responsible for identifying, documenting, and protecting cultural resources in Montana; it administers programs that implement federal statutes such as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and coordinates with entities including the National Park Service, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and local Montana Historical Society. The office maintains statewide inventories, manages nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, and oversees compliance with the Section 106 review process for undertakings by agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It works with tribal governments such as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Blackfeet Nation, and Crow Nation to protect cultural resources and archaeological sites associated with events like the Battle of the Little Bighorn and places like Garnet, Montana.

History

The office was established in the wake of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, aligned with statewide initiatives by the Montana Historical Society and legislative actions in the Montana State Legislature; early undertakings included surveys influenced by professionals from the Smithsonian Institution and collaborations with the Historic American Buildings Survey. During the 1970s and 1980s the office advanced programs parallel to federal efforts led by the National Park Service and national preservation advocates such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, while engaging on projects related to Lewis and Clark Expedition sites, Fort Benton, Montana, and Virginia City, Montana. In the 1990s and 2000s the office incorporated standards from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and participated in multi-state initiatives like the Historic Preservation Fund allocations, expanding work on railroad resources associated with the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway.

Organization and Staff

The office is situated within the Montana Department of Commerce framework and coordinates with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) postholder, preservation planners, architectural historians, and archaeologists who frequently liaise with the National Park Service, State Historic Preservation Officers' Association (SHPOs), and tribal historic preservation offices such as those of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Staff roles include architectural reviewers familiar with properties like Carroll College (Montana) buildings, archaeological coordinators working on sites in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, and survey specialists engaged with communities across counties including Yellowstone County, Montana and Missoula County, Montana. The office maintains committees and technical advisory groups modeled after practices promoted by institutions like the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and engages consultants from academic centers such as the University of Montana and Montana State University.

Responsibilities and Programs

Primary responsibilities encompass administering nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, managing Section 106 reviews for federal undertakings, maintaining the state historic preservation plan in coordination with the National Park Service, and operating grant programs that derive from the Historic Preservation Fund. Programs address architectural history tied to the Prairie School and Victorian architecture examples in Butte, Montana, archaeological stewardship for prehistoric sites on the Bighorn River, and cultural resource management for energy projects involving the Bureau of Indian Affairs or Environmental Protection Agency reviews. The office implements easement programs in concert with entities such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and tax incentive guidance consistent with the Internal Revenue Service rules for the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program.

National Register and Survey Projects

The office manages statewide surveys that document properties for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, producing thematic studies on subjects like Mining in Montana, Ranching in Montana, and railroad corridors linked to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. It prepares nominations for individual landmarks including Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument-adjacent resources, historic districts in Helena, Montana and Butte-Silver Bow, and industrial sites such as the Anaconda Copper Mining Company facilities. Survey projects often coordinate with the Historic American Engineering Record, the Historic American Landscapes Survey, and academic research from the Museum of the Rockies.

Grants, Funding, and Tax Incentives

The office administers federal Historic Preservation Fund grants allocated by the National Park Service and distributes pass-through grants to local governments, tribal offices, and nonprofit partners including chapters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It oversees the application of the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program for certified rehabilitation projects in places like Butte, advises on state-level incentives enacted by the Montana Legislature, and works with funding bodies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library Services for heritage documentation and conservation projects.

Partnerships and Outreach

Partnerships span the Montana Historical Society, local historical societies like the Great Falls History Museum, tribal historic preservation offices including the Chippewa-Cree Tribe, federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, and nonprofit organizations like the Preservation Action. Outreach includes public workshops in municipalities such as Billings, Montana and Missoula, Montana, educational collaborations with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, and joint initiatives with tourism entities such as Travel Montana to promote heritage tourism tied to routes like the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Notable Preservation Projects and Case Studies

Notable projects include stabilization and nomination efforts for Virginia City, Montana and Garnet Historic District, rehabilitation of commercial blocks in Butte, Montana linked to the Anaconda Company, archaeological mitigation connected to Missouri River dam projects, and collaborative stewardship for landscapes associated with the Nez Perce War and Little Bighorn Campaign. Case studies document adaptive reuse in downtown Helena, Montana, preservation easements for ranch complexes in Madison County, Montana, and multi-jurisdictional efforts preserving railroad infrastructure associated with the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway.

Category:History of Montana Category:Historic preservation in the United States