MHF and MT State Library Announce Completion of 9 ARPA Funded History Projects Across Montana

This article originally appeared in the Whitehall Ledger.

The Montana History Foundation (MHF) in association with the Montana State Library (MSL) announces the completion of 9 historical digitization projects across the state. In total, $57,187 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funded this effort. The work results will be available on the Montana Memory Project (MMP) for public access.

Each project is run by a community organization focused on preserving and sharing local stories.

“The preservation of Montana history is at the core of the Foundation’s mission,” says MHF President & CEO Charlene Porsild. “Adding these new interviews and photographs to the digital collections of the MMP both preserves and provides access to these community stories”

MSL received ARPA funds through the Institute of Museum and Library Services to provide online educational resources to support distance learning during the COVID pandemic.

“It was important to MSL that we use this opportunity to make sure Montanans had greater access to information about our home,” says State Librarian, Jennie Stapp. “We are thrilled by the unique collections added to the MMP and our partnership with the MHF which made our ARPA dollars stretch farther.”

MSL’s partnership enabled MHF to grant more funds to more community history efforts around the state than ever before. Some digitized projects include:

Bear Paw Development Corporation, “The Metis of the Hi-Line Oral History Project” – $8,400: Bear Paw Development oral historian Candi Zion conducted interviews with 10 descendants of the original Hi-Line Metis settlers. This project provides insights into the hardships, lives, and work ethics of the Metis of the Hi-Line. This work is currently available on the Montana Memory Project.

Missoula Legion Hellgate Post No. 27 Baseball Program, “Missoula Mavericks Oral History Project”- $1,000: Working with the Missoula Legion, University of Montana professor Charles Palmer conducted 10 oral interviews with former pivotal contributors to the Missoula Mavericks American Legion Baseball program. This project compiles and shares nearly 100 years of Mavericks baseball. This work is currently available on the Montana Memory Project.

Montana Museum of Art and Culture, “Pattee Canyon Ladies Salon Oral History Project”- $6,000: The Museum conducted 19 oral histories with members of the Pattee Canyon Ladies Salon. This project celebrates and records the revolutionary achievements of this important group of female artists and their models over 33 years. This work is currently available on the Montana Memory Project.

O’Fallon Historical Museum, “Humans of Fallon County Oral History Project”- $3,447: Staff at the museum conducted oral histories with five Baker residents over the age of 65. This project preserves the rich stories of Fallon County and allows the oldest living generations to share this history from their perspective. This will be available on the Montana Memory Project by the end of January.

The Montana History Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity raising money for history and preservation projects across Montana. You can see a complete list of our 2022 grantees here. For more information, or for help contacting any of the ARPA-funded grantees, please contact Zach Coe at zachary@mthistory.org.