Montana State Board Of Entomology Records

Montana State Board Of Entomology Records, 1905-1966

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Montana State Board of Entomology
Title: Montana State Board Of Entomology Records
Dates: 1905-1966 (inclusive)
19051966
Quantity: 6 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number: RS 28
Summary: The Montana State Board of Entomology and the Montana State Board of Health studied Rocky Mountain spotted fever (also known as tick fever) in the Bitterroot Valley. Records of the State Board of Entomology consist of correspondence (1909-1954) of State Entomologist R.A. Cooley and others; minutes (1913-1949); reports (1909-1949); subject files; writings; and miscellany. Records of the State Board of Health consist of correspondence (1908-1957) concerning the Rocky Mountain Laboratory and spotted fever; reports (1929-1956); subject files (1911-1966) concerning a wide variety of health issues including conditions on the Montana Indian reservations, the Montana Public Health Association, spotted fever; and miscellany.
Repository: Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions: Collection open for research.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Montana State Board of Health was created by the state legislature in 1901. One of the first diseases the Board was asked to study was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (also known as tick fever, since the disease is spread by wood ticks) which was occurring in the Bitterroot Valley. Early work with the disease was done by Dr. T.D. Tuttle of the State Board of Health and Dr. Howard T. Ricketts, who was sponsored by the American Medical Association in 1906, and by the Montana legislature in succeeding years. Work on ticks and their control by "dipping" domestic animals and the killing of rodents upon which tick lived was done at Montana Agricultural College and Experiment Station in Bozeman by Dr. R.A. Cooley. In 1913 the Montana State Board of Entomology was created and charged with studying Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and methods for its control. The Board was composed of the secretary of the State Board of Health (serving as chairman), the state veterinarian, and the state entomologist (serving as secretary). During the years from 1913 to 1931, the membership of the Board was W.F. Cogswell, W.J. Butler, and R.A. Cooley. Dr. Cooley also conducted tick research in Africa in the 1920s. R.R. Parker served as assistant entomologist and conducted field research on ticks from 1915 until 1922. Throughout the early years of research on tick fever, representatives from the United States Public Health Service worked in Montana in cooperation with the State Board of Health and the State Board of Entomology. In 1927 the Montana Legislative Assembly appropriated $60,000 for the construction of a laboratory in Hamilton to provide facilities for the study of the disease and the search for vaccines to prevent the disease. In 1930 the state Boards assisted in the formation of the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Committee composed to representatives from other states having documented cases of the disease. This committee requested that the United States Public Health Service "take over and assume full control of investigations of tick-borne, human diseases." In 1932 the laboratory facilities at Hamilton were sold to the federal government and work on tick fever was continued by federal employees.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

These records are organized into two subgroups: the Montana State Board of Entomology and the Montana State Board of Health. The Montana State Board of Entomology Records include general correspondence (1909-1954), primarily between State Entomologist R.A. Cooley and other members of the State Board of Entomology (W.G. Cogswell, W.J. Butler); employees of the Board such as field researchers (Fred A. Morton, Glen M. Kohls, A.E. Seamons, Clifford Corkins, Elmer Fessler, F.J. O'Donnell, F.B. Linfield, Roscoe W. Wells); representatives from the United States Board of Entomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Public Health Service (F.C. Bishop, L.D. Fricks, W.D. Hunter, L.O. Howard, W.V. King, H.P. Wood); scientists working on tick diseases (including requests for tick specimens); Montanans and public health officials requesting information about the disease; etc. This correspondence is arranged as it was kept by Dr. Cooley, by correspondent. There is also correspondence of W.G. Cogswell as chairman of the State Board of Entomology and R.R. Parker as assistant entomologist. The subgroup also includes court papers (1913); financial records (1932-1941); minutes of the Board (1913-1949); organizational materials (1913-1940); reports (1909-1949), including those of field researchers and the Board's monthly and annual reports; subject files (1927-1954); writings (1912-1937) of W.J. Butler, R.A. Cooley, R.R. Parker, and others; miscellany (1905-1938); and clippings (1908-1943). The Montana State Board of Health subgroup includes T.D. Tuttle's correspondence (1908-1912) about Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other correspondence (1919-1957) concerning the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, diseases, etc.; financial records (1912); reports (1929-1956) concerning typhoid fever, polio vaccine, etc.; subject files (1914-1966) including materials on bubonic plague, leprosy, and health conditions on Indian reservations in the state; and miscellany (1911, 1929). Printed materials and maps, photographs, and artifacts have been separated from these records and transferred to the Library, Photo Archives, and Museum respectively.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by series.

Location of Collection

17:8-4

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Montana State Board Of Entomology Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	General Correspondence
Box/Folder
1 / 1	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and F. C. Bishop (includes tick analysis data)	1910-1931
1 / 2	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. J. Butler (includes correspondence with Deputy State Veterinarian C. H. Stevens; F. J. O'Donnell)	1913-1931
1 / 3-4	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. F. Cogswell	1913-1925
1 / 5	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. F. Cogswell (includes correspondence of F. J. O'Donnell)	1926-1932, 1935
1 / 6	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. F. Cogswell	1930-1932
1 / 7	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and L. D. Fricks	1913-1922
1 / 8	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and L. O. Howard (chief, U. S. Bureau of Entomology)	1910-1931
1 / 9-14	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. D. Hunter	1909-1918
1 / 15	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. V. King (includes correspondence to King from W. D. Hunter)	1909
1 / 16-20	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and W. V. King	1910-1918, 1922, 1929
1 / 21-29	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and R. R. Parker	1911-1921
2 / 1-3	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and R. R. Parker	1922-1931, 1936
2 / 4	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and T. D. Tuttle	1908-1911
2 / 5	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Roscoe W. Wells	1914-1917
2 / 6	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and S. B. Wolbach	1915-1931
2 / 7	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and H. P. Wood	1913-1914
2 / 8	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Fred A. Morton, Glen M. Kohls, A. E. Seamons, Clifford Corkins, Elmer Fessler, F. J. O'Donnell, F. B. Linfield (includes tick data)	1910-1931
2 / 9	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and H. T. Fernald, H. T. Ricketts, J. J. Moore, Joseph Bequaert, E. D. Germain, W. A. Hooker, W. D. Pierce, I. U. Temple, A. H. McCray, J. L. Todd, E. V. Cowdry	1909-1928
2 / 10	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and the Biological Survey (U. S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Biological Survey; includes correspondence with C. Hart Merriam, Clarence Birdseye, A. X. Fisher, H. W. Henshaw, H. W. Grayvill, and R. R. Spencer; arranged chronologically)	1910-1931
2 / 11	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Montana State Officials (including Attorney General D. M. Kelly; Congressional representatives John Evans, Henry Myers, Thomas Walsh, Jeannette Rankin, W. E. McMurry, Tom Stout, Fred Whiteside; Governors EdwinNorris, S. V. Stewart; State Fish and Game Wardens J. L. DeHart, Henry Avare; State Land Board secretary; R. H. Cather at Montana State Hospital)	1909-1931
2 / 12	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Numerous Persons in the Bitterrot Valley (requests for information from individuals, chambers of commerce, local businesses, etc.; arranged alphabetically)	1909-1931; 1944
2 / 13	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Numerous Persons in Montana outside of the Bitterroot Valley (requests for information, etc.; arranged alphabetically)	1909-1931
2 / 14	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Numerous Persons in United States outside of Montana (includes correspondence with public health officials, universities, etc.; arranged alphabetically by state)	1909-1931
2 / 15	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Numerous Persons in Foreign Countries including G. H. F. Nuttall, Cecil Warburton, E. Brumpt, Eric Hearle, Hideyo Noguchi, etc. (also includes Seymour Hadwen, P. A. Buxton, David Miller, and others from Australia, New Zealand, South America, Japan, India, and the Canal Zone)	1913-1932
2 / 16-17	Correspondence between R. A. Cooley and Numerous Persons Growing Out of Tick Parasite Work Done in the Union of South Africa and the Province and Protectorate of Kenya (includes Cooley's paper "Africa" given to the Q. K. Club of Bozeman; Fred A. Morton correspondence concerning ticks shipped to U. S.; reports on foreign tick studies; etc.)	1928-1932
2 / 18	Correspondence between W. F. Cogswell and L. D. Fricks, S. B. Wolbach, H. L. Myers, H. S. Ccumming, Thomas Parran, Hidayo Noguchi, A. L. Strand, and others re Rocky Mountain spotted fever	1913-1947
2 / 19	Correspondence between R. R. Parker and F. C. Bishop, W. J. Butler, W. F. Cogswell, L. D. Fricks, L. O. Howard, B. K. Kilboure, W. V. King, F. J. O'Donnell, R. R. Spencer, A. L. Strand, S. B. Wolbach, and others re Rocky Mountain spotted fever	1915-1949
2 / 20	Miscellaneous correspondence re Rocky Mountain spotted fever; grasshopper control	1919-1954
2 / 21	Mosquito problem at Orphan's Home	1947
	Court Papers
Box/Folder
3 / 1	John Dunbar vs Dr. Frick, Dr. R. A. Cooley and Dr. W. F. Cogswell (complaint for damages re malicious mischief charge)	1913
	Financial Records
Box/Folder
3 / 2	Parasite Fund Expenditures, Receipts	1932-1941
	Minutes
Box/Folder
3 / 3	Montana State Board of Entomology	1913-1949
	Organization
Box/Folder
3 / 4	History, work plans, legislative purpose, rules and regulations, and resolutions	1913-1940, undated
	Photographs
Box/Folder
3 / 5	List of photographs transferred to the Photo Archives
	Printed Material
Box/Folder
3 / 6	List of printed material transferred to the Library
	Reports
Box/Folder
3 / 7	Tenth Annual Report of the State Entomologist of Montana: Moth of the Army Cutworm, Chorizagrotis Agrestis Grote, by R. A. Cooley	1912
3 / 8	King's Reports (includes tick determination, tests, tick lots)	1909, 1910
3 / 9	King's Journal (handwritten and typescript for 1911; typescript only for 1910)	1910, 1911
3 / 10	Host - Tick survey of the Bitter Root Valley, King - 1911	1910-1911
3 / 11	Old Tick Records of W. V. King	1909-191, undated
3 / 12-13	Summary and references from tick investigations at Florence	1911-1913
3 / 14	Report to Bureau of Entomology of the Work Done by A. E. Seamans in Connection with the Spotted Fever Investigations of Bitter Root Valley, Montana	1913
3 / 15	Account of Trip into West Gallatin Canon for Ticks	1913
3 / 16	Staff reports (includes work done in Eastern Montana, the Bitterroot area and Carbon County	1915-1919
3 / 17	Staff reports (work done in Powderville and Miles City)	1915
3 / 18	Reports of the Investigation and Control of the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Tick for the Season of 1916, by W. V. King (re work done in Bitterroot Valley)	1916
3 / 19	Staff reports (work done at Powderville)	1916-1917
3 / 20	Staff reports (includes work done at Musselshell)	1917
3 / 21	Staff reports (work done at Powderville and Eastern Montana)	1916-1918
3 / 22	Monthly and Annual Reports 1924-1930	1924 July - 1930 June
3 / 23	Staff monthly reports; summary of parasite work	1926, 1929-1930
3 / 24	Reports - Annual - Kohls (Glen M. Kohls, laboratory assistant)	1929-1930
3 / 25	Reports - Morton (Fred A. Morton, laboratory assistant)	1929-1930
3 / 26	Monthly and Annual Reports 1931	1930 July - 1931 June
4 / 1	Monthly and Annual Reports 1932	1931 July - 1932 June
4 / 2	Monthly Reports 1933 (includes annual report and photo of Rocky Mountain spotted fever exhibit)	1932 July - 1933 June
4 / 3	Monthly Reports 1934 (includes annual report)	1933 July - 1934 June
4 / 4	Monthly Reports 1935 (includes annual report)	1934 July - 1935 June
4 / 5	Monthly Reports 1936 (includes annual report and staff reports)	1935 July - 1936 June
4 / 6	Monthly Reports 1937 (includes annual report)	1936 July - 1937 June
4 / 7	Monthly Staff Reports 1937	1936 July - 1937 June
4 / 8	Monthly Reports 1938 (includes annual report)	1937 July - 1938 June
4 / 9	Monthly Staff Reports 1938	1937 July - 1938 June
4 / 10	Monthly Reports 1939 (includes annual report)	1938 July - 1939 June
4 / 11	Monthly Staff Reports 1939	1938 July - 1939 June
4 / 12	Monthly Reports 1940 (includes annual report)	1939 July - 1940 June
4 / 13	Monthly Staff Reports 1940	1939 July - 1940 June
5 / 1	Monthly Reports 1941 (includes annual report)	1940 July - 1941 June
5 / 2	Monthly Staff Reports 1941	1940 July - 1941 June
5 / 3	Monthly Reports 1941 (includes annual report)	1941 July - 1942 June
5 / 4	Monthly Staff Reports 1941	1941 July - 1942 June
5 / 5	Monthly Reports 1943 (includes annual report)	1942 July - 1943 June
5 / 6	Monthly Staff Reports 1943	1942 July - 1943 June
5 / 7	Monthly Reports 1944 (includes annual report)	1943 July - 1944 June
5 / 8	Staff Reports 1944	1943 July - 1944 June
5 / 9	Monthly Reports 1945 (includes annual report)	1944 July - 1945 June
5 / 10	Staff Reports 1945 (includes annual report)	1944 July - 1945 June
5 / 11	Monthly Reports 1946 (includes annual report)	1945 July - 1946 June
5 / 12	Staff Reports 1946	1945 July - 1946 June
5 / 13	Monthly Reports 1947 (includes annual report)	1946 July - 1947 June
6 / 1	Staff Reports 1947	1946 July - 1947 June
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
6 / 4	Montana tick parasite expedition to Africa	1928-1930
6 / 5	Rocky Mountain Laboratory, Hamilton (includes controversy over Laboratory location; floor plans are OVERSIZE MATERIAL)	1927-1954
	Writings
Box/Folder
6 / 6	W. J. Butler on tick parasite work	1928
6 / 7	R. A. Cooley on ticks, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick investigations in Montana, ticks in Africa, egg laying and controlling wood ticks	1912-1929, undated
6 / 8	R. R. Parker on vaccination for and spread of Rocky Mountain spotted fever; tularemia; and tick investigation work in the Bitterroot Valley	undated
6 / 9	"The Woodtick Problem in Montana and the Northwest"; "Summary Statement Regarding the Life History of Dermacentor venustus," by F. C. Bishop; "Note on Control of Ticks," by S. K. Sen; comments on the wood tick project by L. O. Howard and Royal N. Chapman; "Some Diseases of Sheep," by Dr. Hadwin; unidentified writings on ticks, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick paralysis in sheep, etc.	1910-1937, undated
	Miscellany
Box/Folder
6 /	Blueprints of Building for Tick and Spotted Fever Work; drawing of laboratory grounds [OVERSIZE MATERIAL]	undated
6 / 10	Inventory for Bitter Root Field Station equipment, tools, etc	1925, 1930, 1938
6 / 11	List of artifacts transferred to the Museum	undated
6 / 12	Memorial to William Gittinger and Arthur Kerlee; R. A. Cooley resume	1929, undated
6 / 13	Rocky Mountain spotted fever case distribution and patient data	1905-1934
	Clippings
Box/Folder
6 / 14	Rocky Mountain spotted fever, parasite studies, vaccine development, laboratory in Hamilton, etc	1908-1943

Montana State Board of Health Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	General Correspondence
Box/Folder
6 / 15	Correspondence between T. D. Tuttle and H. T. Ricketts and others re Rocky Mountain spotted fever	1908-1912
6 / 16	Miscellaneous correspondence re closing of laboratory, other diseases, etc.	1919-1957
6 / 17	Correspondence re acquisition by the Rocky Mountain Laboratory of the Dr. P. Schultz tick collection and literature	1949-1950
	Financial Records
Box/Folder
6 / 18	Bills of Dr. T. B. McClintic for laboratory animals, etc.	1912
	Maps
Box/Folder
6 / 19	List of maps transferred to Library Map Collection	undated
	Reports
Box/Folder
6 / 20	"Report of the activities of the State Board of Health in controlling the epidemic of typhoid in Helena"; "Polio vaccine usage and distribution report"; field trip report; animals used report	1929-1956
	Subject Files
Box/Folder
6 / 21	Bubonic plague	1935-1939
6 / 22	Health conditions on Montana Indian reservations (includes studies of trachoma)	1925-1944
6 / 23	Leprosy	1918-1939
6 / 24-26	Montana Public Health Association (includes papers given at meetings re tuberculosis, Indian Reservations conditions, scarlet fever, botulism, cancer, cattle diseases, vitamins, venereal diseases, plague, encephalitis, industrial hygiene, nutrition, etc.)	1914-1940
6 / 27	Montana Tuberculosis Society; Montana Trudeau Society; Montana Thoracic Society	1955-1966
6 / 28	"Pediatric evaluation of Indian children in Great Falls" (re Hill 57)	1959-1960
6 / 29	Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Committee of American Public Health Association, Western Branch	circa 1930
6 / 30	State Board of Health, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Conference (includes papers presented at the conference)	1923
	Miscellany
Box/Folder
6 / 31	Histories of the Montana State Board of Health and the study of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever	undated
6 / 32	Resolutions re Public Health League of Montana; U. S. Bureau of Entomology	1911, undated
6 / 33	List of county and local health officers (includes salary, appointment, etc.)	1929

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Assiniboine Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Assiniboine Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Atsina Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Crow Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Dakota Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Dakota Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Landless Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Medicine--Research
Public health--Montana
Research--Montana
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Salish Indians--Health and welfare--Montana
Tick-borne diseases

Geographical Names

Florence (Mont.)
Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Mont.)
Fort Peck Indian Reservation (Mont.)
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (Mont.)
Powderville (Mont.)
Rocky Boys Indian Reservation (Mont.)

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