Archives West Finding Aid

When Bozeman was incorporated in 1883, the streets were supervised by a Street Commissioner under direction of the City Council. On April 20, 1905 the Office of City Engineer was created. His duties encompassed surveys, plats, plans drawings, specifications and estimates connected to the city's needs for all public works. These included supervision of construction and maintenance of streets, alleys, sidewalks, culverts, bridges, sewer and water works systems; surveying necessary for laying off improvements of parks, squares and cemeteries; and establishing the grade of any street, alley, or thoroughfare whenever required. He was to keep complete record of his official acts and prepare such maps, plats, and profiles as needed for a permanent record. In 1922, the organization of all departments under a Commissioner-Manager Plan was instituted with the duties of the City Engineer remaining essentially the same. On August 21, 1957 Bozeman created a joint City-County Planning Board using the provisions and rights of the Revised Codes of Montana, 1947. The Board's activities absorbed many of the former records of the City Engineer, as well as creating new records which sometimes overlapped. The Board was disbanded and replaced by the Bozeman City Planning Office and the Gallatin County Planning Office in early 1995.