The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-12-15
HISTORICAL
"'' us; SOCIETY.
It Needs a Largely Increased
Appropriation.
SYSTEMATIC WORK
Work of the Society Of Great Value-Li-
brarian Praised-Valuable News
paper Files.

The board of trustees of the state
historical library, in it's report filed
with Governor Smith says that at
least three times the appropriation
made by the last legislature is need
ed. For the years 1902, to bind pa
pers and pamphlets each year, to Sc
cure cabinet for the card catalogue,
10 bind 200 volumes in book form for
exchange, to publish a volume of con-
tributions to the Historical society,
for office expenses, for purchase of
books the board cannot secure by ex-
change, for framing of pictures and
documents, for purchase of relics and
curios, an appropriation of $4,000 a
year is asked.
The commission speaks in the high
est terms of the work of Mrs. Laura
f. Howey, the librarian, saying:
IAN excellent beginning has been
made towards systemizing the mass
of useful material, which hau been &C
cumulating for the past &c years, but
which, for many reasons, was unclass-
flied and disorganiZed when she enter
ed upon her duties two years ago.
The conditions would have daunted
a less courageous spirit, but 1t has
been pleasure to note the change
from week to week wrought by the
painstaking hand, whose taste, edu-
cation and experience has peculiarly
well fitted her for the place. The state
papers are kept scrupulously peat and
orderly, easily found by the daily Wis
tors, material for historical research
obtainable in a few minutes upon any
subjects represented upon it's
shelves"
Mrs. Howey's report tells how Mon
tana was one of the first states to
provide for a state library. The first
territorial legislature, which met at
Bannock, December, 1864, provided
that the territorial auditor should be
ex-officio librarian and incorporated
the Historical Society of Montana "in
order to collect and arrange facts in
regard to the early history of this
territory, the discovery of it's mines,
incidents of the fur trade, etc" The
original incorporators named were:
II. l.. Hosmer, C. p. Higgins, John
Owens, James Stuart, w. F. Sanders,
Malcolm Clark, f. M. Thompson, Will
liam Graham, Granville Stuart, w. NJ
De Lacy, G. e. Irvine and Charles S.
Bagg.
In 1868 the territorial council petit
toned congress to appropriate $4,000
to the library. The legislature of
1912 appointed the auditor ex-ofTicio
librarian and in 1873 an appropriation
of $3.50 was made to it and in 1874
another of $500.
Judges Conger and Wade in 1881
memorialized the legislature to pro-
cure an Office for the safekeeping of
the supreme court records, which were
stored away in boxes and sheltered in
the open hall of the court house Of
Lewis and Clarke county, liable to lie
lost and destroyed. In consequence
a bill framed by Governor-elect j. X.
Toole, then president of the council,
was passed in February, 1887, regu.
lating the Montana library. This
created two divisions, one for law
books and the other for miscellaneous
works, and under the care of a board
of directors. The clerk of the supreme
court was made ex-otficio librarian of
the law division and the directors
were authorized to appoint librar-
ian of the miscellaneous division at
salary of $500 year. An appropri.
alton of $3.50 was made for equipping
each division, and 500 for buying
books. A historical department was
created, in which historical books and
documents and specimens of geology
mlnerology and botany were to be pre-
served. All newspapers Of the terri.
tory We're to be obtained and bound
Provision is made for cataloguing the
two divisions and for the use of books
in them. Appropriations were made
from time to time and in 1889 the Ii.
rarians salary was raised to 500 a
month.
The Historical Society of Montana
was re-incorporated as "the Histori.
cal Society of the State of Montana
in 1891, and made the trustee of the
state for the expenditure of money
on the library and the care of the col.
lections in it. The governor, secre-
tary OF state and attorney general
were made ex-officio members of its
executive committee. A librarian at
$50 month was provided. Provision
was made for turning over the library
10 the state for the collection of
DOCKS and newSnanors ord Tho IL,