Map of the Montana State Highway System: Montana State Highway Commission, 1957

Title: Map of the Montana State Highway System Author: State Highway Commission Date: 1957 Condition: Excellent - a colorful example with a few short separations at the fold junctions. Issued folding. Inches: 27 3/8 x 18 3/4 [Paper] Centimeters: 69.53 x 47.62 [Paper] Product ID: 308754 A decorative 1957 Map issued by the Montana State Highway Commission, showing the state’s highway network, towns, counties, railroads, waterways, public lands, and major destinations. It highlights Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, Fort Peck Reservoir, and Montana’s principal recreational regions, with a road-surface legend, traffic and travel information, and a county-and-town index. The colorful reverse promotes travel in Montana through photographs and brief descriptions of its national parks, state parks, historic sites, monuments, fishing, hunting, and scenic landscapes. It also includes a major-route mileage chart and an extensive listing of historic markers, making the sheet both a practical road guide and a mid-century tourism publication. Background on Creator The Montana State Highway Commission was established by the Montana Legislature in March 1913 to provide statewide direction for highway development at a time when road construction and maintenance were largely local responsibilities. The original body had three members and initially served principally as an advisory commission, helping counties plan roads and preparing the state’s earliest highway maps. Federal road legislation in 1916 and subsequent Montana legislation in 1917 expanded the Commission’s authority substantially. It became responsible for preparing highway plans, overseeing bids and construction, providing on-site engineering supervision, and approving completed projects for payment, thereby establishing a more professional and coordinated statewide road-building program.