Montana Land and Property
|Montana Wiki Topics|
|Local Research Resources|
- 1820-1908 - U.S., Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908 Images only
- 1880-2009 - Montana, Cascade County Records, 1880-2009 at FamilySearch — index and images.
- 1871-2007 - Montana, Flathead County Records, 1871-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1865-2009 - Montana, Granite County Records, 1865-2009 at FamilySearch — index and imagess
- 1857-2010 - Montana, Lake County Records, 1857-2010 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1866-2012 - Montana, Meagher County Records, 1866-2012 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1910-2012 - Montana, Pondera County Records, 1910-2012 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1878-2011 - Montana, Rosebud County Records, 1878-2011 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1866-2010 - Montana, Sanders County Records, 1866-2010 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1881-2012 - Montana, Teton County Records, 1881-2012 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1881-2011 - Montana, Yellowstone County Records, 1881-2011 at FamilySearch — index and images
Federal Land Records
After 1862, settlers could apply for homestead land in Montana through the General Land Office in Washington, DC. Eventually they could apply for land through eight local land offices. The first local land office was established in Helena in 1867.
The land office records are at the National Archives Rocky Mountain Region (Denver). The county courthouses also have records of patents on homesteads. Tract books, township plats, and pre-1908 patent records are at the:
Montana State Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101
Telephone: 406 896-5000
Fax: 406 896-5299
The Family History Library has copies of the federal land tract books for Montana (Family History Library films 1444840-909). See United States Land and Property for more information on these records.
County Land Records
After land was transferred to private ownership, it could be sold again, inherited, lost by foreclosure of a mortgage, or redistributed through a divorce. These transactions are recorded in the deed and mortgage records kept by the county recorder. The records usually have both grantee (buyer) and grantor (seller) indexes.
The county recorder also has records of patents on timber and mining claims as well as real property assessment books and plat books.
Copies of county land records can be found for many Montana counties in the FamilySearch Catalog under Montana>[County]>Land and property.
- Flathead County: http://www.idreamof.com/land/mt.html
- Montana Native American Land Patents: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/patent/
Wiki articles describing online FamilySearch collections are found at:
- Montana, Cascade County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Montana, Flathead County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Montana, Lake County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Montana, Rosebud County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
- Montana, Yellowstone County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)