Montana Directories

United StatesU.S. DirectoriesMontanaDirectories

Record Synopsis
A directory is a “book containing names, addresses, and occupations of inhabitants.” It may also be “any list or compilation, usually in book or pamphlet form, of persons, professional organizations, firms or corporations.” Several types of directories have been published in the United States over the last two hundred years including: city directories, telephone directories, county and regional business directories, professional, organizational, and religious directories, post office directories, and street directories. Directories have tremendous value to genealogists as both an original record and as a reference aid.

For further information about directories in general, see United States Directories. See the sections below for specific information about Montana directories.

Libraries and Archives
Extensive collections of city and business directories are available at the Montana Historical Society, Montana State University, and the University of Montana.

Online Resources

 * Ancestry.com ($) has Montana directories available online in its U.S. City Directories collection.
 * Distant Cousins for Montana
 * US City Directories identifies printed, microfilmed, and online directories and their repositories.

The Family History Library
The Family History Library has useful directories for the years 1868 and 1879 on Family History Library film. The library has some directories from the 1930s to 1980s for larger cities in Montana, such as Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula.