Architectural Drawings

Ed Kopac Collection (WHC 1982.58):

This collection of 75 photographs, taken between 1930 and 1940, document agrarian activities undertaken at the Kopac Ranch and Campbell Farm Corporation in Big Horn County. Specific images include farm vehicles, equipment, and machinery of the dryland farm operations near Hardin.

Joseph Henry Sharp Photograph Album (WHC 1995.26)

In 1901, Joseph Henry Sharp, the famous artist, had a cabin studio built at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Under direction of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Indian Commission, Sharp painted several American Indians living in the region. This photo album holds 74 black-and-white images, taken between 1901 and 1909, of Sharp’s travels and Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and Blackfeet tribal members that would be depicted in some of Sharp’s paintings. In 1909, Sharp left Montana for Taos, New Mexico. In 2025, the Western Heritage Center will feature an exhibit about the photo album and work of Joseph Henry Sharp.

William (Bill) Rogers Collection (WHC 1998.23)

This collection of 88 photographs documents the townsite of Coulson and early Billings, as far back as the 1880s and includes images of people and places into the 1940s. Of special interest is a photograph taken of Calamity Jane in 1894.

Walter Dean Collection (WHC 2003.08)

Walter Dean was a photographer and town booster who lived in Forsyth, Montana. His grandson, Peter Dean, donated this collection of 120 photographs which document the community of Colstrip in the 1920s and the development of coal strip-mining in that area.

Virginia Snook Collection (WHC 2001.28)

Virginia Snook’s father, Earl Snook, was an art patron and business man. In 1932, Mr. Snook took photographs at the funeral of his good friend, Chief Plenty Coups. The funeral took place in Pryor, Montana. Mr. Snook also befriended and photographed the artist, Will James, who spent a great deal of time in Billings. These 100 photographs were a gift from the Estate of Virginia Snook.

Senia Hart Collection (WHC 1990.37)

This collection of 170 photographs documents growth in Billings from 1882 to 1960.

James O’Rourke Collection (WHC 1999.20)

James O’Rourke II and James O’Rourke III owned auto dealerships in Livingston and Billings between 1910 and 1960. This collection of 88 photographs includes images from their business ventures, including close-up views of a Packard sold in the 1930s.

Genevieve Smith Robinson Collection (WHC 2002.24)

This collection of 225 photographs is likely the largest collection of photographs that depict Reed Point, Montana in the 1920s. Genevieve Smith Robinson’s book, The Golden Days of Reedpoint, includes many of the images in this collection and the stories they tell.

Don Baker Collection (WHC 2001.10)

This collection of 100 images focuses on Montana communities served by the Milwaukee Railroad Line in the Musselshell Valley north of Billings, including Vananda, Ingomar, Harlowton, and Roundup.