Montana Land and Property

Online Resources

 * See United States Land and Property for more databases and resources.
 * 1788-1960s U.S. Land Patent Search at Bureau of Land Management, index and some records
 * 1820-1908 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1861-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection, images
 * 1863-1908 U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * Survey Plats and Field Notes at Bureau of Land Management - index
 * Land Owner Search at Historygeo.com ($), index to maps of original land owners

By County
 * 1880-2009 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1871-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1865-2009 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1857-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1866-2012 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1910-2012 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1878-2011 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1866-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1881-2012 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1881-2011 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; 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 E-mail: [mailto:MT_Information@blm.gov MT_Information@blm.gov]

The FamilySearch Library has copies of the federal land tract books for Montana (FS Library films ). 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.

Websites
Online Resources


 * 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