Montana Manifests of Immigrant Arrivals and Departures - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The following information may be found in these records: This collection contains manifests of vessels arriving for the years 1923 to 1956 at the following locations in Montana:

Alien Arrivals
 * Chief Mountain, June 20, 1936-Oct. 30, 1956
 * Cut Bank, June 6, 1941-July 10, 1953
 * Del Bonita, January 1940-December 1956
 * Great Falls,April 21,1936-August 20, 1953
 * Roosville, November 1, 1929-January 1, 1956

Alien Departures
 * Great Falls, December 2, 1944-August 25, 1945

Permanent Alien Arrivals
 * Gateway, January 1, 1923-June 30, 1927
 * Gateway, July 1, 1927-April 6, 1939

Temporary Arrival Arrivals
 * Gateway, January 1, 1924-April 6, 1939

These records correspond with NARA publication A3447 and are part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Name of passenger
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Marital status
 * Citizenship


 * Race
 * Last residence
 * Place of departure
 * Destination
 * Citizenship intentions

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The age or your ancestor
 * The approximate date of arrival or departure
 * The port of arrival

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use this information to find federal immigration records
 * Use this information to find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, ship’s manifests, birth, christening, marriage, and census records
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Use the information to find additional family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Montana.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * Montana Guided Research
 * Montana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Montana Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Montana manifests of immigrant arrivals and departures, 1923-1956. NARA publication A3447
 * Manifests of alien arrivals at Havre, Loring, Opheim, Raymond, Turner, Westby, and White Tail, Montana, 1924-1956, NARA publication, A3448
 * Montana, Toole County, Sweet Grass, manifests of alien arrivals, 1917-1954. NARA publication A3440

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Montana Naturalization Records, 1868-1999
 * Vermont, St. Albans Canadian Border Crossings, 1895-1954
 * United States, Border Crossings from Canada to United States, 1894-1954

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.