Documenting Montana’s Constitutional History: 1867, 1884, 1889, & 1972
Documenting Montana’s Constitutional History: 1867, 1884, 1889, & 1972
Did Thomas Francis Meagher take a copy of the 1867 Montana Constitution with him to the grave? Why did statehood take so long? Ever wonder why the 1884 constitution went from viable to liable, and yet laid the groundwork for 1889 and statehood? Constitutional writing in the 20th century, will it stand the test of time? Join Montana State Archivist Rich Aarstad as he tracks Montana’s constitutional history through the historical records of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives collections.
Rich Aarstad
Rich joined the staff of the Montana Historical Society in 2001 as the Lewis and Clark Expedition Reference Historian. He became a full time archivist in 2006 working with donations and the oral history collection. Six years later Rich became senior archivist, a position he held until becoming the State Archivist in 2021. A Montana native by way of Wyoming, Rich grew up in Libby, MT. He attended the University of Montana where he received his BA and MA degrees. He’s been married to Kim Cummings for thirty one years. They have a son, Rick, two grandchildren, Chesnie and Kashlyn, and his boon companion is the bucktooth cowdog Teddye Blew.
Jennifer Birnel
Jennifer Birnel has been the Director of the Montana History Portal for the Montana State Library since 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a master’s degree in literacy. Jennifer taught middle school Language Arts and Social studies for 12 years before becoming an employee of the State Library.
