Register of the Richard E. Redden Papers,

Richard E. Redden was prominent in formulating Utah's underground water laws and served as State Water Commissioner during the droughts of the 1930's. He was born 3 January 1897, in Hoytsville, Utah and served in World War I. He graduated from Utah State Agricultural College in 1926 and spent his entire life working in engineering and geology, surveying lakes and waterways, building reservoirs and developing water conservation in Utah and other Western states. These activities involved him with the Sheep Creek and Three Creeks Reservoir projects, the Weber, Colorado and Uintah investigations, and other state and federal water projects.

From 1941 until 1949, Redden was assistant state engineer and practiced as an independent hydra and civil engineer and geologist. He was also technical director for several movies filmed in southern Utah. Redden died 24 July 1979.

1897Born in Hoytsville, Summit County, Utah, 3 Januaryca. 1917Served in World War Ica. 1919Became commander of the Disabled American Veterans in Utah1926Graduated from Utah State University1930sServed as Water Commissioner in state of Utah1939Married Ina Thorsen in Salt Lake City, 6 February1941-1949Served as assistant State Engineer for state of Utah.1979Died in Salt Lake City, 24 July

This collection is divided into seven parts: personal papers; general geology; oil, gas, and minerals: leases, agreements, and reports; coal; uranium; water; and miscellaneous materials.

The first section, boxes 1 to 3, consists of a small amount of personal papers, including personal correspondence and a large number of diaries kept by Redden from 1933 to 1970. The second section, boxes 3 to 4, contains materials relating to geology in general, organized under the three headings of "general", "land classification", and "power development and synthetic fuels". Under these headings, the materials are organized alphabetically by title or subject.

The third section of this collection, boxes 4 to 7, contains oil, gas, and mineral leases, agreements, and reports, as well as materials regarding mining companies, syndicates, and claims. The oil, gas, and mineral leases, agreements, and reports are organized alphabetically by county name, and include some areas in Nevada and Kansas, as well as a heading for the state of Utah. Included in these papers are logs of wells drilled as well as plats and maps of the areas in question. A large amount of these materials concern Emery and Grand Counties. The papers regarding mining companies, syndicates, and claims are organized alphabetically by name of the mining company or corporation. All of the materials in the third section of this collection date from the 1930s to the 1960s, with the majority of the papers generated in the 1950s.

The fourth section of this collection, boxes 8 to 10, consists of materials relating to coal. These materials are organized alphabetically by county name. The bulk of these papers (two boxes) deal with activities of the Red Creek Corporation from 1936 to 1982, and include the 1936 articles of incorporation, correspondence, reports to stockholders, plats, and maps. The fifth section, boxes 11 to 13, contains materials relating to uranium, first organized by region, followed by a group of papers regarding uranium mining companies, syndicates, and claims. A large number of circulars relating to uranium mining, and published by various mining companies, are contained in boxes 12 and 13.

The sixth section of this collection, boxes 13 to 16, contains materials relating to water. These papers are organized under the headings of: water appropriation; projects; state engineer; and water rights and adjudication, and are organized alphabetically by county or region name. The largest amount of materials in this section are contained under the heading "projects", and include reports, applications for various water rights, proofs of appropriation, correspondence, deeds, and maps. A substantial amount of papers regarding the Three Creeks Reservoir Dam Project, Beaver River, Beaver County, Utah, are included in this section. All of the materials in this section date from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The seventh and final section of this collection is contained in boxes 16 to 18, and consists of miscellaneous materials, including general financial and tax papers, various newspaper clippings, and maps and plats that were originally not filed with other materials. Most of the maps and plats in this collection are interspersed throughout the collection as a whole, contained with materials with which they were originally found.

Restrictions on Access:

Restrictions on Access

Arrangement:

Creator:

Redden, Richard E., 1897-1979.

Language:

English.

Sponsor:

Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008

Quantity:

18 boxes (9 linear ft.)

Language of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid written in Englishin Latin script

EAD Creation Date:

1999.