Register of the Works Progress Administration (Utah Section) "History of Grazing" Notes,

In 1940, the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration (WPA) and the Grazing Service of the Department of the Interior decided to collaborate on a written history of grazing in the seventeen western United States. Each state was charged with compiling a history of grazing in their area and submitting that history to the Grazing Service, where a general editor would prepare a national history. Chapter headings proposed by the WPA in 1940 (and later revised by the editor of the national history) provided a basic structure by which each state organized their research and writings. By June 1941, the bulk of the state histories had been received, and by November, most of the materials had been edited. The editor of the national history, George F. Willison, hoped for the book to be ready for initial reviews by early 1942, but in the meantime, however, America entered World War II, and the publication of the book was subsequently postponed and then forgotten. The materials in this collection are comprised of Utah's contribution to the history of grazing project. These materials seem to have been last in the possession of the Utah State University Library's Special Collections before their donation to the Utah State Historical Society.

The bulk of the information in this background sketch is from "History of Grazing" , A. J. Simmonds, Special Collections Librarian, Utah State University, 20 August 1969. This essay may be found in Mss B-100 Box 1, Folder 1.

The first box of this collection contains the project history, a bibliography of works consulted for the Utah manuscript, and drafts of the seven chapters submitted between 1940 and 1941 from Utah to national editor of History of Grazing. The last two folders of box 1 and the entire contents of box 2 contain 1940-1941 transcriptions of articles published between 1857 and 1940. Box 3 consists of transcriptions of materials on various topics, including brands and ranching statistics. This box also contains field notes by Utah researchers. Box 4 consists of transcriptions of statements regarding past and present ranch conditions in the West. The first two folders of box 4 consist of papers on general topics, followed by a folder of materials on national forests. The states of Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming each have a folder of papers in this section, followed by alphabetical files on each of the counties of Utah.

Restrictions on Access:

Restrictions on Access

Arrangement:

Creator:

United States. Works Progress Administration. Utah Section.

Language:

English.

Sponsor:

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

Quantity:

4 boxes (2 linear ft.)

Language of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid written in Englishin Latin script

EAD Creation Date:

1999.