CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT: FORESTRY DIVISION:

An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records and Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society

Government Records

OVERVIEW


	Creator:	Minnesota. Division of Forestry.
	Title:	Miscellaneous Records and Reports.
	Dates:	1910-1969.
	Language:	Materials in English.
	Abstract:	An assortment of correspondence, reports, statistical and survey data, and miscellany ; about half comprised of files of correspondence and related materials kept by or attributed to specific Forestry Division commissioners and other administrators, particularly E. V. Willard, G. M. Conzet, and Chester S. Wilson.
	Quantity:	5.0 cubic feet (4 boxes and 3 partial boxes).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

The materials mainly pertain to Forestry Division administration and personnel, forest management, land acquisition and land use planning, forestry policy, timber lands and timber sales, and 1930s conservation projects under the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. There are monthly and quarterly forestry reports to the Conservation Commissioner (1933-1942; incomplete), records relating to the Youth Conservation Commission camp at Willow River (1948-1956), typescripts of radio messages (1949-1952), correspondence from the Ely and Tower offices (1913-1918), a land economic survey of Hubbard County (1929-1941), a field notebook kept by forester A. E. Pimley (undated), various compilations of forestry laws and policy decisions and manuals, small woodland/ownership files (1954-1962), and trip plan and record maps, with personnel lists, for the state forestry areas (circa 1940s).

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota. Division of Forestry, Miscellaneous records and reports. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: None; 6442 (mss); 6445 (mss); 6448 (mss); 401; 978-14; 981-186; 985-134; 2015-16

Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 001737186

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION


Location
110.I.5.1B		Bureau of Information, 1940-1942. 2 folders.


		Commissioner’s correspondence regarding forestry personnel and applications, 1939.


		R. R. Bailey correspondence, 1932-1936.
			Bailey was a member of the Conservation Commission from Virginia, Minnesota.


		Guy W. Cravens, Deputy Commissioner, 1937-1939.


		C. W. Plattes, Executive Secretary to the Commissioner of Conservation, 1940-1942.


		Fred C. Pulling, Auditor, Department of Conservation, 1937-1939.


		Paul Trimmer, Conservation Department, 1939.


		Chester S. Wilson, Commissioner of Conservation, 1943-1955. 6 folders.


		William Strunk, Commissioner of Conservation, 1940-1943. 2 folders.


		Acting Commissioner of Conservation, 1939.
			Lester Badger, Ralph F. Jerome, and Lewis H. Merrill.


		Herman C. Wenzel, Conservation Commissioner, July 1937-1939. 2 folders.


		Conservation Commissioner, 1931-1937. 7 folders.


Location
110.I.5.2F		Conservation Commission minutes excerpts relating to forestry policy, 1931-1937. 4 volumes.


		Monthly and Quarterly Reports to the Conservation Commissioner, 1933, 1936-1937, 1939-1942. 34 folders.
			Includes 1933 Report on Railroad Fire Prevention.


Location
103.E.8.9B	O-Reports: Area Supervisors, January 1937, 1938. 8 folders.
		Activity reports and work plans of districts.


		O-Supervision: Regional Meetings with Commissioner, 1948, 1954. 8 folders.
			Includes coverage of 1954 meetings in Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Baudette, Brainerd, Duluth, Redwood Falls, and Rochester.


		First Annual Conference on Conservation Education, 1947, and Conservation Education Program to 1952. 2 items in 1 folder.


		E. V. Willard, Chief Engineer, Deputy Commissioner, correspondence, 1937-1954. 2 folders.


		E. V. Willard, Commissioner, forestry file, 1932-1935. 2 folders.
			Includes memoranda regarding departmental administration, a proposal on Timber Department reorganization by Grover M. Conzet, Willard’s reports to the Conservation Commission, reports by extension forester Parker O. Anderson, and correspondence regarding assorted land and forestry matters, including the controversy over creation and boundaries of state forests in the Quetico-Superior area and the acquisition of land for the Paul Bunyan State Forest in Hubbard County.


		E. V. Willard—G. M. Conzet correspondence, 1933-1935. 3 folders.
			Topics covered include forest management, land acquisition for forests, timber sales, conservation projects under the Works Progress Administration [WPA] and Civilian Conservation Corps [CCC], and fire protection and fire fighting, including the deaths of several fire fighters. Also present are a lengthy forest policy proposal written by Conzet and a tabulation of the employment history, training, and experience of forest service employees.


		E. V. Willard file regarding land use and ECW [Emergency Conservation Work]/CCC camps, 1933-1935.
			Correspondence, with a few reports and statistics.


		E. V. Willard file regarding lands and forestry, 1933-1937. 5 folders.
			Primarily covering land use planning, land classification, and state/federal cooperation.


		Land Economic Survey, Hubbard County, 1929-1941. 6 folders.
			Maps, correspondence, and other miscellaneous materials, mainly between personnel of the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Department of Conservation, relating to the Land Economic Survey of Hubbard County. This was intended as a complete physical inventory of the soils, forests, waters, and other resources of the county, which would serve as a foundation for planning an agricultural, forestry, and recreation program for northern Minnesota.


Location
127.I.19.1B	Director of Forestry files, 1939-1954. 6 folders.
		Miscellaneous correspondence and related materials of directors H. G. Weber, Clarence Prout, and E. L. Lawson, exchanged with the following: Governor’s Office (Thye, Stassen, Youngdahl, Anderson), 1939-1954; Administration and Finance Department, 1939-1945; Commissioner of Administration, 1939-1945; and Legislative Emergency Committee, 1939-1940.


		W. T. Cox, Commissioner of Conservation, correspondence with Parker O. Anderson, University Farm Extension Division, 1932.


		E. V. Willard administrative files, 1931-1936. 5 folders.
			Chiefly correspondence between Willard, Commissioner of Conservation, and G. M. Conzet, Director of Forestry.


		Executive Council Resolutions, 1934-1944. 2 folders.
			Excerpts from Executive Council meetings and related correspondence.


		Youth Conservation Commission camp records, 1948-1956. 9 folders.
			Records relating to the Commission’s Willow River Camp.
			Miscellaneous correspondence, 1948-1956.
			Commissioners’ Delegation Order No. 25: Authority to Arthur M. Einhorn, 1951.
			Agreement between the Department of Conservation and Youth Conservation Commission, 1951-1956.
			Payrolls, 1951-1954. 2 folders.
			Reports, 1952-1956.
			Menus, 1955.


Location
103.E.13.10F	Howard Munson files, 1932-1937. 6 folders.
		Includes materials relating to forest policy and forestry laws, historical pageants given at Itasca and Fort Ridgely state parks (1934), state forest lands and relief projects, ECW/CCC camps, and forest officer applications and examinations. Some may duplicate materials filed in the Forestry Division central files.
		Forest Policy (and History of Forestry Laws in Minnesota).
		1934 Pageants.
			Includes copies of speeches given at the pageants, a typewritten script for Sibley Centennial Pageant at Itasca State Park, correspondence, and a final financial report.
Location
103.E.13.10F		State Forest Reports.
			Detailing state forest lands, particularly with respect to tax delinquencies, and relief projects in state forests.
		ECW Inspection Reports.
		Forest Officer applications and examinations.
		Miscellany.


		Forest, Timber, and Tree Laws of the State of Minnesota, compiled in 1910. 1 volume.
			By J. S. Peyton and J. C. Peters, Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


		Report and Testimony of G. M. Conzet, State Forester, 1928.
			Given before a legislative commission; relating primarily to timber cutting, forest management, and the legal and administrative background for the Conservation Department’s jurisdiction over state timber.


		Establishment Report: Swamp Black Spruce Cutting Experiment, February 7, 1936.
			By the Lake States Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service.


		Report on Proposed Sturgeon Lake Forest, 1912.
			Report by Arthur F. Oppel, forest inspector, in response to requests from citizens of Range towns, characterizing the area as non-agricultural and urging its purchase by the state for a state forest. The report describes the topography, soil, lakes and streams, forests, current utilization, rationale for establishment of state forests in general, and concludes with a recommendation that the surveyed lands be purchased for a state forest. Includes photographs of forested and cutover land and of Sturgeon Lake.


		Administration of Surveyor General’s Office, 1917-1918.
			Contains correspondence regarding cooperation between the state Forest Service and the Surveyor General’s Office, under a wartime governor’s executive order, in scaling state timber; administration of this activity under Public Safety Commission Order No. 21, which provided for collection of scaling fees; the status and payment of Forest Service employees performing this work; and a memo detailing the program.


Location
103.E.13.10F		Memorandum on the Silvicultural Management of the Superior National Forest, June 19, 1928.


		Manual of Instructions for Forest Officers, 1923-1925. 1 volume.
			1913 edition with handwritten annotations.


		Manual of Instructions for Forest Officers, 1927. 1 volume.


		Report of the Timber Law Committee, 1966. 1 volume.


		Three Years of Emergency Conservation Work on Minnesota State Forests, 1933-1936: A Report of Accomplishments for 39 Minnesota State Forest Emergency Conservation Work Camps. 1 volume.


		Recap of Taxes in Township 53-55, Range 14, 1933-1934.


		A. E. [Anson E.] Pimley notebook, [undated].
			Apparently a reference notebook used by a field forester. Contains various tables of measurement (general, and for timber scaling), weather readings information, questions for oral exams for fire patrolmen and field officials, elevations of various Minnesota places, mileages between various Minnesota cities, historical data on Minnesota fires and their suppression costs and damages, and a list of rations for a 10-day field trip.


		Minnesota Forest Service, Hill City Office, Forestry Newsletters, 1949-1952.
			Numbered radio messages read on a Grand Rapids radio station by George Gaylord, Hill City Office Supervisor.
			The messages are numbered 1-86 (missing 48, 50, 53, and 68).


		Minnesota Forest Service, Tower Office correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1913-1918.
			Correspondence received and sent by A. B. Gibbs, 1913-1918, and Fred Murphy, 1918, forest rangers at the Ely (1913-1915) and Tower (1915-1918) offices. Included are minutes of a January 16, 1914 ranger meeting in Orr; a December 4, 1914 rangers’ railroad committee meeting; and Gibbs’ game warden certificate, March 4, 1916.


Location
102.F.16.3B	Small woodland improvement/ownership files, 1954-1962. 14 folders.
		Farm forestry legislation, 1954.
		Small Woodlands Improvement Meetings [SWIM], 1958. 10 folders.
			Forest credits.
			Milwaukee meeting.
			News releases.
			Recommendations. 2 folders.
			Report on meetings at the 49th Western Forestry Conference.
			St. Louis, Missouri meeting.
			Speech by Governor Orville Freeman.
			Speech by E. L. Lawson.
			Wausau, Wisconsin meeting, 1958.
		Statistics, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, 1956-1958.
		Upper Peninsula, Michigan, 1962.
		Western Forestry Conference, 1962.


Location
120.C.1.3B		Forest Protection and Conservation in Minnesota, 1920.


		The Answer to Your Question, August 1933.


		Forestry Division Bulletin, March-April 1939.


		Know Your Conservation Department, September 1, 1940.


		Trip Plan and Record Maps of State Forestry Areas, circa 1940s. 1 volume.
			Areas 1-20, Grand Rapids Supply Depot, Deer River Timber, Badoura Nursery, and General Andrews Nursery. Includes lists of personnel for each area.


		Proposed Annual Budget for Division of Forestry, December 19, 1944.


		Planning the Community Forest, October 1946, January 1952. 2 items in 1 folder.


		Forestry Legislation Enacted 1957 Session, May 1957.


		A Program for the Division of Forestry, September 1959.


		Tree Planting Techniques, July 1960.


		Permanent Improvement Manual and Land Manual, November 1960.


		Forest Roads and Access Program, 1961.


		Timber Management Guide for State Forest Lands, 1962.


		380 Filing Manual for Correspondence, Circular Letters and Reference Material, 1963.


		Forest Development Manual, 1963.


		Forest Management Plan: Carlos Avery, District II, Cambridge Area I, 1963.


		Manual, Permanent Improvements, Buildings-Construction and Maintenance, 1964.


		Work Load Analysis Manual, 1965.


		News Letter, January, March, August, December 1965.


		Timber Scaling Manual, July 1969.

CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:: Black spruce.; Conservation of natural resources -- Minnesota.; Environmental education -- Minnesota.; Forest fires -- Prevention and control -- Minnesota.; Forest management -- Minnesota.; Forest policy -- Minnesota.; Forest rangers -- Minnesota.; Forest reserves -- Minnesota.; Foresters -- Minnesota.; Forestry law and legislation -- Minnesota.; Forests and forestry -- Minnesota.; Land use -- Planning -- Minnesota -- Hubbard County.; Pageants -- Minnesota -- Itasca State Park.; Pageants -- Minnesota -- Fort Ridgely State Park.; Timber -- Minnesota.; Tree planting -- Minnesota.

Persons:: Anderson, Parker O. 1892-.; Badger, Lester Robert, 1892-1966.; Bailey, Richard R., 1875-.; Conzet, Grover M., b. 1886.; Cox, William T. (William Thomas), 1878-1961.; Cravens, Guy W.; Gaylord, George.; Gibbs, A. B.; Jerome, Ralph F.; Lawson, E. L.; Merrill, Lewis H.; Munson, Howard.; Murphy, Fred.; Oppel, A. F. (Arthur F.).; Pimley, A. E.; Plattes, Cyril W.; Prout, Clarence.; Pulling, Fred C.; Strunk, William L.; Trimmer, Paul.; Weber, Henry G., 1886-1948.; Wenzel, Herman C., 1887-1969.; Willard, E. V. (E. Victor), 1880-1964.; Wilson, Chester S. (Chester Sawyer), 1886-1983.

Organizations:: Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) -- Minnesota.; Minnesota Works Progress Administration.; Minnesota. Youth Conservation Commission.; Minnesota. Department of Conservation.; Minnesota. Division of Forestry -- History.; University of Minnesota. Agricultural Experiment Station.; Willow River Camp (Minn.).

Places:: Ely (Minn.); Hill City (Minn.); Hubbard County (Minn.); Paul Bunyan State Forest (Minn.); Quetico-Superior Country (Ont. and Minn.); Sturgeon River State Forest (Minn.).; Superior National Forest (Minn.); Tower (Minn.)

Document Types:: Maps -- Minnesota.

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CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT: FORESTRY DIVISION:

OVERVIEW

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

CATALOG HEADINGS