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Gerald W. Williams Collection of Forestry and Northwest History Publications, 1880-2016

By Anna Brecheisen, Hope Glenn, and Elizabeth Nielsen

Collection Overview

Title: Gerald W. Williams Collection of Forestry and Northwest History Publications, 1880-2016

Predominant Dates: 1905-2005

ID: MSS WilliamsPubs

Primary Creator: Williams, Gerald W.

Extent: 6.1 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Gerald W. Williams Collection of Forestry and Northwest History Publications is arranged in 6 series: 1. U.S. Forest Service Publications, 1883-2015; 2. Newsletters, 1937-2016; 3. Magazines and Journals, 1880-2014; 4. Non-U.S. Forest Service Publications, 1880-2015; 5. Travel Brochures and Maps, 1919-2009; and 6. Compact Discs, 1997-2005.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Gerald W. Williams Collection of Foresty and Northwest History Publications consists of materials assembled and acquired by Williams in the course of his work as a Forest Service sociologist and historian and due to his avocational interest in the history of forestry as a science and profession and the regional history of the Pacific Northwest.  Most of the materials in the collection were published by the U.S. Forest Service.  Gerald Wiliams worked for the U.S. Forest Service from 1979 to 2005 as a sociologist (1979-1998) and historian (1998-2005).

The contents of box-folder 3.6 and 4.7 have been digitized and are available upon request.

Scope and Content Notes

The Gerald W. Williams Collection of Forestry and Northwest History Publications consists of materials assembled and acquired by Williams in the course of his work as a Forest Service sociologist and historian and due to his avocational interest in the history of forestry as a science and profession and the regional history of the Pacific Northwest.  Most of the materials in the collection were published by the U.S. Forest Service.  In addition to the history of the U.S. Forest Service and forestry generally, the publications include materials pertaining to other topics that Williams researched -- Gifford Pinchot and the Pinchot Family, the McKenzie River basin, and regional history of the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Forest Service publications include materials intended for an internal audience (such as manuals, handbooks, guides, and newsletters) as well as the public (annual reports, circulars, bulletins, maps, and brochures).    The newsletters include a regular newsletter from the Forest Service chief as well as newsletters and membership directories for the U.S. Forest Service retirees from the Pacific Northwest region.

The collection includes 8 commercially produced or published compact disks with images, conference proceedings, and interatcive educational productions.

The contents of box-folder 3.6 and 4.7 have been digitized and are available upon request.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Gerald W. Williams worked for the U.S. Forest Service from 1979 until his retirement in 2005. From 1979 to 1993, he was a sociologist with the Umpqua and Willamette National Forests in Oregon; in 1993-1998, he served as the regional sociologist for the Pacific Northwest Regional Office in Portland; and from 1998 until his retirement in 2005 he was the national historian for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C. Williams designed and implemented a regional and national history program for the Forest Service which culminated in his appointment as national historian and his authorship of the centennial history of the Forest Service, The USDA Forest Service -- The First Century, in 2000. He has published more than 75 books, chapters, book reviews, and articles and conference papers exploring a variety of historical topics such as the Native American use of fire to manage environments, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the U.S. Army's Spruce Production Division during World War I.

Williams is a native of Oregon and earned degrees from Southern Oregon University (B.A., Sociology; M.A. General Studies Social Science) and Washington State University (Ph.D., Sociology).



Author: Chris Petersen

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 11 compact discs; 8 boxes, including 1 oversize box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These materials were acquired by the former University Archives and the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in multiple accessions in 2007-2016.  They were originally described as a component of the Gerald W. Williams Collection (MSS WilliamsG) and were separated for description as this collection in 2016.

Related Materials: The core of Gerald Williams' research materials are maintained as the Gerald W. Williams Papers (MSS WilliamsG).  Other materials that were collected by Williams have been described as separate collections:  Gerald W. Williams Collection on the Civilian Conservation Corps (MSS CCC); Gerald W. Williams Moving Image and Sound Recordings Collection (FV 320),; Gerald W. Williams Collection on Smokey Bear (MSS Smokey)Gerald W. Wiliams Prints Collection (MSS WilliamsPrints); Jason S. Elder Forest Service Diary (MSS Elder); C.C. Hall Photograph Album (P 301); J.F. Ford Photographs (P 308); Forest Service Equipment Development Center Photograph Album (P 311); Mount Hood Area Excursion Photograph Album (P 310); and Frank Patterson Photographic Postcards (P 312).

Preferred Citation: Gerald W. Williams Collection of Forestry and Northwest History Publications (MSS WilliamsPubs), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: The digital content on the compact discs in this collection has not been removed and treated as electronic records because the CDs were published or commercially produced.

Creators

Williams, Gerald W.
Forest History Society.
Pacific Northwest Research Station (Portland, Or.)
Pinchot, Gifford (1865-1946)
United States. Forest Service

People, Places, and Topics

Forest policy--United States--History.
Forest reserves--Oregon.
Forests and forestry--Northwest, Pacific.
Logging--Northwest, Pacific.
McKenzie River (Or.)
Natural Resources
Pacific Northwest Research Station (Portland, Or.)
Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946.
United States. Forest Service
United States. Forest Service--Employees.
United States. Forest Service--History.
United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region

Forms of Material

Compact discs.
Maps (documents)


Box and Folder Listing