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U.S. Forest Service Officers and Operations Photographs, 1899-1974

By Erin Clark

Collection Overview

Title: U.S. Forest Service Officers and Operations Photographs, 1899-1974

Predominant Dates: 1911-1956

ID: P 325

Primary Creator: United States. Forest Service

Extent: 1.4 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The U.S. Forest Service Officers and Operations Photographs are arranged into 2 series: 1. Forest Officers and Personnel, 1908-1974 and 2. Forest Operations, 1899-1970.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The U.S. Forest Service Officers and Operations Photographs contain images gathered by Gerald W. Williams documenting U.S. Forest Service employees and operations in the Pacific Northwest and California. Williams served as a sociologist and historian for the U.S. Forest Service from 1979 to 2005.

Scope and Content Notes

The U.S. Forest Service Officers and Operations Photographs document U.S. Forest Service employees and operations in the Pacific Northwest and California, with an emphasis on Oregon and Washington. Images were collected by Gerald W. Williams, who served as a sociologist and historian for the U.S. Forest Service (1979-2005). Officer and personnel portraits were primarily taken during the 1950s. Notable personnel include U.S. Forest Service Chiefs, Lyle Watts and Edward Cliff, and Janie Smith, the first female Administrative Assistant to serve in a U.S. National Forest Supervisor’s Office.

The second series focuses on U.S. Forest Service operations and national forests in Oregon and Washington. Operation photographs document forest management efforts, including forest fire prevention, logging, and reforestation projects. Also included are images of historic buildings, national forest scenes, and recreational activities.

The collection is predominately made up of photographic prints and negatives. Contact sheets and 35mm and 55mm film strips are also provided for a portion of the portraits. Photocopies and descriptions were created from the envelopes the images were originally stored in. The names of photographers (when identifited) are included with the photograph descriptions.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Gerald W. Williams worked for the U.S. Forest Service from 1979 until his retirement in 2005. From 1979 to 1983, he was a sociologist with the Umpqua and Willamette National Forests in Oregon; in 1993-1998 he served as the 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 Washginton, D.C. He has published more than 75 books, chapters, book reviews, 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.

Author: Chris Petersen

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 1,038 Images; 4 boxes

Statement on Access: This collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: Originally described as part of the Gerald W. Williams Collection, these materials were separated from the Williams Collection in 2016 to form this new collection.

Related Materials:

Related collections documenting the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest include: Gerald W. Williams Collection on Forestry and Northwest History Publications (MSS WilliamsPubs); Gerald W. Williams Moving Image and Sound Recordings Collection (FV 320); Gerald W. Williams Collection on Smokey Bear (MSS Smokey); Jason S. Elder Forest Service Diary (MSS Elder); C.C. Hall Photographs Album (P 301); Forest Service Equipment Development Center Photographs Album (P 311); Gerald W. Williams Poster Collection; Gerald W. Williams Papers (MSS GeraldW); Gerald W. Williams Slides (P 314); and United States Forest Service Video Workshop Videotapes (FV 264).

Other collections containing materials gathered by Gerald W. Williams include: Gerald W. Williams Collection on the Civilian Conservation Corps (MSS CCC); Gerald W. Williams Prints Collection (MSS WilliamsPrints); Gerald W. Williams Family Vacation Slides (P 316); Gerald W. Williams Glass Negatives Collection (P 326);  Gerald W. Williams Collection on the Army Spruce Production Division (MSS Spruce); Gerald W. Williams Regional Albums (P 303); and Gerald W. Williams Lantern Slide Collection (P 319).

Preferred Citation: U.S. Forest Service Officers and Operations Photographs (P 325), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

United States. Forest Service
Williams, Gerald W.

People, Places, and Topics

Forest fires--Oregon--Prevention and control.
Forest fires--Washington (State)--Prevention and control
Forest reserves--Oregon.
Forest reserves--Washington (State)
Forests and forestry--Oregon.
Forests and forestry--Washington (State)
Logging--Northwest, Pacific.
Natural Resources
United States. Forest Service--Employees.

Forms of Material

Film negatives.
Photographic prints.


Box and Folder Listing