Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Gallatin National Forest Ranger Log Books, 1906-1930
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Gallatin National Forest Ranger Log Books
- Dates
- 1906-193019061930
- Quantity
- .4 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Collection 685, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Gallatin National Forest Ranger Log Books were created Michael Langohr, Fred E. Ainger, Cyrus L. Bryant, Fred G. Adams, Harrison M. Crane, W. W. Wetzel and L.H. McLean. The log books concern their daily activities both in the field and in the administrative offices. Locations mentioned include the upper Yellowstone River valley (especially including Tom Minor Basin), the Crazy Mountains, Martinsdale, Bozeman, Hyalite Mountains, Brackett Creek, and Trail Creek. Incidents described include forest fires, mining claim violations, and wildlife sightings.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Gallatin National Forest was established in 1899 as an administrative unit of the Northern Region of the United States Forest Service, initially under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. In 1905, the Forest Service was transferred to the Department of Agriculture. The total acreage in southwest Montana exceeded 1,800,000 by 1999, mostly located north and west of Yellowstone National Park in Carbon, Gallatin, Madison, Meagher, Park, and Sweet Grass counties. The first supervisor of the Gallatin National Forest was Michael Langohr, and other rangers operating in the early twentieth century included Fred E. Ainger, Cyrus L. Bryant, Fred G. Adams, Harrison M. Crane, W. W. Wetzel and L.H. McLean. Their duties included policing mineral and livestock lessees, combating forest fires, and protecting wildlife.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
These log books were kept by all of the above mentioned rangers during the early twentieth century and concern their daily activities both in the field and in the administrative offices. Locations mentioned include the upper Yellowstone River valley (especially including Tom Minor Basin), the Crazy Mountains, Martinsdale, Bozeman, Hyalite Mountains, Brackett Creek, and Trail Creek. Incidents described include forest fires, mining claim violations, and wildlife sightings. The log books have been arranged in chronological order for volumes 1-24. Volumes 25 and 26 are out of sequence.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Twenty-four Log books kept by various rangers of the Gallatin National Forest were donated by the Museum of the Rockies on December 18, 2001 as part of collection 2130. They have been placed with two unidentified log books kept by Gallatin National Forest rangers donated by Merrill G. Burlingame in 1969.
Processing Note
This collection was processed 2009 May 27
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Fred E. Ainger, Forest Ranger, Bozeman
General patrol in the Gallatin National Forest; Gallatin Canyon, Hyalite, Trail Creek,
etc.
|
April 9, 1906-December 31, 1907 |
| 1/2 | Fred E. Ainger | January 1-July 20, 1908 |
| 1/3 | Fred E. Ainger
Good detail on ranger and ranch names as well as work inspected.
|
July 21, 1908-February 28, 1909 |
| 1/4 | Cyrus L. Bryant, Asst. Forest Ranger, Pine
Creek
East and West Boulder and Mission Creek out of Livingston.
|
January 1-October 3, 1908 |
| 1/5 | Fred G. Adams, Jardine
West Boulder, Hellroaring, Jardine.
|
June 1-October 15, 1908 |
| 1/6 | Unidentified
General office work in Livingston.
|
February 1-August 17, 1909 |
| 1/7 | Fred E. Ainger
Detailed report on the Gallatin National Forest from Bozeman.
|
March 1-November 14, 1909 |
| 1/8 | Shorthand notebook
Probably from Livingston office.
|
March 16-November 20, 1909 |
| 1/9 | Unidentified
Patrols from Livingston office.
|
September 9-June 30, 1909 |
| 1/10 | Fred E. Ainger, Fridley
Worked in Bozeman office: went to Fridley and patrolled with Deputy Forest Ranger A.S.
Hapner. Later worked with Ranger H.A. Cleaveland on Bracket Creek. Detail excellent.
Most of the patrols are from the Upper Yellowstone area.
|
October 1, 1909-May 31, 1910 |
| 1/11 | Several rangers seem to have logged in this
book
Patrols in Upper Yellowstone Deep Creek Ranger Station.
|
April 10-September 30, 1910 |
| 1/12 | Fred E. Ainger
Patrols in Upper Yellowstone from base at Fridley.
|
June 1-December 31, 1910 |
| 1/13 | Joe Rink
Patrols in Upper Yellowstone area.
|
April 23-September 23, 1911 |
| 1/14 | Harrison M. Crane-Pine Creek
Worked with Rink; patrols in Upper Yellowstone. Much detail about threshing seed from
pine cones. Handwriting looks as though these men wrote the unidentified logs.
|
October 1, 1910-April 29, 1911 |
| 1/15 | Harrison M. Crane, Assistant Forest Ranger,
Melville
Patrols out of Big Timber and Melville as on American Fork Creek.
|
November 3, 1911-May 24, 1912 |
| 1/16 | Fred E. Ainger
Patrols of Upper Yellowstone, especially Minor.
|
August 1, 1911-March 30, 1912 |
| 1/17 | Fred E. Ainger
Patrols of Upper Yellowstone: mostly worked in Bozeman on forest atlas corrections.
Patrolled out of Big Creek Station. Frequent mention of Bottler's sheep.
|
December 1, 1912-September 7, 1913 |
| 1/18 | L.H. McLean. Forest Ranger
Patrolled from Dome Mountain Ranger Station; worked in office at Big Creek Station.
|
March 1-July 31, 1918 |
| 1/19 | L.H. McLean
Working in Upper Yellowstone. Little detail.
|
August 1-December 31, 1918 |
| 1/20 | L.H. McLean, Forest Guard
Patrol of the Upper Yellowstone: some forest fire problems in late July. Little
detail.
|
June 23-October 4, 1919 |
| 1/21 | Harrison M. Crane, Forest Ranger
Work on Silver King mining claim trespass; Patrol of the Upper Yellowstone. Mention of
elk conditions and insects in the timber.
|
February 1-April 30, 1923 |
| 1/22 | L.H. McLean, Forest Ranger. District 4
Patrol of the Upper Yellowstone in winter.
|
February 1-May 1, 1925 |
| 1/23 | W.W. Wetzel, Forest Ranger, Emigrant
Detail on routines near station.
|
September 1-September 30, 1928 |
| 1/24 | W.W. Wetzel
Patrol of the Upper Yellowstone
|
March 1-April 30, 1930 |
| 1/25 | Unidentified
Patrol of the Upper Yellowstone
|
January 1-July 31, 1911 |
| 1/26 | Harrison M. Crane
Patrol of Crazy Mountains around Martinsdale.
|
October 7, 1913-February 7, 1914 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Animals-Montana-Gallatin National Forest
- Forest fires-Montana-Gallatin National Forest
- Forest rangers-Montana-Gallatin National Forest
- Mining claims-Montana-Gallatin National Forest
Geographical Names
- Gallatin National Forest (Mont.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Logbooks-Montana-Gallatin National Forest
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Adams, Fred G (creator)
- Ainger, Fred E (creator)
- Bryant, Cyrus L (creator)
- Crane, Harrison M (creator)
- McLean, L. H (creator)
- Rink, Joe (creator)
- Wetzel, W. W (creator)
Corporate Names
- United States-Forest Service (creator)
Kim Allen Scott, 2009
April 5, 2016
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
