Archives West Finding Aid

The papers described in this inventory document Jones's activities in the many national and local conservation organizations in which he participated. It should be noted also that this collection contains papers which originated in the files of other conservation leaders. For example, the early material on the Three Sisters Wilderness probably came from the files of Karl Onthank (collection no. Ax 356), and much of the correspondence in Box 12, the French Pete Files (O), is from the papers of Richard Noyes, who, like Onthank, was another University of Oregon professor vitally interested in conservation. When Jones became the chairman of the Sierra Club's National Wilderness Committee for the second time he apparently inherited the files of Ted Snyder, who chaired the committee for a time between Jones's two terms as chairman (see 14/23-44). Box 10 contains files of John Patt, Jr., who was Middle Santiam Wilderness Coordinator, Oregon Chapter, Sierra Club, 1980, and Wilderness Chairman of the Oregon Chapter, Sierra Club, 1982-83.

The present arrangement of the papers represents a compromise arrived at in an attempt to restore original order to files which were rearranged and otherwise disturbed in packing to come to Special Collections. Files thus restored in arranging the collections are marked (R). Papers that arrived at Special Collections in their original file folders, or which were together in envelopes, were kept together in folders marked (O), and were given whatever title appeared on the original folder or envelope. This has resulted in some instances where two or more folders with different titles are obviously on the same subject, as for example Box 10/18 and 19, or Box 10/17 and 20.

Papers that did not seem to fall into either the (O) or (R) categories were arranged in a general correspondence file at the beginning of the collection. This series, designated Correspondence in this inventory, was deemed of primary importance and is arranged first in the collection. In general, an attempt was made to arrange the remaining series in descending degree of importance from beginning to the end of the collection, and within each series to arrange the material chronologically.

The attempted compromise of a collection arranged partially by chronology and partially by subject, in original or recreated order, has resulted in anomalies of which the researcher must be aware. Information relating to an organization can often be found elsewhere apart from the regular series heading. Examples of this would include: Three Sisters Wilderness, see also 9/21 and 29; Outings Committee, see also 9/30; National Wilderness Committee, see also 10/7 and 22; or Sierra club, Board of Directors, see also 10/34-36. Other examples of this exist, and researchers should examine the entire inventory for any given topic.

In part the anomalies noted above can be explained by knowing that Jones often filed copies of the same document in several different files. He also kept many duplicates, as many as possible of which were sorted out of the papers. None of which explains other seeming irregularities in the papers. These include almost no correspondence for 1975 in the National Wilderness Committee series, or the Three Sisters Wilderness material not being filed separately after 1972.

Jones's research files (R), US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 18/2-22 appear to be copies from record groups held in the Federal Records Center, San Francisco.

Perhaps the only "celebrity" letter in the collection is a carbon letter, apparently signed by Ansel Adams, September 15, 1960.

Holway R. Jones was a prominent leader of the conservation movement in the Pacific Northwest from 1963, when he moved to Oregon, until his death in 1986. His papers, studied in conjunction with the Karl Onthank Papers, collection Ax 356, Special Collections, University of Oregon, and the Brock Evans Papers, University of Washington, will provide researchers with an unparalleled look at the inner workings of national and local conservation organizations in this region.