Federal Resettlement Project oral histories, 1985-1986

Overview of the Collection

Title
Federal Resettlement Project oral histories
Dates
1985-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 box, (0.5 linear feet)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 401
Summary
This collection contains the interviews of Brian Cannon pertaining to the Federal Resettlement Project and the Great Depression in Utah. Mr. Cannon used the interviews for his 1986 book, Remaking the Agrarian Dream : The New Deal's Rural Resettlement Program in the Mountain West.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Brian Q. Cannon graduated from BYU with a BA in American studies in 1984. He completed an MA in history at Utah State University in 1986 and a PhD in history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992. Since that time, he has been teaching at BYU. Much of his research focuses upon agricultural settlement, rural community development and federal rural policy in the twentieth century. He has received fellowships or other awards from the Western History Association, the Agricultural History Society, the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, the Ford Foundation and the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies.

These oral histories are related to the Federal Resettlement Project in Utah, which was part of a broader New Deal resettlement project in the United States during the Great Depression. The program sought to make better use of the nation's natural resources by reassigning poor farmers from marginal to productive land. The undertaking was supervised by various governmental departments including the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Resettlement Administration, and the Farms Security Administration from the 1930s until the early 1940s.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains 11 cassette tapes of oral histories pertaining to the Federal Resettlement Project and the Great Depression in Utah. They were conducted by Brian Cannon for his 1986 book, Remaking the Agrarian Dream: The New Deal's Rural Resettlement Program in the Mountain West. These tapes include interviews about the Green River Drought Pumping Project; resettlement in Benmore, Utah; resettlement in Widtsoe, Utah; and the Leota Bottoms Drought Pumping Project.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Federal Resettlement Project oral histories must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Federal Resettlement Project oral histories USU_COLL MSS 401, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations: USU_COLL MSS 401, USUSCA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection is organized alphabetically by last name.

Processing Note

Processed in October of 2013.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to Utah State University Special Collections and Archives by Bryan Q. Cannon in 1993.

Related Materials

Utah Resettlement Project papers, COLL MSS 146

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Cassette Tapes, 1985-1986Return to Top

Container(s): Box 1

Container(s) Description Dates
Box tape
1 1
Interview with George Bennion
1986 Feb 10
1 2
Interview with James Larson Jacobs
1985 Nov 9
1 3
Interview with Swen Jenson
1985 Dec 14
1 4
Interview with Merrill Lisenbee
1985 Aug 22
1 5
Interview with Leon Michaelson
1985 June 17
1 6
Interview with Calvin Olson
1985 Aug 20
1 7
Interview with Joe Osbourne
1985 Nov 30
1 8
Interview with Joe Osbourne
1985 Nov 30
1 9
Interview with Ileen Reynolds
1985 Jan 12
1 10
Interview with Clyde Thompson
1985 Aug 12
1 11
Interview with Lee Workman
1985 Aug 22

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Depressions--1929--Utah.
  • Drought management--Green River Valley (Wyo.-Utah)
  • Drought management--Utah--Leota.
  • Land tenure--Utah--History.
  • New Deal, 1933-1939--Utah.

Geographical Names

  • Benmore (Utah)--History.
  • Widtsoe (Utah)--History.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Oral histories.