John W. Meldrum papers, 1860-1944

Overview of the Collection

Title
John W. Meldrum papers
Dates
1860-1944 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 boxes, (0.75 linear feet)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 160
Summary
This collection includes the personal and professional papers of Judge John W. Meldrum from 1860 to 1944. The papers span a large part of his adulthood, including his time as surveyor general of Wyoming Territory and United States commissioner at Yellowstone National Park.
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

Judge John W. Meldrum, the "Grand Old Man of Yellowstone," became the first United States Commissioner in Yellowstone National Park from 1894 to 1935. He was born on September 17, 1843, in Caledonia, New York. He was closely associated with the Republican Party and was a delegate to the 1884 National Republican Convention. President Chester Arthur, impressed with his participation in the convention, appointed him to be surveyor general of Wyoming Territory. He left this office at the end of 1885. In 1891 he was appointed by Governor Warren to be the circuit court clerk of the state of Wyoming, essentially fulfilling the role of secretary of state. When Governor Warren was elected as a senator for the territory, Meldrum was appointed acting governor of the territory, and he served as acting governor of the state of Wyoming for a few days when it was admitted into the Union.

After the passing of the Lacey Act of 1894, which created the office of United States commissioner to judge crimes committed in National Parks, Meldrum filled the office in Yellowstone. His primary purpose was to hear trials for crimes committed within the park and assign fines or order the transfer of cases to federal court. He served as the United States commissioner for over forty years until he retired in 1935, and he died a few months later.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection includes the personal and professional papers of Judge John W. Meldrum from 1860 to 1944. The papers span a large part of his adulthood, including his time as surveyor general of Wyoming Territory and United States commissioner at Yellowstone National Park. The main parts of the collection are political correspondence and financial and administrative records for his office in Yellowstone. These include regulations for visitors to the park, circulars, and personal and professional correspondence, including communications with Wyoming Governor Francis E. Warren, historian Hiram M. Chittenden, and Horace Albright, who later founded the National Park Service. Also in the collection is a letter written from Camp Morgan in 1861 by G. B. Meldrum, John's brother who was a Civil War soldier in the Union Army (box 2, fd 4), and Ed Howell, poacher and Yellowstone informant (box 1, fd 12). This is related to reward money wired by Meldrum to the Philippines, where Howell was staying during the Spanish-American War. News clippings that piqued Meldrum's interest, as well as photographs of him and his family, are also present.

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 John W. Meldrum papers must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: John W. Meldrum papers USU_COLL MSS 160, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations: USU_COLL MSS 160, USUSCA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by document type, then chronologically.

Processing Note

Processed in May of 2019.

Acquisition Information

USU Special Collections and Archives purchased this collection from Back of Beyond Books in 2019.

Related Materials

The Yellowstone fires of 1988 thesis research materials COLL MSS 330

1951 Yellowstone Park Album collection USU_P0639

F. Jay Haynes photograph collection, 1882 USU_P0565

Separated Materials

The booklet, "The 'Time-saver.' A Book Which Names and Locates 5,000 Things 5,000 at the World's Fair That Visitors Should Not Fail to See," was removed and given to the books curator.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Correspondence, 1883-1938Return to Top

15 folders
Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
Professional
1883-1889
1 2
Professional
1884
1 3
Professional
1896-1900
1 4
Professional
1901-1903
1 5
Professional
1906-1910
1 6
Professional
1911-1915
1 7
Professional
1916-1918
1 8
Professional
1922-1925
1 9
Professional
1926-1930
1 10
Professional
1931-1935
1 11
Personal
1883-1890
1 12
Personal
1893-1900
1 13
Personal
1902-1907
1 14
Personal
1910-1929
1 15
Personal
1932-1938

Financial Records, 1886-1920Return to Top

4 folders
Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 16
Financial
1886-1900
1 17
Financial
1902-1904
1 18
Financial
1906-1916
1 19
Financial
1917-1920

Other Documents, 1861-1944Return to Top

8 folders
Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
2 1
Instructions as Surveyor General
1884
2 2
Yellowstone Rules, Regulations, and Circulars
1895-1909
2 3
"Appendices" (Surveyor Reports)
1896-1897
2 4
Civil War Letters in Possession of Judge Meldrum
1860-1861
2 5
News Clippings
1919-1934
2 6
Photographs
1930-1940
2 7
Postal Receipts
1891-1915
2 8
Ephemera
1872-1944

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Geographical Names

  • Wyoming--Politics and government--History--Sources.
  • Yellowstone National Park--History--Sources.