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John W. Meldrum papers, 1861-1944
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Meldrum, John W. 1843-1936.
- Title
- John W. Meldrum papers
- Dates
- 1861-1944 (inclusive)18611944
- 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 1861 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 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 1861 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), 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 Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections 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
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
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
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
Personal Names
- Meldrum, John W., 1843-1936.
Corporate Names
- United States.--National Park Service--History--Sources.
Geographical Names
- Wyoming--Politics and government--History--Sources.
- Yellowstone National Park--History--Sources.