Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Agriculture College: Columbia Basin Project Records, 1941-1968
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Agriculture College: Columbia Basin Project Records
- Dates
- 1941-1968 (inclusive)19411968
- Quantity
- 40 folders, ( 4 linear feet), ( 2 containers)
- Collection Number
- Archives 193
- Summary
- Includes general correspondence, records on meetings, reports and committee activities; also records of investigations and general survey, etc.
- Repository
-
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The Collection is open for research use.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Columbia Basin Project was a vast effort of the United States government, authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act in 1935 and reauthorized by the Columbia Basin Project Act 1943. The Project aimed at transforming a vast area of dry, unproductive and thinly populated land in to a well-watered, highly productive and compactly populated region. The available materials show that the project started in 1941 with a series of investigations, estimates and research work that lasted into 1948. The participating agencies were: the Bureau of Reclamation, the State College of Washington, and the Bureau of Agricultural Economics.
It was not until the mid-1950s that large-scale settlement in the area began. In step with the development of the Basin area, irrigation and conservation projects were involved.
The records of WSU participation cover the period from 1941 to 1968.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The records are arranged in nine series held in two separate boxes. Box 1 contains Series One to Five; Box 2 contains Series Six to Nine.
Series One contains records on committee activities, arranged alphabetically. Series Two is general correspondence, arranged chronologically. Series Three contains records on meetings, reports and speeches, in alphabetical order. Series Four is general survey, alphabetically arranged. Series Five is entitled Land Purchase and Repayment, alphabetically arranged. Series Six contains reports in aphabetical order. Series Seven is comprised of investigations, arranged according to the years and issue numbers. Series Eight consists of general studies in alphabetical order. Series Nine contains miscellaneous items.
Acquisition Information
Records of the Washington State University College of Agriculture's involvement in the Columbia Basin Project were transferred to the Washington State University Libraries in 1974 (Accession Number UA84-34).
Processing Note
The papers were arranged and described by Ling Jinqi in September, 1987.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
1: Committees, Columbia Basin: Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Advisory Committee on the alloction of construction charges -- Dept. of Interior |
1946-1954 |
| 1 | 2 | Bureau of Reclamation - WSU Joint Committee |
1950-1952 |
| 1 | 3 | Settlers' assistance |
1952 |
| 1 | 4 | Settler assistance committee |
1946-1958 |
| 1 | 5 | Settler assistance committee |
1953-1963 |
| 1 | 6 | Tree Fruit Committee |
1956-1958 |
2: General Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 7 | 1946-1956 | |
| 1 | 8 | 1952-1956 | |
| 1 | 9 | 1957-1959 | |
| 1 | 10 | 1966 | |
| 1 | 11 | 1958 |
3: Meetings, Reports and Speeches Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 13 | Reports, and minutes of meetings |
1951-1953 |
| 1 | 14 | Speeches presented before the Columbia Basin Interagency Committtee |
1950 |
| 1 | 15 | Summary Report |
1953 |
4: General Survey Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 16 | Columbia Basin--An Assessment |
1950-1958 |
| 1 | 17 | Columbia Basin--Farmers Handbook, [1952?] |
|
| 1 | 18 | Research, investigation and extension work |
1948-1958 |
| 1 | 19 | State lands in Columbia Basin |
1966-1968 |
5: Land Purchase and Repayment Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 20 | Land purchase for experimental work (WSU) |
1954-1960 |
| 1 | 21 | Repayment problem |
1961 |
| 1 | 22 | Repayment contracts |
1960-1961 |
6: Reports Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
Columbia Basin Project: Development Farm Reports |
|||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 1 | Vol. I Moses Lake Development Farm |
1946-1948 |
| 2 | 2 | Vol. II Pasco Development Farm |
1947-1949 |
| 2 | 3 | Vol. III Winchester Development Farm |
1947-1949 |
| 2 | 4 | Vol. IV Moses Lake, Pasco, and Winchester Development Farms, 1950, Moses Lake Farm, 1949 |
|
| 2 | 5 | Vol. V Burke Development Farm |
1950 |
| 2 | 6 | Vol. VI Moses Lake, Pasco, Winchester and Burke Development Farms |
1951-1952 |
| 2 | 7 | Vol. VII Moses Lake, Winchester, Burke and Othello Development Farms |
1953-1954 |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 8 | Columbia River Basin Area: Agricultural Program Reports |
1953 |
7: Investigations, Columbia Basin : Joint Investigations Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 9 | I. Character and Scopes |
|
| 2 | 9 | II. Farm Experience Studies |
1941-1942 |
| 2 | 10 | Problems 2, 4 and 5 |
1945 |
| 2 | 11 | Problems 6, 7, 8 and 10 |
1945-1947 |
| 2 | 12 | Problems 13, 14, 17, 19, 21 and 23, 1945 |
|
| 2 | 13 | Problems 24, 25 and 26 |
1945 |
8: General Studies Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 14 | Columbia Basin: General Studies |
1948-1956 |
| 2 | 15 | Columbia Basin : Prospect for Development |
1943-1948 |
| 2 | 16 | Columbia Basin Reclamation Project, Quincy District Appraisals |
1950 |
9: Miscellaneous Items Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 17 | Columbia Basin Irrigation Project |
1948-1958 |
| 2 | 18 | Columbia Basin Interagency Committee, Minutes of Meetings |
1951-1952 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Agricultural development projects--Washington (State)--Research--Archives
- Irrigation projects--Washington (State)--Research--Archives
Corporate Names
- Columbia Basin Groundwater Management Area--Research
- Columbia Basin Project (U.S.)--History--Archives
- Washington State University. College of Agriculture. Columbia Basin Project--Archives (creator)
- Washington State University. College of Agriculture. Columbia Basin Project--Records and correspondence
Finding aid prepared by Ling Jinqi
2012
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
