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Elwood Mead papers, 1882-1981

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Mead, Elwood, 1858-1936
Title
Elwood Mead papers
Dates
1882-1981 (inclusive)
Quantity
3.77 cubic ft. (11 boxes)
Collection Number
05258
Summary
Elwood Mead was a nationally known irrigation engineer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Elwood Mead (1858-1936) was territorial engineer and later, the first state engineer of Wyoming, 1888-1889, and author of its first water code. From 1899-1907, he was in charge of irrigation investigations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was chairman of the Rivers and Water Supply Commission in Victoria, Australia, 1907-1915, professor of Rural Institutions at the University of California, 1915-1924, and Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 until his death in 1936. Mead supervised the construction of Hoover Dam; Lake Mead was named in his honor.

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Content Description

The Papers, 1882-1958, concentrate on Elwood Mead's life after 1908. The collection includes correspondence from 1909 to 1950 (most of which is between him and his son Tom Mead), but also includes a letter from Herbert Hoover, notes on water rights cases in Wyoming, eight scrapbooks of newspaper clippings on irrigation and water resources concentrating from 1898 to 1904, nine photograph albums, including two of Yellowstone National Park and two of Wyoming, maps (from the 1950s), the 1889 Wyoming Territorial Engineer's report, and the 1893-1894 biennial Wyoming State Engineer's report, the books Irrigation Institutions and Helping Men Own Farms, awards, a financial statement of Tom C. Mead, and personal memorabilia. The papers also contain newspaper clippings, reports, and articles that are either written by or are about Elwood Mead. The focus of much of this published material is on irrigation and water resource development in the American West.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Elwood Mead Papers, Collection Number 05258, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

The Elwood Mead Papers, 1900-1942, are preserved at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Acquisition Information

The Elwood Mead papers were donated to the American Heritage Center from 1973-1975 by Thomas Mead and Lionel V. Baldwin and Morrill Elwood Marston Jr. from 2021-2022.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Daniel Davis in December 1995, revised by D.C. Thompson in January 2001, and updated by Jamie J. Greene in September 2022.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

  • Series I. Correspondence and Legal Notes

    This series contains correspondence mostly between Elwood Mead and his children. It also includes notes on legal cases dealing with water rights in Wyoming.

  • Series II. Published Materials

    This series contains reports, articles, and two books written by Elwood Mead, and reports, newspaper clippings, and articles that are written about Elwood Mead and projects he was involved with.

    • Description: Second Annual Report of the Territorial Engineer of Wyoming
      Dates: 1889
      Container: Box 1, Folder 8
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Second Biennial Report of the State Engineer of Wyoming
      Dates: 1893-1894
      Container: Box 1, Folder 9
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Articles, reports, and newspaper clippings by Elwood Mead
      Dates: 1922-1934
      Container: Box 1, Folder 10
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Newspaper clippings about Elwood Mead
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 1, Folder 11
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Articles and newspaper clippings about Elwood Mead and the Bureau of Reclamation
      Dates: 1917-1935
      Container: Box 1, Folder 12
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Memorials to Elwood Mead
      Dates: 1936
      Container: Box 1, Folder 13
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Elwood Mead obituaries
      Dates: 1936
      Container: Box 1, Folder 14
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Committee of Organization for Third National Conference on Marketing and Farm Credits
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 1, Folder 15
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Irrigation Institutions: A Discussion of the Economic and Legal Questions Created by the Growth of Irrigated Agriculture in the West, by Elwood Mead
      Dates: 1910
      Container: Box 2, Folder 1
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: Helping Men Own Farms: A Practical Discussion of Government Aid in Land Settlement, by Elwood Mead
      Dates: 1920
      Container: Box 2, Folder 2
      Location: Series II. Published Materials
    • Description: "The Elwood Mead Professorship of Engineering" at Colorado State University
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 2, Folder 3
      Location: Series II. Published Materials

  • Series III. Miscellaneous Material

    This series includes newspaper clippings, articles, and memorabilia.

  • Series IV. Photographs

    This series contains photograph albums of Wyoming and Colorado irrigation projects, various scenes from Wyoming and Colorado, Yellowstone, Victoria, Australia.

    • Description: Photographs
      Dates: 1882-1940
      Container: Box 2 and 11, Folder
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of Yellowstone National Park and surrounding area
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 3
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album given to Mead by Chas. A. Guernsey of the French Creek Mining Company in British Columbia
      Dates: 1899
      Container: Box 3
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of various spots in California, Texas, Arizona, and (probably) Wyoming, and of the State Engineer's Office in Cheyenne
      Dates: no date, 1894-1895
      Container: Box 3
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of various ranches, towns, streams, and rivers in Wyoming
      Dates: no date (ca. 1900)
      Container: Box 3
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of Mead home and ranch, irrigation canals, construction projects, rivers, dams, and water works
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 4
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks, the Palette Ranch, mountain lakes, a drainage map of Wyoming, and various other scenes from around Wyoming
      Dates: 1897, no date
      Container: Box 4
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of irrigation works and canals, Native Americans, Yellowstone Park, and the Big Horn, Green, Greybull, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone Rivers
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 5
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph album of Yellowstone National Park area and Native Americans
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 5
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photograph of Elwood Mead
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 5
      Location: Series IV. Photographs
    • Description: Photo album/scrapbook containing family photographs compiled by Lucy Marston (daughter) and newspaper clippings about Mead
      Dates: 1860-1970
      Container: Box 11
      Location: Series IV. Photographs

  • Series V. Scrapbooks

    Series contains scrapbooks with newspaper clippings mostly from 1899-1935.

    • Description: Four scrapbooks entitled "States No. 10, Interstate No. 11, Irrigation No. 4, 3. States"
      Dates: 1899-1904
      Container: Box 6
      Location: Series V. Scrapbooks
    • Description: Four scrapbooks entitled "Miscellaneous and Personal No. 2, 13 Dry Farming, Drainage + Rural Engineering, S433.1 No. 1"
      Dates: 1893-1916.
      Container: Box 7
      Location: Series V. Scrapbooks
    • Description: Scrapbook of newspaper clippings
      Dates: 1935
      Container: Box 11
      Location: Series V. Scrapbooks

  • Series VI. Oversized Material

    This series consists of maps, charts, and awards.

    • Description: Grand Canyon Sectional Aeronautical Chart
      Dates: no date
      Container: Box 8
      Location: Series VI. Oversized Material
    • Description: 21 topographic maps and maps of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, and the United States
      Dates: no date, 1957-1958
      Container: Box 9
      Location: Series VI. Oversized Material
    • Description: Universal Exposition Award for Investigations in Rural Engineering and Irrigation, commemorative diploma to Mead by U.S. Department of Agriculture, commemorative diploma awarded to Mead at the Universal Exposition, Medal from the Exposition Universelle de 1900
      Dates: 1900-1904
      Container: Box 10
      Location: Series VI. Oversized Material

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Irrigation -- United States
  • Dams -- West (U.S.)
  • Engineers
  • Irrigation -- West (U.S.)
  • Water resource development -- United States
  • Water resource development -- West (U.S.)

Personal Names

  • Mead, Tom Chase.

Corporate Names

  • United States. Bureau of Reclamation
  • Wyoming. State Engineer's Office

Geographical Names

  • Wyoming -- Photographs
  • Yellowstone National Park -- Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs
  • Scrapbooks

Processed by Daniel Davis
2005

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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