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Sumner G. Margetts and Company records, 1949-1987

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Sumner G. Margetts and Co.
Title
Sumner G. Margetts and Company records
Dates
1949-1987 (inclusive)
Quantity
144.5 linear feet
Collection Number
Accn1295
Summary
The Sumner G. Margetts and Company records (1949-1987) contain documents, books, catalogues, job files, financial records, drawings, and maps pertaining to the Utah Engineering firm that existed throughout the 20th century. Margetts was a civil engineer specializing in land drainage. Most of the collection deals with these topics and the projects he worked on throughout Utah. The addendum (1910-1987) contains documents, drawings, surveys, and maps that pertain to Sumner's projects in Utah. They were put into tubes when first received, but they were never processed and recorded.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Sumner Gray Margetts was born in 1893 in Salt Lake City to Harry Sumner Margetts and Alice Rumel. In 1920 while Sumner G. Margetts was a student at the University of Utah he became interested in tile drainage as a means of reclaiming water logged farm lands. After graduating from the U of U he designed and built a drainage machine which digs the trench, lays the tile, under pressure, and puts a gravel screen completely around the tile drain. Sumner Margetts founded the company in 1920 which bears his name. Since his passing early in 1955 the comapny has since been incorporated and intends to carry on the business which he founded. Over time the firm would come to incorporate several other local Utah engineers, such as: James R. Barker, a well known irrigation engineer, who was with the Utah State Agricultural College Extension Service as the State Irrigation Specialist. Eldon M. Stock, who was head of the Civil Engineering Department at the Utah State Agricultural College. And Douglas D. Stewart, son-in-law of Sumner G. Margetts. The firm operated all throughout Utah and Southern Idaho.

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Content Description

The collection is comprised of some 283 boxes, tubes, and cartons. Boxes 1-7 are comprised of Day and Record Books dated 1949-1981. Boxes 8-28 are comprised of office files which include: Personnel Files, Projects, Bids, Letters, Job Statements, Equipment Catalouges, and Publications. Boxes 29-201 are composed of Job Files. They are listed by name in alphabetical order. Boxes 202-229 are files that financialy pertain to the Engineering Firm (i.e. Balances, Cancelled Checks, Invoices, Paid Bills, Account Ledgers, and Financial Documents). Boxes 230-232 and carton 233 contain other firm documents and some minor graphs and field books. Tubes 234-275 contain blueprints of different projects worked on throughout the history of the firm. Boxes 276-281 are part of the 2006 Inventory, they are office files that were part of two cartons of unprocessed material. Contained in this, of special note, Doug Stewart's personal items; Box 281 Folder 8 conatins a authentic Playboy calendar from the 1960's. Boxes 282 and 283 contain newpaper articles that were taken from local newspapers from Utah and Idaho realting to work done by the Sumner Margetts firm.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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

Permission to publish material from the Sumner G. Margetts and Company records must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Sumner G. Margetts and Company records, Accn 1295, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Following Citations:Accn 1295.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Job Files are arranged as they were filed in the 1992 addendum. They are filed in alphabetical order by their title.

All other office files are done by year.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated by Sumner Stewart in 1992.

Processing Note

Processed by Andrew J. Lengyel in 2006.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Drainage--Utah
  • Engineering firms--Utah--History--Sources
  • Reclamation of land--Idaho
  • Reclamation of land--Utah
  • Wetlands--Idaho
  • Wetlands--Utah

Personal Names

  • Margetts, Sumner G.

Corporate Names

  • Sumner G. Margetts & Co.--Archives

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Financial records
  • Technical drawings

Finding aid created by Andrew J. Lengyel
2003

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