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Dave Prevedel Photograph Collection, 1902-2005

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Prevedel, Dave
Title
Dave Prevedel Photograph Collection
Dates
1902-2005 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 linear feet, (4 boxes)
Collection Number
UUS_P0602
Summary
The Dave Prevedel photograph collection consists of documents, reports, maps, and photographic scans relating to Prevedel's rephotography projects for the U.S. Forest Service. Included in these documents are scans of original Albert Potter images as well as his original report along with scans of early Forest Service images. Also included are articles about the life and philosophy of Forest Ranger Lincoln Ellison.
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

Open to public research. Not available for interlibrary loan.

Languages
English
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Content Description

The Dave Prevedel photograph collection consists of original and digital copies of documents, reports, maps, and photographs relating to U.S. Forest Service grazing expert Albert F. Potter's 1902 Utah forest survey and Dave Prevedel's rephotography project for the U.S. Forest Service during the 1970s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Included in these documents are copies of Albert F. Potter's original forest survey images, which were the subject of Prevedel's rephotography, as well as a copy of Potter's original forest survey report. Also included are articles about the life and philosophy of Forest Ranger Lincoln Ellison.

This collection offers a snapshot of the origins of the U.S. Forest Service at the turn of the twentieth century and documents how many of Utah's forests have changed over time.

The Collection is divided into four series:

"I. U.S. Forest Service Images" contains Forest Service survey views taken by Potter in or around 1902.

"II. U.S. Forest Service Reports and Photography" contains photographs taken by Potter, Prevedel's rephotography, published reports by Prevedel, and a copy of Potter's Journal from 1902.

"III. Maps" contains annotated maps of Potter and Prevedel's routes and locations of photographs in Utah.

"IV. Digital Material" contains 18 CD-ROMs with copies of photographs taken by Potter and Prevedel, as well as copies of Prevedel's Forest Survey reports.

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Historical Note

David A. Prevedel was a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing Program Coordinator for the Intermountain Region of the Forest Service in Ogden, Utah. He was a range conservationist on various forests in Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

Albert F. Potter was an Arizona rancher who was hired as a Utah grazing expert in 1901 where he worked to designate areas as forest reserves. Potter took photographs of about 400 locations during the summer of 1902. Some of these photographs are available in this collection. Potter worked to find a balance between reserving land and public use of that land.

As Prevedel and Curtis (2005) write, "In 1901, Albert F. Potter was hired as a grazing expert and in 1902 completed a survey of the potential Forest Reserves in Utah. During the summer of that year, he traveled over 2,000 miles of which approximately 1,650 were on horseback. He visited 42 towns seeking input on the designation of forest reserves and refined the boundaries outlines by the GLO. Potter's diary and report of this survey survive intact today.

"Albert Potter also took photographs. From the numeric sequence, he took around 400 exposures during the summer of 1902. 67 photographs survive in his report and an additional 59 with some duplication have been found in Forest and special collection files. Several of these have been relocated and re-photographed for inclusion in this document.

"By 1906, Potter was Inspector of Grazing with the newly formed Forest Service and went on to become Assistant Forester in 1907 and Associate Forester in 1910. He was the agency's first Chief of Grazing. A close associate of Gifford Pinchot and later Henry Graves, he was the first westerner to hold a high post in the U.S. Forest Service. He organized the service's grazing policies, regulations, and procedures. Seeking cooperation, he assured that the management of western ranges was shared with the stockmen while still retaining the final decisions as to the principles and details of operation in the hands of local Forest officers."

Lincoln Ellison was born in Portland, Oregon, grew up in California, and worked for the United States Forest Service throughout the western United States during the 1930s-1950s. He was the director of the Great Basin Experiment Station in Ephraim, Utah, and later moved to Ogden, Utah, to manage the region's range research program.

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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 Dave Prevedel Photograph Collection must be obtained from the Photograph Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Dave Prevedel Photograph Collection USU_P0602. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_P0602, USUSCA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in four series: I. U.S. Forest Service Images, II. U.S. Forest Service Reports and Photography, III. Maps, and IV. Digital Material.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Forest Surveys--United States--Maps
  • Forest Surveys--Utah--Maps
  • Forest policy--United States.
  • Forest policy--Utah--Photographs
  • Forest policy--West (U.S.)
  • Forests and forestry--United States--Photographs.

Drew Roberson and Dan Davis
2021

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

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