This collection is open for research.
Gift of Pat Simmons (on behalf of Michael Gutkoski, his son), 2022 February.
This collection is divided into three series. Series 1 and 2 have been further divided into sub-series to reflect the ways in which materials were organized by Gutkoski or the donors. Joe Gutkoski's conservation activism files in Series 1 have been maintained in the order in which they were received. These files were gathered by friends and fellow activists after Gutkoski's death and are grouped by the individual who compiled his files.
Photo albums and loose photos have been arranged alphabetically, and photos from trips and film reels are arranged chronologically. Maps are arranged alphabetically by location.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Conservation Activism Files
Sub-Series 1.1: Assembled by Pat Simmons
Sub-Series 1.2: Assembled by Nancy Schultz
Series 2: Photographs
Sub-Series 2.1: Wilderness Areas and Topics
Sub-Series 2.2: Photos by Date
Series 3: Maps
Joseph (Joe) John Gutkoski (1927-2021) was a landscape architect and environmental activist based in Bozeman, MT. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA on August 4, 1927, to Barney Gutkoski and Mary (Strobel) Gutkoski. In his youth, he developed an enthusiasm for hunting, fishing, and the outdoors that he carried into adulthood and his personal and professional life.
He enlisted in the Navy during WW II, serving on the destroyer Lansdowne. He attended Pennsylvania State University on the GI Bill after the war where he graduated with a BS in landscape architecture. He began working for the US Forest Service in the late 1940s in Idaho, and transferred to Missoula, Montana in 1949 where he worked for 13 years as a smoke jumper, squad leader, and foreman.
Gutkoski married Millie Simunich of Boise, ID in 1955. They had three children, Mike, Marie, and Helen, all of whom were born in Missoula.
Gutkoski began working as a landscape architect for the Forest Service Regional Lands Office (Region 1) for Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska and Minnesota, becoming the first landscape architect for the region. In 1964, Gutkoski transferred to Bozeman, Montana where he was assigned to the Gallatin National Forest. Gutkoski worked for the Forest Service for 32 years and retired in 1982. After retirement he started a licensed practice in land planning and design in MT, ID, and WY.
In addition to his work for the Forest Service, Gutkoski was an active environmental and community advocate. He was a founding member of Montana Rivers and the Yellowstone Buffalo Foundation. He also served as secretary and grievance officer of the Local 130 National Federal Employees Union.
Gutkoski also served as president of Gallatin Wildlife Association, member of Montanans for the Gallatin Wilderness, Vice President of the Montana Wildlife Association, Vice President of the Big Open Project, President and Secretary of the Madison Gallatin Alliance, a chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association, and Vice President and Secretary of the Montana and Idaho chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects, and chairman of the Bozeman Schools, Parks and Recreation Planning Committee.
Gutkoski died on August 5, 2021, at the age of 94.
This collection was processed on 2023 July 20.
The Joe Gutkoski papers contain the papers of landscape architect, environmental activist, and leader Joe Gutkoski (1927-2021). His collection contains research files, notes, and coordinating materials documenting his environmental work, including that on wild and scenic rivers, bison, prairie restoration, and wilderness conservation. His papers also contain extensive maps and photographic documentation of wilderness areas in southwestern Montana and northern Wyoming.
The collection contains a small number of drawings, photographs, and research files related to his work as a landscape architect for the US Forest Service, but the bulk of the collection relates to Gutkoski's conservation activism.
Copyright transferred to MSU on February 11, 2022.
Files in this series are in the order in which they were received by the donor. The files were created by Joe Gutkoski and compiled by friends and fellow activists after his death. They are roughly grouped by topic.
This series is the most extensive portion of the collection and consists of files created by Joe Gutkoski related to his environmental activism. After his death, Gutkoski's friends and fellow activists compiled his files related to his political organizing activities. These files reflect his work on wild and scenic rivers, bison, prairie restoration, and wilderness conservation in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. They date from the 1960s to 2021 and include Gutkoski's handwritten notes, research, drafts of speeches and essays, correspondence, draft legislation, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles. Included among his files are notes on meetings with other activists and local and regional politicians.
Gutkoski's organizing related to bison and wild and scenic rivers are most well represented in his files, however, these topics also touch on other issues including economic development and recreation near wilderness areas.
This sub-series contains topical files maintained by Joe Gutkoski. They focus primarily on bison and efforts to create free ranging bison habit through initiatives like the Big Open and the American Prairie Reserve. Files feature Gutkoski's notes and research in support of his conservation activism including correspondence, legislative proposals, and legal documents. Many relate directly to Gutkoski's leadership roles in organizations including the American Buffalo Foundation, Montana Buffalo Foundation, and Yellowstone Buffalo Foundation.
Files in this sub-series also focus heavily on protection of wild and scenic rivers and stream access in Montana.
This sub-series also contains topical files complied by Gutkoski. They document his work on topics including wilderness, wetlands, clean water, public access, mountaineering, habitat, and wildlife protections. They largely date from late 1990s-early 2000s, but also include some documents from the 1970s and 1980s.
These files also feature handwritten note by Nancy Schultz at the beginning of each folder explaining the contents and Gutkoski's connection to them.
This series contains extensive photographic documentation of wilderness areas and wildlife compiled by Joe Gutkoski. Photos largely document Montana, Wyoming, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but also feature locations in Alaska and Canada. Most of the photos are grouped by general location and topic, and many contain additional identifying inscription written on the back of individual photos by Gutkoski. Because photos in this series frequently provide clear documentation of location and date, they will be valuable resources for researchers seeking to see how these wilderness areas have changed over time.
The areas that are documented most heavily are the Absaroka, Beartooth, Bridger, Gallatin, and Madison mountain ranges. Other areas that are well documented are the Missouri and Smith rivers. In addition to location-based photographs Gutkoski also maintained topical albums on wildlife, historic structures, national parks, as well a film reels from hike and camping trips throughout the region.
Slides have been left in their original binders but prints and negatives have been moved into archival folders to prevent negatives from falling out and losing important context.
Photos in this sub-series feature prints, negatives, and slides related to wilderness areas and other topics of interest to Joe Gutkoski. Gutkoski compiled albums based on wilderness area, river system, mountain range, and topic. Within these albums he often further divided the photos into even more specific area. Photos in these albums span several decades from the 1970s to the 2010s. Most of the wilderness areas documented are located around Bozeman and southwest Montana, including the Gallatin, Beartooth, Absaroka, and Madison ranges. Other areas that are documented include, the Smith River, the Missouri River, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Other topical albums reflect Gutkoski's work for the forest service and document historic structures, wildlife, and land damage in wilderness areas.
Many photographic prints have corresponding negatives, some do not. In other cases, there are negatives that do not have corresponding prints. Grouped photos that were not included in the albums were scanned prior to donation to MSU. These photographs may have originated in the photo albums and might correspond to some of the negatives.
Content is on a floppy disk and is currently not accessible due to format.
Content is on a floppy disk and is currently not accessible due to format.
Content is on a floppy disk and is currently not accessible due to format.
Content is on a floppy disk and is currently not accessible due to format.
Photos in this sub-series are from camera rolls taken by Gutkoski between the 1970s and 2014. The photos are likely dated on the day the rolls were developed, although they may document events captured in the months or weeks preceding the dates written on the envelope. These photos largely depict river floats, hikes, and camping trips Gutkoski took with friends and family. Photos of rivers focus heavily on the Madison, Missouri, and Smith Rivers. Photos of hikes focus most heavily on the Absaroka, Gallatin, and Madison ranges.
This series contain maps of wilderness area and Montana rivers. The majority of the maps are US Geological Survey (USGS) maps. In many cases Gutkoski taped together small map sections to combine them into broader areas. Many of the maps also contain annotations by Gutkoski related to his conservation work. One map in the collection of the Burnt Creek Hunting Area is an original hand-drawn map created by Gutkoski. The wilderness areas represented in the maps are similar to those documented in Series 2: Photographs, and largely focus on southern Montana, northern Wyoming, Canada, and Alaska.
This series also contains several drawings of Bozeman Pond that Gutkoski created as part of his work as a landscape architect.