View XML QR Code

Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs records, 1947-1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs
Title
Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs records
Dates
1947-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
9.63 cubic ft. (11 boxes)
Collection Number
1886
Summary
Papers of the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs, a coalition of hiking and outdoor recreation groups in eight Western states, 1947-1981.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Historical Note

Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs (FWOC): "As the American frontier closed in the late 19th century and a land ethic emerged founded on enjoyment and preservation of natural beauty rather than economic exploitation, people throughout the West began to gather in local outdoor clubs. In 1932, in reponse to the growing need for the cooperation and coordination of these clubs, the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs (FWOC) was organized" (from FWOC pamphlet).

This coalition of hiking and outdoor recreation groups works to promote environmental conservation in the eight western states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Alaska and Western Canada. Annual conventions, held primarily in California, Oregon, and Washington, have been held by FWOC since 1932, gathering delegates from member clubs to decide federation positions on conservation issues. Resolutions are submitted during and before each conference by members and club officials. The official resolutions are subsequently used to urge legislators, public officials, and private bodies to work for conservation goals. Annual reports are submitted by the federation's elected officials, and FWOC has also kept member clubs informed about new developments in the preservation of the West's natural resources through an annual periodical. Published as Western Outdoor Quarterly from 1933 to 1969, and then as Western Outdoors Annual from 1970 to 1975, Outdoors West continues as FWOC's official publication.

FWOC's mission is to create a strong regional alliance of organizations dedicated to environmental protection. Working together, member clubs helped secure passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964. They made important contributions to the establishment of the North Cascades National Park and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington State, as well as to the establishment of various wilderness areas in the national forests of Oregon and California. FWOC also helped to ensure the establishment of a national monument in the Sierra Nevada range to protect the remaining Giant Sequoia trees.

For some twenty years, FWOC shared a Northwest conservation representative with the Sierra Club to ensure further representation of the area's conservation goals. Michael McCloskey was first to hold the position (1961-1964), followed by Rodger Pegues (1964-1967). Brock Evans held the position from 1967 until 1973, when he became the Washington, D.C. representative. Roger Mellem was the acting Northwest conservation representative for 1973. Doug Scott continued the position until 1978, followed by the last representative, Jim Blomquist (1978-1980). The representative's main duty was to lobby for Northwest conservation through testimony at related hearings and through extensive correspondence with interested parties.

Return to Top

Content Description

Consult the scope and content for each accession listed below.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The creator's literary rights were not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 4 accessions:

  • Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs records, accession no. 1886-007, 1986-1995
  • Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs records, accession no. 1886-008, 1947-1976
  • Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs records, accession no. 1886-009, 1948-1979
  • Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs records, accession no. 1886-010, 1976-1981

Related Materials

Hazel Wolf's personal papers (Accession Nos. 3647-1 through 3647-7) in the division also include material relating to Wolf's activities with FWOC.

FWOC's publications, including Western Conservation Briefs , Western Outdoor Quarterly , Western Outdoors Annual , and Outdoors West , are available in the division.

The University of Oregon Libraries Special Collections division has four boxes of records of the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs, spanning the years 1931-1953.

The Federation of Washington Outdoor Clubs website has been regularly captured by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine since 2016. The snapshots can be viewed here: https://wayback.archive-it.org/4224/*/http://www.federationofwesternoutdoorclubs.org/

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2005 (Last modified: 12/2/2022)

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West