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Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center Photographs, 1919-1969

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Washington State University. Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center
Title
Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center Photographs
Dates
1919-1969 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.25 Linear feet of shelf space, (8 Boxes)
Collection Number
PC 195 (collection)
Summary
Agricultural research photos from the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, or IAREC, formerly the Irrigation Experiment Station, in Prosser, Washington.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

The Irrigation Experiment Station was authorized by the state legislature in 1917, and opened at Prosser, WA on May 24, 1919. In 1965 the name was changed to the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC).

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Content Description

Photographs and negatives, of approximately 2600 images, documenting the work and environs of the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) / Irrigation Experiment Station in Prosser, and of its researchers and staff.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Prior to donation, and with WSU’s permission, Larry Wright scanned 347 selected images and uploaded them to the Washington State Library’s Washington Rural Heritage project. In the Rural Heritage metadata, the original file number in the Source item specifications matches to the item identifiers in this collection. Their WSUP### identifiers have been incorporated into the end of each description in the container list.

Restrictions on Use

As of 2021, most of the photographs in this collection are copyright Washington State University until 120 years after their individual date of creation. For permissions, inquire at the MASC. The photographs created by the federal government are in the public domain.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center Photographs, 1919-1969 (PC 195)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is retained primarily in the organization in which it came to the MASC. Materials produced by WSU Prosser staff make up the vast majority of the collection, and are organized chronologically using identifiers created at the time. At the end of that chronology are a few items where the date is unknown. Following that series is a smaller series of photographs taken by the federal government (USDA), using the same organizational system. At the end is a series of index cards which contains identifying information for many of the photographs, usually taken from the envelopes in which the images are still housed.

The original envelopes in which the photographs were housed all have identifiers, in which the first two digits indicate the year of creation, followed by numbers indicating the order in which the photos were collected in that year. Those identifiers serve as the item numbers in this collection.

Description of the material comes primarily from notes on the original photographic sleeves. The descriptions on the index cards appear to also come from the envelopes. Larry Wright added some names to the descriptions based on his and others’ personal recognition of individuals.

Acquisition Information

Larry Wright of Prosser donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries on May 17, 2021, where they were retained as UPC 2021-01. Wright states that a file cabinet in the basement of a building at WSU-Prosser contained several drawers of old negatives taken by WSU employees as part of their jobs. In 2012 he moved the cabinet from the WSU-Prosser building to his own home for safe keeping, as they were afraid someone would discard the negatives, or that the basement where the negatives were stored would flood as it had previously done. Dorothy Evans and Wright subsequently cataloged the negatives.

Processing Note

University Archivist Mark O’English processed this collection in May of 2021.

Some of the negatives, particularly in box 2, are beginning to undergo vinegar syndrome. A number were rehoused in protective envelopes, but further rehousing (and perhaps preservation scanning) is needed.

Related Materials

Irrigation Branch Experiment Station (Prosser) Reports, 1919-1960 (Archives 76)

Irrigation Branch Experiment Station Records, 1910-1979 (Archives 200)

Irrigated Agriculture Research and Experiment Center (Prosser) Grapes/Wine Research Records, 1940-1984 (Archives 214)

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Mark O’English
2021

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

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