12/10/2010 SHRA in The Advocate
SHRA client Moffatt Thomas recently used the information in a report prepared by our firm for an article in the Idaho Bar Association’s newsletter. Attorney Scott Campbell cited the SHRA report in his article, “Irrigation Water Drainage Development in the Treasure Valley.” History of Irrigation and Drainage in the Treasure Valley
The report, entitled, A History of The Pioneer Irrigation District, 1884-1938, An Initial Report, was written for the purposes of litigation between Pioneer and the City of Caldwell. We conducted research in the National Archives in Denver to obtain much of the information on which this report was based. The Denver (Rocky Mountain) branch of the National Archives holds the records of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. We also did research locally at both the Idaho State Archives and various irrigation districts in the valley.
The history of Pioneer Irrigation District represents the history of irrigation and settlement in the West during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The pioneers who settled the lands were brave souls who had visions of bounty where only sagebrush and rattlesnakes existed. The story of Pioneer Irrigation District tells us of the entrepreneurs that created many of the towns in the western valley and who were almost single-handedly responsible for encouraging the migration. It tells us of the coming of the railroad, and how critical the siting of the railroad was to the development of the West. It tells us of the manipulation of resources to support human life, and the ingenuity of those who came.
Pioneer Irrigation District and Moffatt Thomas continue to be clients of SHRA.
11/12/2010 County Records and Haunted Hotels
I had occasion to be in Baker City, Oregon last week on a research trip. The city itself has made a concerted effort to preserve its historic architecture, and the small downtown is charming. City Hall is a beautiful turn-of-the-century (20th) quintessential stone hall with a clock tower, and there are many National Register plaques gracing other buildings, as well. I even was treated to staying at the 100+ year old Geiser Grand Hotel, which is rumored to be haunted. Fortunately I am not able to confirm that point one way or the other…
What really struck me during my time in Baker, however, was how incredibly well-preserved the Baker County records were. My colleagues and I do a lot of historic research in County Courthouses across the West. County records are vitally important to environmental research in the West. An incredible amount of stuff happened at the county level in the 19th century. Mining claims were filed at the county, water claims were filed at the county, roads were built with county money, and many, many other things. But unfortunately, many states have done a poor job at preserving these records. Oregon is an outstanding exception to the rule.
I originally discovered the wealth of county material through the Oregon State Archives web site, which does a fine job of making the records searchable. I then discovered that much of the archival material was actually kept at the county courthouses around the state instead of at the State Archives in Salem. That discouraged me because of my long experience in other courthouses which are disorganized, unkempt, and easily compromised. That was until I actually arrived at the Baker County Courthouse. The two vaults where the records were kept were immaculate and incredibly well-organized. I had a finding aid from a few years back, but when I arrived I was told that the Oregon State Archives staff had just been there to do an audit, and that there was an updated finding aid. What state spends money on these things anymore? None I had been to recently, that’s for sure! But Oregon has done its citizens a huge favor by keeping these records accessible and easily searchable. Having these records so accessible to researchers like me and other SHRA historians will go a long way toward helping judges and lawyers sort out the difficult answers that lie in the past, and I firmly believe that it will save the state a great deal of money in the long run. So hats off to Oregon for keeping a budget alive for archives in these difficult times! I look forward to going back and examining in more detail the county surveyor books, court records, and water rights filings and knowing exactly where to find it all!
9/30/2010 Book Release – Breaking the Wave
Jennifer Stevens authored an essay in a book that was released this week by Routledge called Breaking the Wave: Women, Their Organizations, and Feminism, 1945-1985. Dr. Stevens’ essay details the role of Portland, Oregon’s League of Women Voters in the debate over that State’s famous land use laws in the early 1960s. She argues that women’s role in these discussions over proper development and the conservation of open space has been been overlooked by scholars’ focus on big names like Governor Tom McCall. In fact, the League was critical to bringing the question of regional land use, compact cities, and urban growth boundaries to the public and advocating for a new way of looking at urban growth.
More information is available at: Breaking the Wave
The book is available on amazon.com.
9/3/2010: The Mining Law of 1866
SHRA has spent quite a lot of time in recent months doing work related to the 1866 Mining or Right of Way Act. Among many other things, the law provides perpetual ROWs for uses that existed on public land at the time the land was withdrawn from the public domain. There is a provision of the law that relates to roads, and another that relates to irrigation ditches. The historical questions and policy implications of this law are significant.
In the West today, there are myriad groups fighting over these historic uses, which the federal government is in many cases trying to curb or eliminate (think of the “roadless” debates that have occurred over the past two decades). As far as SHRA’s involvement, our historians have recently been researching the history of roads in national forests and the history of irrigation ditches in designated wilderness areas. In each case, the historical question is when the road or the ditch actually came into existence — was it before or after the government designated the land as a national forest and withdrew it from the public domain? Sounds simple, but of course historical research never is!
The research has taken place in many locations and various archives, making these particularly interesting cases. We have found rich sources in the Bureau of Land Management archives, the Forest Service archives, and most interestingly, in local archives. Just yesterday, I uncovered 3 old photo albums that a 1920s mother made for her son. They had wonderful, old photos of the first airplane — called the “Tin Goose” — to land on one particular backcountry wilderness landing strip in the 1920s. The albums also showed an old miner holding up a gold bullion cube and packing the rest of those nuggets out with his snow dogs. In addition, the photos showed a well-known lake filled almost entirely with logs from the old logging days. We also found old surveys and hand-written notes from the road engineer describing how difficult it had become to design a road up one particular summit, particularly when there was sometimes 12 feet of snow!
These cases have been some of the most interesting for our historians, due in part to the picture we’re getting to paint of settlement and life in these very remote areas of the West. We’ve all read books on the West, but when you read the documents written by the people who were living on the ground and see the photos they took, you can almost feel what it was like for them, and how harsh life really was on a daily basis. The number of these cases in which SHRA is involved is growing rapidly, as this important law becomes a more widely used tool to protect old and historic uses on national lands. Professional historical research has been absolutely critical to our clients because of the important role that the historical facts play in these cases. We can only hope that they’re all as interesting as these have been!
7/26/2010 SHRA working to complete Boise’s new Historic Preservation Plan
SHRA is putting the finishing touches on Boise’s new Historic Preservation Plan. The plan has not been updated since it was first written in 1979. Much has happened since that time, and society values historic properties differently now than it did then. Many things had to be addressed in this plan, including how to merge the City’s environmental stewardship goals with its historic preservation goals. Sometimes, the two seem to be at odds, and this plan was geared toward addressing this conflict. The plan also addresses Boise’s stock of mid-century architecture. In addition, the new plan covers the history of historic preservation in Boise and all of the past accomplishments of the City’s Historic Preservation Commission. It also suggests policies that will reduce the waste stream from demolition and remodels of historic homes, and innovative plans for the myriad historic preservation groups in the Boise area to work together. The plan will undergo some revision before it heads to public hearing sometime this fall.
7/7/2010 Historians and Gettysburg Casino
In June, many individual historians as well as the National Council on Public History and the Organization of American Historians wrote to the Pennsylvania Gaming Board to express opposition to a Casino requested for one-half mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park. Gettysburg was the site of a critical Civil War battle as well as a famous speech given by President Abraham Lincoln in which he invoked the values of the Declaration of Independence and reminded Americans that the men who died there died in order to preserve a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It remains to be seen how the Board will vote, but the proposal has evoked a great cry among preservationists, community members, and historians alike.
7/1/10 – Dr. Stevens’ Seminar on Road Law with Local Attorneys
On July 19, SHRA will be joining attorneys Chris Meyer (Givens Pursley) and Paul Turcke (Moore, Smith, Buxton, & Turcke) for a day of discussion and education about road law and access in Idaho. The event, sponsored through NBI, Inc. counts for CLE credit for attorneys, AICP credit for planners, and IACET units, as well.
Jennifer Stevens of Stevens Historical Research Associates will be presenting information about uncovering the documents and finding historical evidence that can win your roads case.
If you are interested in attending, contact NBI.
National Business Institute
1218 McCann Drive
Altoona, WI 54720
Voice: 800-930-5704
Web: www.nbi-sems.com
6/17/10: Dr. Stevens Signs Book Contract with UC Press
Dr. Stevens recently signed a contract with University of California Press for her forthcoming book, Women, Bulldozers, and the West: Early Environmentalism in Western Cities, 1950-1975. The book is expected to come in late 2012.
6/17/10: Dr. Bailey in Academia
SHRA Associate Anna Bailey recently participated in a small seminar on the Lumbee Indians at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her participation was requested by faculty at the University based on her original research of the tribe.
Additionally, Dr. Bailey was recently hired as an Adjunct Professor of History at Boise State University. She will be teaching a seminar on Native American Identity in Spring 2011.