Capitol Reef National Park records [photocopies]
Collection
Identifier: ACCN 1817
Scope and Contents
The Capitol Reef National Park records (1880-1999) consist of photocopies of material collected by Park Service employees at Capitol Reef National Park, and include correspondence, reports, articles, news clippings, notes, maps, biographies, and autobiographies relating to the establishment of Capitol Reef National Park and the development of the surrounding landscape. The collection contains both unofficial and official documents, some of which are labeled with Capitol Reef National Park (CARE) numbers. The original order, as well as the original box and folder titles, have been maintained.
Dates
- 1880-1999
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Organizational History
In the 1920s, Ephraim Pectol and his brother-in-law, Joseph Hickman, began publishing photographs and articles documenting the beauty of what they called "Wayne Wonderland," part of the area now included in Capitol Reef National Park. Then, in 1933, Pectol was elected to the Utah State Legislature. With a government position, Pectol contacted President Franklin Roosevelt to encourage him to make "Wayne Wonderland" a national monument. The President agreed to Pectol's proposal, and on 2 August 1937 he signed a proclamation creating Capitol Reef National Monument. The new monument languished for its first seven years of existence under the jurisdiction of Zion National Park as the government, which was consumed with mitigating the effects of the Depression, provided no money for a superintendent or park rangers. In 1943, however, Charles Kelly, a prolific writer on Western issues who had recently retired to the nearby community of Fruita, volunteered to become custodian-without-pay for Capitol Reef. Seven years later Kelly received a promotion when he became Capitol Reef's first superintendent, a position that he held until 1958 when he was relieved by Grant Clark. Over the next decade, the National Park Service and Capitol Reef consolidated the monument's land holdings by purchasing private allotments within and near the park. In addition, the park received federal aid for improvements from the Mission 66 program which provided funds for the construction of a campground and a new visitor's center. Modifications to the monument continued in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson authorized the expansion of the monument by 215,056 acres. The impressive new size of Capitol Reef raised the question of whether the monument deserved national park status. A number of bills concerning this issue were presented in both the Senate and the House of Representatives beginning in 1970, and on December 18, 1971 Public Law 92-207 became law establishing Capitol Reef National Park.
Extent
12.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Capitol Reef National Park records (1880-1999) consist of photocopies of material collected by Park Service employees at Capitol Reef National Park, and include correspondence, reports, articles, news clippings, notes, maps, biographies, and autobiographies relating to the establishment of Capitol Reef National Park and the development of the surrounding landscape.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals located in the Superintendent's Office, Capitol Reef National Park.
Separated Materials
All photographs in this collection were digitized by the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0856).
Processing Information
Processed by Dylan Esson in 2000.
- Title
- Inventory of the Capitol Reef National Park records [photocopies]
- Author
- Finding aid created by Dylan Esson.
- Date
- 2000 (last modified: 2019)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu