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Powell Society records

 Collection
Identifier: ACCN 2486

Scope and Contents

The Powell Society records consist of subject files that were created by the donor, and contain correspondence, clippings, and publications on a variety of subjects relevant to the Society's interests. The separated correspondence is primarily to and from Henry Toll, of both a personal and official nature. River trip materials detail the planning, logistics, application process, and actual experience of the trip itself.

Dates

  • 1956-2008

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

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.

Historical Note

The Powell Society was incorporated in 1969 (the 100th anniversary of John Wesley Powell's historic first expedition down the Colorado River) in order to promote the general study of the canyons of the American West, the study of the Colorado River Basin, and the study of John Wesley Powell and his work, and also to facilitate the publication of materials generated by these studies. The Powell Society went on to produce a number of popular river-running guides, as well as In the Footsteps of John Wesley Powell, a book/photo essay comparing photos from Powell's 1871 expedition to modern (1969) photos taken from the same locations.

The initial (and only) trustees of the Powell Society were David Gaskill, Robert Gaskill, Felix Mutschler, George Simmons, Henry W. Toll, Jr., Lydia Toll, and George Ogura. Most of the material in this collection was created by or for these seven individuals. In addition to their more scholarly pursuits, the Powell Society also met frequently for recreational river expeditions, the records of which are also included in this collection. As of 2012, the Powell Society seems to be inactive, likely due to the death of Dr. Toll in 2008.

Extent

5 Box (2.5 linear feet)

Abstract

The Powell Society was incorporated in 1969 in order to promote the general study of the canyons of the American West, the study of the Colorado River Basin, and the study of John Wesley Powell and his work, and also to facilitate the publication of materials generated by these studies. These are their official records, as collected by Dr. Henry W. Toll during his time as president of the society (1969-2008). Materials cover all aspects of the society's activity, whether administrative, scholarly, or recreational in nature.

Arrangement

The subject files are organized alphabetically by subject. Correspondence is organized chronologically by date, excepting certain correspondence separated for its relevance to a specific subject. River trip materials are organized chronologically by the date of the trip.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by John Weisheit in 2009.

Separated Materials

Photographs have been photocopied and the originals tranferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Michael Bills in 2012.

Creator

Title
Inventory of the Powell Society records, 1956-2008
Author
Finding aid created by Michael Bills
Date
© 2012 (last modified: 2019)
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.

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