The Davis County Experimental Watershed records contain mostly scientific material from the Davis County Experimental Watershed (DCEW) retained by the United State Forest Service’s Intermountain Research Station (now known as the Rocky Mountain Research Station) headquarters in Ogden, Utah. These documents record the efforts taken by the Forest Service to repair and rehabilitate the watersheds above Davis County from the 1930s to the late 1960s.

The majority of the collection consists of action plans, progress reports, maps, geographical, botanical, and climate surveys, streamflow data, and academic publications. In addition to the scientific materials, this collection contains several historical documents, including: newspapers articles, histories written by members of the DCEW task force, and financial reports on early 20th century flood damages. The collection is organized first by general material from the DCEW and then by documents from each particular drainage of the DCEW.

The Davis County Experimental Watershed records have a wide variety of uses for researchers. Those interested in pioneering watershed rehabilitation work, Forest Service projects in Utah, Utah Civilian Conservation Corps projects, and the history of Davis County will find this collection particularly useful. The vegetation, climate and streamflow data may also be valuable to those who want to compare the current state of the Davis County watershed to past conditions.