Aaron Parley Christiansen daybooks
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of the soft-bound daybooks of Aaron Parley Christiansen. Christiansen was a career Forest Service ranger. These particular daybooks cover the period from 1915 to 1921 when Christiansen was an assistant forest ranger in the Uinta Forest. Stationed out of Nephi, Utah, the books contain a log of his work activities in the field and in the office. In essence, these records were a time card. The books contain an excellent account of the duties of a forest ranger in the early twentieth century.
While working in the Uinta National Forest, Christiansen was required to keep a daily log of his activities, and these books represent that record. Some of the subject matters that are mentioned in the books are timber sales, grazing leases, road building, fighting forest fires, and reseeding projects. Christiansen spent a great deal of his time in the field, primarily working out of the Salt Creek Ranger Station many of the entries were noted from the Salt Creek area. Of particular interest are the comments concerning Forest Service philosophy and of Christiansen's philosophy about conservation.
The books number fifteen in total and were turned in on a monthly basis to his supervisor. The words "examined by" followed by an initial appear throughout the books. The book, after being scrutinized, would be returned to Christiansen, many times he would then enter another month in to the book. This accounts for alternated months appearing in the same book.
Dates
- Creation: 1915-1921
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Restrictions
Open to public research.
Copyright
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Aaron Parley Christiansen daybooks must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.
Biographical Note
Christiansen was born July 17, 1889, in Ephraim, Utah, and died in Logan, Utah, in 1950. He began his career with the United States Forest Service in Nephi and, in 1939, transferred to the Cache National Forest. He was stationed in Logan, Utah, from this point until his death in 1950.
Extent
1 box (.5 linear feet)
Abstract
The daybooks of Christiansen are a daily log of his activities as an assistant forest ranger in the Uinta Forest. There are fifteen books in total covering a six-year period from 1915 to 1921. Each book accounts for one to two months of work. Some of the subject matters that are mentioned in the books are timber sales, grazing leases, road building, fighting forest fires, and reseeding projects. Christiansen spent a great deal of his time in the field, primarily working out of the Salt Creek Ranger Station; many of the entries were noted from the Salt Creek area. Of particular interest are the commentaries concerning Forest Service philosophy and of Christiansen's philosophy of conservation.
Arrangement
Arrangement: chronological.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers in this collection were donated by J. Arbon Christensen. He wrote and broadcast each transcript for the radio station KVNU during the 1960s and 1970s. The papers were donated to USU on March 4, 1996, with the help of Milton Abrams, the former director of the Merrill Library.
Geographic
Topical
- Forest conservation--Utah--History--Sources
- Forest management--History--Sources
- Forest policy--Utah--History--Sources
- Forest rangers--Utah--Uinta National Forest--Diaries
- Forestry and Logging
- Forests and forestry--Multiple use--Utah--Uinta National Forest--History--Sources
- Pasture, Right of--Utah--Uinta National Forest--History--Sources
- Reclamation of land--Utah--History--Sources
- Title
- Guide to the Aaron Parley Christiansen daybooks 1915-1921
- Author
- Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives.
- Date
- ©2008
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding guide is in English in Latin script.
- Sponsor
- Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
Revision Statements
- September 3, 2008.: Template information was updated to reflect Utah Manuscript Association best practices.
- 2009: Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines.
Repository Details
Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)
scweb@usu.edu