EARL D. SANDVIG PAPERS

The Earl D. Sandvig collection contains items from the years of 1923-1973. Included in the collection are official memoranda, correspondence, photographs and newspaper clippings. Grass measurement devices and fire danger gauges used in the field by Sandvig during his career with the United States Forest Service are also included in the collection.

The items that make up this collection provide first hand information about the inner workings and conflicts in the U.S. Forest Service, and the genuine concern that its employees had for protecting natural resources. The ongoing conflict between the stockmen and ranchers of the West and the Forest Service is also well documented in this collection. Through the correspondence and newspaper articles, both sides of the conflict are presented, as are Sandvig's strong opinions on the subject. In 1963, Sandvig made an audio recording with Arthur Carhart voicing his opinions on the conflict. This tape is restricted until the year 2038.

Sandvig's written communications with various Forest Service employees and friends make up this portion of the collection. Included in this series are letters dealing mostly with Forest Service issues throughout Sandvig's tenure. Also included are Sandvig's personal letters, which include information on Forest Service workings and personnel, letters to Sandvig from special interest groups such as the Wyoming Livestock Association and the Izaak Walton League of America, and a sequence of letters, dealing with Sandvig's removal from the Denver office of the Forest Service.

This series consists of official memoranda to and from Sandvig, and reports forwarded to him by colleagues. These materials span various stages of Sandvig's career with the U.S. Forest Service, from an early position as a grazing assistant in Montana to his retirement. The memoranda contain daily details of Sandvig's work along with classifications of grazing land, and a 1971 report of the Senate Subcommittee on the Administration of Public Lands.

Notes and texts from Sandvig's numerous presentations make up this portion of the collection. Included are many of the papers presented by Sandvig at meetings of conservation and forestry groups. Also included are some of the papers and presentations that colleagues of Sandvig sent to him.

This series contains clippings from several newspapers, mostly from the Denver Post. They contain information about rangeland and grazing issues, and the career of Sandvig. The largest portion of this series deals with the events that led up to and following Sandvig's relocation from Colorado to Oregon.

The series contains items used by Sandvig in the field for the U. S. Forest Service. Two grass utilization meters, a forest fire danger meter, and Sandvig's field notebooks and field diaries are included in this series. These items contain Forest Service regulations and procedures along with Sandvig's thoughts on conditions in the field. Also included are two folders of photographs (copies) documenting soil conditions and erosion, and the Mitchell, Oregon flood of 1956.

Arthur Carhart conducted an oral history interview with Earl Sandvig to discuss the U.S. Forest Service and issues surrounding his transfer from the Region 2 office in Denver to Oregon. This material is restricted until the year 2038.

Black and white photographs of locations visited by Sandvig document erosion problems, fencing methods, and other grazing related issues. A second set of photographs document the Mitchell, Oregon flood of 1956. Copies of photographs remain in the collection, and the original photographs are housed with the Photograph Collection.