Introduction

Doris Fenton, an instructor in the Department of English at KSU from 1945-1962, collected these papers on the Big Blue river floods, the Tuttle Creek Dam, and conservation related to this project, because of her personal interest and involvement in these projects. The provenance of the Doris H. Fenton Collection is uncertain. However, she apparently donated the material to the K-State Libraries after she stopped collecting items in 1962.

The collection is contained in one document box and spans the years 1936-1962. It is divided in three series: 1) Floods, 1951, 2) Dams and Flood Control, 1944-1956 and 3) Conservation, 1936-1962.

The collection is identified as University Archives accession number P69, (revised number, PC 1988.06). The processing of the collection was completed by Leena Chakrabarti, University Archives volunteer, in April 1993.

A related collection in the University Archives is the Doris and Leona Velen Tuttle Creek Dam Collection. Doris and Leona Velen, whose grandfather homesteaded in the Blue Valley in 1867, initiated a valiant and persistent anti-dam campaign. Materials in this collection span the time from the Velen sisters' initial involvement in the Tuttle Creek project during the mid 1940s until construction of the dam was completed in 1962. A finding aid can be viewed at the following, http://www.lib.ksu.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2004-10.html

Scope and Content Note

The Doris H. Fenton Collection on the floods, the Tuttle Creek Dam, and on conservation, spans the years 1936-62. However, the bulk of the information is from the years 1951-55.

This collection is divided into three series: 1) Floods, 1951; 2) Dams and Flood Control, 1944-1956; 3) Conservation, 1936- 1962. The first series, Floods, consists mainly of newspaper clippings on the devastating flood of 1951 that occurred in Manhattan and Riley County. It also contains some other miscellaneous items related to the flood.

Dams and Flood Control is divided into two subseries: correspondence and printed material. The majority of the material documents the building of Tuttle Creek Dam and the controversy surrounding the approval of the project. Correspondence contains letters written by Leona Velen, Edith Monfort, and Elmer T. Peterson. The printed material consists of newspaper clippings (1944-1955), printed booklets (1949-1953), mimeographed reports (N.D.), a Washington log (1955), a Congressional record (1955), a map, and miscellaneous items on the Tuttle Creek Dam. This subseries also includes some related information on the Missouri Valley Association, and Tennessee Valley Association.

The last series, Conservation, is subdivided into speech, speech notes and outline; and printed material. The bulk of material in this series is about soil and water conservation programs in Kansas, conservation awareness programs in Kansas, and Watershed programs in Kansas. The first subseries consists of speech notes on "Background of Soil Water Conservation Legislation," notes and bibliography on "The Delaware River Watershed Association," notes on "Kansas Conservation Programs under present statutes," outline of "Conservation of soil and water in Kansas," and bibliography on "Soil and Water Conservation." The printed material contains newspaper clippings (1946-1962), a journal article (1951), "They've cut the heart out of Soil Conservation," by H.H. Bennett; printed booklets (1936-1959); a map; and miscellaneous items. The printed material subseries also includes a work kit, called "Land-Water-People," which was probably used for a conference presented by Cooperative Extension Service at KSU.

Container list

Box Folder

           FLOODS
                
           Printed Material
             Newspaper Clippings
1     01       (1951 January-December)
               1951
      02         8 May-12 July
      03         13-14 July
      04         15-16 July
      05         18-21 July
      06         22-25 July
      07         26-31 July
      08         1 August-18 December
      09         N.D.
      10         Miscellaneous
                 
           DAMS AND FLOOD CONTROL
                  
           Correspondence
      11     1955-56
           Printed Material
             Newspaper Clippings
      12       1944-49
      13       1952
      14       1953
      15       1954
               1955
      16         April-May
      17         10-12 June
      18         13-19 June
      19         20-26 June
      20         N.D.
      21         N.D.
             Printed Booklets
      22       1949-1953
             Mimeographed Reports
      23       N.D.
             Washington Log
      24       1955
             Congressional Record
      25       1955, 15 June
             MVA and TVA
      26       N.D.
             Map
      27       1949, January
             Miscellaneous
      28       N.D.
                       
           CONSERVATION
                      
           Speech, Speech notes and outline
      29     N.D.
           Printed Material
             Newspaper Clippings
      30       1946-1953
               1954 
      31         January-February
      32         March-December
      33       1955-1962
      34         N.D.
             Journal Article
      35       1951, March
             Printed Booklets
      36       1936-1950
      37       1951-1959
             Land, Water and People
      38       N.D.
             Map
      39       N.D.
             Miscellaneous
      40       N.D.