E-Newsletter

Preserving the Source
An e-newsletter from the Water Resources Archive
at Colorado State University

March 2008
Issue XI

Papers of W.D. Farr Donated to Water Archive

In February, the Water Resources Archive was proud to announce that the papers of a water legend, the late W.D. Farr, will find a permanent home in the our collections. As part of the Archive, the Farr materials, which document his remarkable contributions to water, agriculture and banking, will be available to researchers, industry professionals, historians, students and citizens for long into the future.

Dick Farr at Water Tables 2008

"W.D. Farr is one of the true giants in Colorado history--and in the history of the modern American West," said Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley. "Given CSU's role as the center for research on water issues and resources in our state, it seems fitting that we would provide a home for this remarkable collection."

Known to many as Mr. Water, Farr, a Greeley native, was a key figure in the development of water resources and agriculture in Northern Colorado. In the 1930s, Farr worked with his father lobbying for support of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which would bring water from the head of the Colorado River across the Continental Divide to the Front Range.

Farr served on the Board of Directors for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the Greeley Water Board for 40 years. In the 1970s, he served on President Nixon's Environmental Protection Agency, then a 12-member commission charged with protecting and cleaning the nation's water. During his three-year appointment, he helped clean up the Great Lakes and fill them with fish after massive dumping of chemicals by Midwest manufacturers.

Farr also contributed greatly to agriculture throughout the West. As president of the National Cattlemen's Association in the 1970s, Farr regularly testified before Congress to give voice to many Western cattlemen's concerns about increased government regulation. He also was instrumental in developing modern cattle feeding techniques.

Farr died in August last year. He is survived by his four sons and their families. Historian and CSU emeritus faculty member Dan Tyler, who is working on a book about W.D. Farr's life, recognized immediately that Farr's materials would make an essential addition to CSU's Water Archive and its ability to tell the story of Western water through primary source materials. "To study the life of W.D. Farr is to understand leadership in the 20th century," Tyler noted. "Extraordinary leadership is what made Farr so successful in his endeavors."

With Tyler's encouragement, the Farr family decided to donate the Farr papers to the Water Resources Archive so researchers, historians, students and citizens will have access to the work of this remarkable man long into the future. After receiving the Farr materials, the Archive will begin organizing them and create an online guide. The Archive hopes to make the Farr materials available for public use in 2009.

Photo above: Dick Farr announces the donation of his father's papers at Water Tables 2008.

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Archive Update: Recent Appearances

The Water Resources Archive traveling exhibit was recently displayed at two conferences. The Colorado Water Congress annual convention on January 24 and 25 in Denver provided a great advertising opportunity for Water Tables 2008. The DARCA (Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance) annual convention on February 21 and 22 brought the WRA to the San Luis Valley for the first time, enabling lots of new connections to be made.

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Looking Forward: More Materials To Be Available Soon

The WRA has recently received $20,000 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board for the purpose of scanning archival materials and posting them online. An estimated 10,000 pages will be digitized from holdings such as the Groundwater Data Collection, the Ival V. Goslin Water Resources Collection, and the Larimer County District Court Map Collection. The WRA and the CWCB will also be working to bring together their separate databases of digital documents.

Student assistants have also begun processing two more collections: the Records of the Poudre River Trust and the Papers of Marvin E. Jensen. Watch for finding aids for these two collections to be online in the next few months.

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Support the Archive: Water Tables Raises $31,000

Water Tables made another big splash this year. The annual benefit, hosted by Colorado State University Libraries, attracted nearly two hundred respected guests from across the state and raised more than $31,000 for the Water Resources Archive.

Now in its third year, Water Tables surpassed previous records for attendance and donations. Guests were treated to good food, lively conversation, an array of historic materials from the Archive's holdings, and networking opportunities in what has become a showcase for distinguished personalities in the Colorado water community.

A highlight of the evening came when Dick Farr remembered his late father W.D., a respected figure in Colorado's water history. The Farr family recently announced its decision to donate the papers of W.D. to the WRA. "Dad would be thrilled to know the work you all are doing," said Farr.

In addition, more than a dozen CSU graduate students were able to attend the event thanks to the benefit's silver sponsors. Dave Stewart, head of the event's planning committee, emphasized the importance of the WRA for CSU students. "Tonight is really all about the students," Stewart said. "And tonight we are helping to develop a key resource for them to use."

"The evening was enjoyable, and it was a credit to CSU and its library system," noted Ken Wright of Wright Water Engineers, event sponsor and donor whose materials are housed in the Archive. "The 19 or so tables all had good discussion moderators who had been thoughtfully selected. We are already looking forward to the 2009 Water Tables."

Mark your calendars: the next Water Tables is being planned for February 21, 2009!

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Virtual Visit: 100 Years of Ditch Company History

When the current officers of the Godfrey Ditch Company (which diverts from the South Platte River near Greeley) donated their records to the Water Resources Archive, part of the agreement was that the Archive would digitize the minute books. With the Company's permission to post the scanned books online, there are now more than 100 years of Godfrey's history available to the world. See the full-color images online via links within the finding aid inventory.

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This quarterly electronic newsletter is designed to keep you informed on the developments with the Water Resources Archive. If you would prefer not to receive further updates, or if you know someone else who would like to receive this, just drop a line to us at development@library.colostate.edu.

This e-newsletter is created by Patty Rettig with the assistance of Judea Franck.