E-Newsletter

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

April 2009
Issue XV

Going Digital: Historic Water Documents Now Online

You can now view thousands of digitized water documents online!

The 8,000 pages and items digitized include newsletters, speeches, maps, reports, and slides from five different Water Resources Archive collections. Among the variety of materials, you will find Colorado Water Congress newsletters, Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority reports, and nineteenth century maps of Larimer County ditches. Still to be loaded into the database are over 1,000 slides of dams and reservoirs in Colorado, Arizona, and Utah.

In addition to what has already been digitized, this year will see another 10,000 pages and items scanned. These materials will include Delph Carpenter's correspondence concerning the South Platte River Compact and hundreds of pages of data related to groundwater.

Thanks go to the Colorado Water Conservation Board who gave the Water Resources Archive $25,000 this year to be spent on digitizing its holdings. Last year, the CWCB gave $20,000 for this project, bringing its total investment in the Water Resources Archive to $45,000.

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Archive Update: Recent Donations and New Book

Archive staff continue to work on bringing in more donations. The archivist has spent several hours packing up important materials in Maury Albertson's office which they were not able to go through together before he passed away in January. The total of new boxes to be moved to the archive is approaching 100. Retired CSU engineering professor E. V. Richardson, who was involved with projects around the world, has begun donating his reports, slides, and correspondence to the archive as well. His donation currently stands at 23 boxes.

A few photographs from the Water Resources Archive appear in a recently published must-read book! Written by P. Andrew Jones and Tom Cech, Colorado Water Law for Non-Lawyers is very readable and well illustrated. As stated on the cover, "This book will appeal to students, non-lawyers involved with water issues, and general readers interested in Colorado's complex water rights law."

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Looking Forward: The Fetcher Papers

The water community mourned the passing of John Fetcher in February. He had been key to water development and ski areas in Steamboat Springs over many decades. Mr. Fetcher's family has generously agreed to donate his papers to the Water Resources Archive. In the coming weeks, the archivist will travel to Steamboat Springs to meet with family members and colleagues and to survey the papers. They will be a welcome addition to the archive.

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Support the Archive: It Makes a Difference

Colorado's water resources have played a significant role in the state's history. The Water Resources Archive documents that role, but cannot do so without assistance from individuals and organizations who have also shaped Colorado's history. Letters, diaries, photos and other materials created over the years give vital and unique information regarding Colorado's water history. When you donate your historical materials to the Water Resources Archive, your history becomes a part of Colorado's collective memory. Read more about donating materials. You can make a monetary donation online.

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Virtual Visit: A Visual Tour of Water Tables 2009

Water Tables 2009 was a huge success, attracting nearly 160 respected guests from across the state and raising $29,000 for the Water Resources Archive. The donation of Maury Albertson's papers was also announced. Thanks to the generosity of many individual and corporate sponsors, 25 graduate students were able to attend the event and interact with current leaders in the water industry. Take a look at the photos and make plans to join us in 2010.

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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 and Jane Barber.