Title: Writers' Program. Wisconsin. Green Bay District Office: Records
Inclusive Dates: 1936

Creator:

• Writers' Program. Wisconsin. Green Bay District Office

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 54

Quantity: 0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Records of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) office which prepared brief local studies and automobile tour information for northeastern Wisconsin. Included are studies and tour outlines, a paper on Menominee Indian lore, and administrative correspondence revealing difficulties the project faced on the state and regional levels.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0054

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The Green Bay District Office of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was established early in 1936 and discontinued in September of the same year during a general reorganization of the Wisconsin FWP. The purpose of the FWP, as part of the Works Progress Administration, was to provide useful work for unemployed people in areas related to their occupational skills.

The major activity of the Green Bay FWP office during its brief existence was to prepare copy for a Wisconsin volume in the FWP's American Guide Series. Under the direction of Charles E. Lease, an Oconto minister, a staff of four to eight writers and typists prepared brief local studies and automobile tour information for the northeastern region of the state. The writers based their studies on both library research and field work. Lease edited their work and forwarded it to the state office in Madison. Some of this information eventually appeared in a volume compiled by the FWP, Wisconsin: A Guide to the Badger State (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York, 1941). After the Green Bay office closed, Charles Lease continued as an FWP tours editor for at least several months.

The records of the Green Bay office of the FWP consist of two folders of administrative correspondence and thirteen folders of studies and tours written by project workers.

The Correspondence documents the administration of the project. Several long letters between Charles Lease and administrators in Madison discuss difficulties at the state and regional levels in meeting very ambitious cultural objectives through a work relief program. They include frank discussions of personnel problems and of relations with the District WPA office and with the Historical Records Survey, a similar WPA project.

The city, county, and township Studies vary from approximately five to forty double-spaced typewritten pages and provide summary information on many facets of local community life, including geology, history, economic development, and social and cultural activities. The miscellaneous studies consist of a sketch of the High Cliff area in Calumet County and an eleven-page piece, “Menominee Indian Lore,” by Mrs. Angus Lookaround. The collection includes field copy (fc) drafts and edited field copy (fec) that Lease sent to Madison.

The Tours are a compilation of information intended for automobile tourists. They mention scenic, historic, recreational, and other features of interest along the route. For some of the studies and tours various edited versions are found in the collection.

The State Historical Society holds three other collections of materials created by the Federal Writers' Project. These include biographies of historical figures; historical articles and studies; a history of Wisconsin FWP written by Harold Miner, an FWP official; and records of a folklore project.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the Brown County Public Library, Green Bay, Wisconsin. April 21, 1977. Accession Number: M77-288

Processing Information

Processed by John Fleckner, August 1, 1977.

Box   1 Folder   1-2	Correspondence, March- November, 1936
	Studies
	Cities
Box   1 Folder   3	Appleton, Chilton, Kaukauna, Kewaunee
Box   1 Folder   4	Manitowoc, Marinette, Shawano, Sturgeon Bay
	Counties
Box   1 Folder   5	Calumet, Door, Outagamie, Winnebago
	Townships
Box   1 Folder   6	Calumet, Door, Outagamie
Box   1 Folder   7	Marinette, Shawano, Winnebago
Box   1 Folder   8	Regional Outlines
Box   1 Folder   9	Miscellany
	Tours
Box   2 Folder   1	Door Peninsula, No. 1
Box   2 Folder   2	Junction U.S. 141 and 41 - Iron Mountain, Michigan, New No. 1
Box   2 Folder   3	Marinette - Green Bay, No. 2
Box   2 Folder   4	Green Bay - Manitowoc; Green Bay - Fond du Lac, No. 3
Box   2 Folder   5	Green Bay - Oshkosh, No. 4
Box   2 Folder   5	Land O'Lakes, Michigan - Fond du Lac, No. 5
Box   2 Folder   5	Crandon - Green Bay, No. 6
Box   2 Folder   6	Norway, Michigan - Interstate Park, No. 18
Box   2 Folder   6	Eagle River - Minnesota State Line, No. 19