Title: Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Records
Inclusive Dates: 1884-1966

Creator:

• Wisconsin Society for Ornithology

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 200; PH Green Bay Mss 200

Quantity: 4.4 cubic feet (11 archives boxes) and 12 photographs

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:

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

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

Abstract:

Records of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, an organization established to help preserve birds and bird habitat and to promote the study of birds and legislation to protect Wisconsin's natural resources. Included is correspondence, a constitution and by-laws, meeting minutes, committee files, financial records, membership lists, meeting programs, newspaper clippings, and field notes of bird observations. The collection thoroughly documents organizational activities including annual conventions, publication of a magazine, and the construction of a monument at Wyalusing State Park to commemorate the passenger pigeon. One folder contains announcements of activities of other bird clubs. Field notes prepared by members S. Paul Jones, I. N. Mitchell, N. R. Peabody, Samuel Robbins, Norval R. Barger, Charles B. Rogers, and William E. Snyder document bird sightings and migrations throughout southern and central Wisconsin. Photographs include images of organization members and several types of birds.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0200

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The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology was organized in Madison in 1939, and incorporated as a scientific and educational non-profit organization in 1942. Over the years, the Society has broadened its aims and activities to include the preservation of birds and bird habitats, aid in the study of birds to school classes and other groups, promotion of legislation to benefit wildlife, and alerting members and the public to situations and practices which endanger Wisconsin's natural resources. Through its quarterly magazine, the Passenger Pigeon, the Society publishes articles, observations, and field notes on birds throughout Wisconsin.

The records of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology date from 1884 to 1966 and are arranged in eleven series: an Organizational File, Secretary's Notebooks, President's Files, General Correspondence, Committee Files, Membership and Meetings, Passenger Pigeon Magazine, Wyalusing Passenger Pigeon Monument, Other Bird Clubs, Bird Field Notes, and Photographs.

The ORGANIZATIONAL FILE consists of the Articles of Incorporation, April 8, 1942. Also included are revisions to the by-laws and constitution, 1949, 1958, and 1963.

The SECRETARY'S NOTEBOOKS contain the records of the annual conventions, minutes of meetings, and other official reports. They are arranged in chronological order from 1942 to 1955.

The PRESIDENT'S FILES document the official duties of this office. The records are arranged chronologically from 1941 to 1959.

The GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE files relate to routine administrative functions. They are arranged chronologically from 1949 to 1957.

The COMMITTEE FILES are arranged alphabetically by committee and chronologically thereunder. Although most are one- or two-year accumulations, the Conservation Committee's activities are extensively covered for the periods 1950-1951, 1953-1954, and 1962-1966.

The MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS series consists of annual meeting programs, 1939-1964; clippings on activities, 1953-1956; membership lists, 1940-1951; and a bound register of attendance for the 1941 Racine and 1942 Green Bay meetings. Related Membership Activities include field trip notices, activity questionnaires, and application forms.

The PASSENGER PIGEON MAGAZINE records document most completely the first year of publication, 1939. The records include correspondence of its editor Walter Scott, and his notes for the magazine's 1939 issues. Three issues of the Passenger Pigeon are filed here, Vol. I, no. 1 (January 1939), Vol. XI, no. 1 (January 1949), and Vol. XI, no. 4 (October 1949). The complete volumes may be found in the Wisconsin Historical Society Library. A list of reporters and a range and population study sheet comprise the Miscellaneous Materials file.

The WYALUSING PASSENGER PIGEON MONUMENT file documents the construction of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology-sponsored monument to the passenger pigeon on Sentinel Ridge at Wyalusing State Park. The records consist of correspondence, drawings, and reports, arranged chronologically from 1941 to 1947.

The OTHER BIRD CLUBS file contains announcements of both national and local bird groups. Such organizations as the Wilson Ornithological Club, the Green Bay Bird Club, and the Milwaukee Bird Club are represented.

The BIRD FIELD NOTES series includes six boxes of bird sightings and migration information gathered by several Wisconsin ornithologists and arranged alphabetically by their surnames. The S. Paul Jones bird field notes, 1916-1958, include field notes sent him by other ornithologists and extensively cover all of Wisconsin, while the notebooks of his own observations concentrate almost exclusively on Waukesha County. An explanatory letter from Thomas K. Soulen explains the abbreviations Jones used within these volumes. The letters and bird notes of I.N. Mitchell deal with Milwaukee sightings for 1908-1909. The notes of N.R. Peabody detail bird sightings in Hammond, Wisconsin for 1948. Reverend Samuel Robbins and Norval Barger collected bird note correspondence, 1946-1953, from across Wisconsin while they served as editors of the Passenger Pigeon. The notebook of Charles B. Rogers records birds of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin for 1884-1885. William E. Snyder similarly documented the birds of Dodge County in his six volumes of field notes. These are arranged chronologically from 1888 to 1937.

PHOTOGRAPHS include images of organization members and several types of birds.

Charles B. Rogers Papers, 1824-1960 (Whitewater Mss D)

Acquisition Information

Presented by Walter E. Scott, Madison, Wisconsin, April 11, 1961, August 31, 1964, September 5, 1975; June 11, 1976; and April 20, 1977. Accession Number: M61-103; M64-264; M75-653; M76-237; M77-123

Processing Information

Processed by M. J. Haberman (archives intern) and Joanne Hohler, February 22, 1977.

Green Bay Mss 200	Series: Organizational File
Box   1 Folder   1	Articles of Incorporation, April 8, 1942; Constitutions and by-laws, , 1949, 1958, and 1963
	Series: Secretary's Notebooks	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2	1942-1946
Box   1 Folder   3	1947-1951
Box   1 Folder   4	1952-1953
Box   1 Folder   5	1954-1955
	Series: President's File	⇧
Box   1 Folder   6-18	1941-1953
Box   2 Folder   1-6	1954-May 1959
Box   2 Folder   7-8	Series: General Correspondence, 1949-1957	⇧
	Series: Committee Files	⇧
	Conservation
Box   2 Folder   9	1950-1951
Box   2 Folder   10	1953-1954
Box   2 Folder   11-13	1962-1964
Box   3 Folder   1-2	1965-1966
Box   3 Folder   3	Undated, circa 1960s
Box   3 Folder   4	Convention chairman, 1950-1954
Box   3 Folder   5	Editor, 1950-1952
Box   3 Folder   6	Education and publicity, 1950-1954
Box   3 Folder   7	Legal counsel, 1950
Box   3 Folder   8	Membership chairman, 1951-1953
Box   3 Folder   9	Sanctuary, 1953-1954
Box   3 Folder   10	Treasurer, 1957-1958
	Series: Membership and Meetings	⇧
Box   3 Folder   11	Annual meeting programs, 1939-1964
Box   3 Folder   12	Clippings, 1953-1956
Box   3 Folder   13	Membership lists, 1940-1951
Box   4 Folder   1	Register of attendance at 1941 Racine meeting and 1942 Green Bay meeting
Box   4 Folder   2	Related membership activities
	Series: Passenger Pigeon Magazine	⇧
Box   4 Folder   3	Correspondence of Walter Scott, editor, 1939
Box   4 Folder   4	Notes for 1939 issues of Passenger Pigeon
Box   4 Folder   5	Passenger Pigeon, 3 issues: Vol. I, no. 1, January 1939; Vol. XI, no. 1, , January 1949; Vol. XI, no. 4, , October 1949
Box   4 Folder   6	Miscellaneous materials, circa 1940
	Series: Wyalusing Passenger Pigeon Monument	⇧
Box   4 Folder   7	Correspondence, drawings, and reports, 1941-1947
Box   4 Folder   8	Series: Other Bird Clubs	⇧
	Series: Bird Field Notes	⇧
	S. Paul Jones bird field notes, 1916-1958
Box   4 Folder   9	Cover letter, August 31, 1964; Obituary , 1959
Box   4 Folder   10	Unusual birds, 1938-1950
Box   4 Folder   11	Bird check lists, 1942; county totals, , 1948-1950
Box   4 Folder   12	Field notes, 1947-1950; notebooks, , 1953-1955; checklist, , 1915-1956
Box   4 Folder   13	Field lists, Waukesha County, 1950-1958
Box   5 Folder   1	Field notes mailing lists, undated
Box   5 Folder   2	Wildlife briefs from Wisconsin Conservation Department, 1949-1952
Box   5 Folder   3	Bird banding activity reports, 1945-1947 from Wisconsin Conservation Department
Box   6	Field notes, 1948-1956
Box   7 Folder   1	Explanatory letter on notes by Thomas K. Soulen, October 20, 1964
Box   7 Folder   2-3	General notes and bird listings by species, 1919-1946
	Bird listings, 1902-1958
Box   7 Folder   4	1902-1928
Box   7 Folder   5	1929-1937
Box   7 Folder   6	1937-1941
Box   8 Folder   1	1942-1946
Box   8 Folder   2	1947-1948
Box   8 Folder   3	1950-1957
Box   8 Folder   4	1958
Box   9 Folder   1	Letters and bird notes of I.N. Mitchell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1908-1909
Box   9 Folder   2	Notes of N.R. Peabody, Hammond, Wisconsin, 1948
	Bird notes of the Rev. Samuel Robbins and Norval R. Barger, 1946-1953
Box   9 Folder   3	1946-1947
Box   9 Folder   4	1948
Box   9 Folder   5	1949
Box   9 Folder   6	1950-1951
Box   9 Folder   7	1952-1953, undated
Box   9 Folder   8	Notebook of Charles B. Rogers, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, 1884-1885
	William E. Snyder, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 1888-1937
Box   10 Folder   1	Obituary article by W.E. Scott, 1937
Box   10 Folder   2	Birds of Dodge County, 1890-1932
	Nature notes, 1888-1937
Box   10 Folder   3	1888-1902
Box   10 Folder   4	1889-1903
Box   10 Folder   5	1903-1914
Box   11 Folder   1	1914-1927
Box   11 Folder   2	1927-1937
PH Green Bay Mss 200	Series: Photographs	⇧