Summary Information
Soil Conservation Society of America. Wisconsin Chapter: Records
1953-1970
- Soil Conservation Society of America. Wisconsin Chapter
Mss 476
0.4 c.f. (1 archives box)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Soil Conservation Society of America (1953- ), consisting of meeting files; activity summaries, 1954-1955 and 1962-1964; programs; tour guides; a charter and constitution; a summary of the first ten years of the organization with an update in 1970; papers presented at meetings; membership lists; and miscellaneous correspondence. Also included are the Wisconsin chapter's entries in the annual chapter awards program in 1958 (subject: regional meetings), 1959 (subject: Boy Scout Committee), and 1963 (subject: land-use planning).
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00476 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Wisconsin chapter of the Soil Conservation Society of America (SCSA) dates to the formation of a chapter in Milwaukee in 1945. In 1953 members of the SCSA from the state at-large voted to expand the Milwaukee Chapter, thereby forming the Wisconsin Chapter so that they could participate in events on more than the national level. The Soil Conservation Society of America issued a charter in 1953, and in 1954 the chapter wrote a constitution at an organizational meeting. The chapter's stated purpose was the promotion of soil and water conservation through the exchange of information and practical work. In May 1954 the chapter held its first regional meeting in Stevens Point. Subsequently it held two to three regional meetings a year, in addition to an annual meeting. In 1955, the chapter sponsored a national meeting of the Soil Conservation Society of America in Green Lake. Each meeting carried a theme relating to soil and water conservation, ranging from educational plans to practical solutions. The Wisconsin Chapter started a newsletter in 1956 and a Boy Scout Committee in 1958. In 1967 it investigated the erosion of Wisconsin roadsides as one of its more ambitious projects, publishing a report of the findings in 1969.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of records donated by Walter Scott and Jack Densmore. Scott's material covers the earlier years of the chapter, while Densmore's contribution focuses on the years 1960-1970. Although the time span is brief, gaps exist in the material.
Included are a constitution and charter; meeting files; programs; tour guides; activity summaries; a review of the group's first ten years, with a 1970 update; papers presented at meetings; membership lists; miscellaneous correspondence; and several entries in the chapter awards program.
Most of the material on the meetings concentrates on 1954-1955, with a special summary for the national meeting held in Green Lake, Wisconsin, in September 1955. Formal reports of chapter activities reappear for the 1962-1964 period. For the interim period, a chronological collection of programs, tour guides, newspaper articles, and photographs provide an account of meeting themes and activities. A citation in 1970 from the governor marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the chapter.
Organizational material in the collection includes the original charter granted to the Wisconsin Chapter signed by Hugh Hammond Bennett, president of the Soil Conservation Society of America and founder of the soil conservation movement in America; a constitution in draft and final form; and a listing of the goals and objectives of the Soil Conservation Society of America. The collection also provides historical summaries of the first ten years of the Wisconsin Chapter (1964) and an update in 1970.
The Soil Conservation Society of America held a chapter awards program annually; the collection includes the 1958, 1959, and 1963 Wisconsin entries. The topic for 1958 was the organization and execution of regional chapter meetings. The 1959 entry discussed the Boy Scout Committee formed by the chapter and its work in soil and water conservation. The 1963 entry considered land-use planning in Wisconsin.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Walter E. Scott and Jack Densmore, Madison, Wisconsin, 1965-1971. Accession Number: M65-20, M71-405, F25-56
Processed by Barbara Gilson and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1986.
Contents List
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Charter, constitution, and historical summaries, 1954-1970
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Reports from meetings, 1954-1955, 1962-1964
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Newsletters and programs, 1952-1962
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Papers presented, membership lists, 1954, 1958-1959, 1965-1966, 1968
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Miscellaneous correspondence, 1951-1956
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Wisconsin entries in chapter awards program
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Box
1
Folder
5
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1958, Subject: Regional meetings
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Box
1
Folder
6
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1959, Subject: Boy Scout Committee
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Box
1
Folder
7
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1963, Subject: Land-Use planning
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