The records of the Kickapoo Valley Association consist of records created during the two year Comprehensive Employment Training Act Grant project to clean up the Kickapoo River Watershed. Records date from 1977-1980. Little in the collection documents the Kickapoo Valley Association as an organization.

The Kickapoo Valley Association records have been organized into four series: Kickapoo Area History, Grant Administration, Financial and Personnel.

The series KICKAPOO AREA HISTORY (undated) consists of two bound volumes of local history and 42 pages of lesson plans for area schools or community groups. All are a result of the KVA-History Project. Volume One includes four entries that detail the early history of the Kickapoo Valley: “Prehistoric Indians in the Kickapoo,” “Kickapoo Beginnings: The Meeting of the Two Peoples in the Fur Trade,” “Whose Land Was It? A Summary of How the Land in the United States Changed Hands,” and “Settlement: The Peopling of the Kickapoo Valley.” Volume Two includes five entries that continue the timeline of the Kickapoo Valley: “Forest-Union Settlement Study: A Melting Pot,” “Waterpower in the Kickapoo Valley,” “Sengin,” “From Muddy Roads to Steel Wheels,” and The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942.” The lesson plans are intended for students of all ages and focus on the history, geography and social history of the area.

The GRANT ADMINISTRATION series (1977-1980) consists of subject files created and maintained by project coordinator Tom Hovde. The original order has been maintained and thus items are filed alphabetically. The contents of these subject files clearly illustrate the accountability that was required for federal grant projects. Hovde maintained meticulous records of his correspondence, phone calls and progress meetings with various officials at the regional and state Governor's Manpower Office, as well as with area participants. Items within folders are typically in chronological order with related correspondence attached. Of general interest are the following files that contain valuable information about the running of the project: Correspondence, General, Comprehensive Employment Training Act, Reauthorization, Governor's Manpower Office, Grant Application, and Project Final Reports. These records show the reach of the projects, their details that went into carrying out the projects from year to year and are a comprehensive look at the implementation of a federal grant. Additional information regarding the general administration of the grant can also be found in the subject files of the FINANCIAL series and the PERSONNEL series.

The FINANCIAL series (1977-1980) is grouped under three headings, Project Time Sheets, Project Ledger and Journals, and Taxes. Project time sheets document the daily efforts being made to meet the goals set forth by the Kickapoo Valley Association and the Soil and Water Conservation Dept. in the initial grant proposal. Ledgers and Journals were divided by project type and then by grant year and provide information regarding the purchasing habits of each project. The heading Taxes includes Employee Tax Reports, and demographic information about participants, as well as subject files. Subject files include correspondence regarding a federal audit of the program, Comprehensive Employment Training Act reports that detail participant demographics and hiring practices of the project. The heading Time Sheets offer insight to the daily functions of project employees, including their daily activities, locations, and progress on the projects.

The PERSONNEL series (1977-1979) consist of subject files and employee files that have been organized alphabetically to increase accessibility. Records illustrate the hiring and firing practices of the project, documented by correspondence and official project forms. Eligibility to work on the project was determined by an applicant's unemployment status and so most personnel files contain an application essay where need and want for the job is stated. Hiring was not based on education, but educational backgrounds are on the applications. The project was an equal opportunity employer although preference was given to applicants from the Kickapoo Valley Area and there are only a small handful of participants who were not residents. The Personnel files therefore offer insight to who was living and looking for work in the area in 1977. This series has certain access restrictions (see restrictions note for further details).

Given the role of the Kickapoo Valley Association in initiating the grant application process, one would expect the collection to document the wider activities of the organization. The Kickapoo Valley Association is listed as the official grant recipient on all state and federal paper work, however there is little to no documentation of the organization. The importance of the collection is that it offers a complete and cohesive run of records from 1977-1980 that document the Kickapoo Valley community and its residents. When the KVA applied for and received the CETA/LEAP grant it was their intention to clean up a completely unusable watershed while offering a solution to the record levels of unemployment that plagued the community. The records clearly document community members hired to work within the various projects, the administrative responsibilities of project coordinator Tom Hovde, the daily functions of a federal grant project, and the outcome of the projects.