Inventory of the William Langille Papers, 1903 – 1907
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: Journeying to Alaska in 1903, William Alexander Langille (1868-1956) explored the territory's forests and resources for the Bureau of Forestry and the United States Forest Service. From 1905 until 1911, Langille administered all the national forest reserves in the Alaskan territory.
The collection consists of four bound volumes containing journal entries, letter copies, and business transactions. Volumes cover the period from 1903 to 1907, during which time Langille was working throughout Alaska for the Bureau of Forestry and the United States Forest Service. Also includes 4 CDs consisting of scans of Langille's journal.
Title: William Langille Papers, 1903 - 1907
Creator: Langille, William Alexander, 1868-1956
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 7671
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 1.5 linear feet (2 archival boxes)
Biographical Note
William Alexander Langille (1868-1956) was born in Nova Scotia, Canada on August 18, 1868. He later moved with his parents to the Hood River valley of Oregon, where he assisted his father in clearing the family's land. In the spring of 1903, Langille took a position in the Bureau of Forestry in Washington D.C.
In the fall of 1903, Langille was sent to Alaska at the request of Gifford Pinchot and President Theodore Roosevelt. His mission was to examine the resources in Alaska and report on the administrative needs of the forests. Langille traveled extensively by boat and dog sled throughout the Kenai Peninsula area, eventually concluding that a forest reserve was greatly needed in the area. Protection and management was necessary because railroad construction crews had already cut many of the best stands.
Langille produced a detailed report recognizing the area's timber value, as well as the need for a wildlife and hunting preserve. Langille recommended that portions of the proposed Kenai Forest Reserve be designated as game preserves, including Sheep Creek at the head of Kachemak Bay for Dall sheep, and Caribou Hills for moose caribou. Following Langille's recommendations the Chugach National Forest was created July 23, 1907, stretching from the Copper River on the east to Cook Inlet on the west, Kachemak Bay on the south and including all the Chugach Mountains to the north.
In the spring of 1905, following the establishment of the USDA Forest Service, Langille took over the administration of the Alaska forests, supervising all of the national forest reserves in that territory until 1911, when he resigned.
William Langille is regarded by many as the father of forestry in Alaska. During his time there, he mapped boundaries for the forest reserves, traced down timber trespass, made timber sales, acted as disbursing agent, examined mining claims, made out special occupancy permits, enforced game laws, and did cooperative work with such federal agencies as the Biological Survey, the Fish Commission, and the Geological Survey. Langille kept a meticulous set of books and records under the most difficult of circumstances. In addition, he explained to Alaskans the purposes and uses of the new reserves, and he kept the Washington Office informed of its needs. Langille once shared a cabin with Jack London and became acquainted with the dog "Buck," the hero of London's story, The Call of the Wild.
Collection Overview
The collection consists of four bound volumes containing journal entries, letter copies, and business transactions. Volumes cover the period from 1903 to 1907, during which time Langille was working throughout Alaska for the Bureau of Forestry and the United States Forest Service. Also includes 4 CDs consisting of scans of Langille's journal.
Collection Arrangement
- Volumes, 1903-1907
Subject Headings
- Langille, William Alexander, 1868-1956
- Lumber trade -- Alaska
- National parks and reserves -- Alaska
- Timber -- Management -- Alaska
- Timber -- Trespass
- United States. Forest Service
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Volumes, 1903-1907
Box 1
- 1904-1905
Parchment paper copies of Langille's typed and handwritten letters, correspondence, and financial transactions, over 500 pages. - 1905-1907
Langille's handwritten journal entries and financial transaction, 226 pages. Includes records of timber sales and other business dealings, as well as notes on timber trespass cases.
Box 2
- March 1906
Parchment paper copies and typed transcriptions of 14 letters sent by Langille from Ketchikan, Alaska. - 1903-1905
Parchment paper copies of over 100 handwritten letters from Langille sent from various places in Alaska, including Valdez, Ketchikan, and Seward. - Data CD 1-4
Digital Scans of Langille Journal. Scans are saved as pdf and rtf files.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the Forest History Society's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William Langille Papers, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Teresa Haugh, USFS Public Affairs Office, Juneau, Alaska, May 2008.
Processing Information
Processed by Staff, 2008
Encoded by Amanda Ross, February 2009
Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.
