Inventory of the Quinault Indian Reservation Collection, 1911 – 1977

Descriptive Summary

Abstract:

In 1971, a group of Quinault Reservation allottees, many of whom belonged to the Quinault Indian Nation, first filed the Helen Mitchell, et al. v. United States court case. The allottees alleged that, beginning in 1920, the Bureau of Indian Affairs mismanaged forests on the Quinault Indian Reservation. After a series of jurisdictional and procedural appeals, the Supreme Court found the United States Government liable for monetary damages and breach of trust in the case United States v. Mitchell 463 (1983).

This collection includes drafts of the report, correspondence, memoranda, reports, scholarly publications, photographs and other materials that were assembled by professional historians Dr. Harold K. Steen and Dr. Robert E. Ficken in order to historically document the forest management practices of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the then 190,000-acre (now 200,000 acres after the North Boundary Restoration Act in 1988 PL 100-638) Quinault Indian Reservation in Washington State. The materials were compiled as evidence in the 1971 Court of Claims case Helen Mitchell, et al., v. United States. The Forest History Society generated the final report of Steen and Ficken, The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History (1977), for the Department of Justice.

Title: Quinault Indian Reservation Collection, 1911 - 1977

Creator: Quinault Reservation (Wash.)

Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives

Call Number: 3959

Language of Material: Material in English

Extent: 2.0 linear ft. (2 boxes)

 

Historical Note

In 1971, a group of Quinault Reservation allottees, many of whom belonged to the Quinault Indian Nation, first filed the Helen Mitchell, et al. v. United States court case. The allottees alleged that, beginning in 1920, the Bureau of Indian Affairs mismanaged forests on the Quinault Indian Reservation. The case reached the Court of Claims in 1975, after being first filed in 1971. The Land and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice granted the Forest History Society the task of preparing a documentary history of forest management practices on the Quinault Reservation, hoping to unearth sufficient evidence to counter the claims of mismanagement. Then Forest History Society Associate Director Dr. Harold K. Steen and Dr. Robert E. Ficken were engaged as the professional historians whose job it was to gather the necessary historical evidence, to document said evidence in a thorough report, and to testify in court in defense of their research, if necessary. Dr. Elmo Richardson assisted them in gathering historical data about BIA management practices in the post-World War II era. The materials in this collection are those pertaining to the creation of the official report entitled The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History (1977) that was generated by the Forest History Society for the Department of Justice.

 

Collection Overview

This collection includes drafts of the report, correspondence, memoranda, reports, scholarly publications, photographs and other materials that were assembled by professional historians Dr. Harold K. Steen and Dr. Robert E. Ficken in order to historically document the forest management practices of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on the then 190,000-acre Quinault Indian Reservation in Washington State. The materials were compiled as evidence in the 1971 Helen Mitchell, et al., v. United States Court of Claims case. The Forest History Society generated the final report of Steen and Ficken, The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History (1977), for the Department of Justice.

Collection Arrangement

  1. Drafts of The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History (1977), Correspondence, Government Records, Reports, Court-filings, Photographs, and Other Material, 1911-1977

Subject Headings

  • Allotment of land
  • Ficken, Robert E.
  • Indians of North America -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Cases
  • Logging
  • Public lands sales
  • Quinault Indians
  • Quinault Reservation (Wash.)
  • Richardson, Elmo
  • Slash (Logging)
  • Steen, Harold K.
  • United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs

 

Separated and Related Material

Harold Weaver Photograph Albums removed to FHS Photograph Collection.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History by Robert E. Ficken, Harold K. Steen, & Elmo Richardson, 1977. (PDF Scan included)

Document Summaries for Defendants in the H Series to Accompany a Report Entitled: The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History by Robert E. Ficken, Harold K. Steen, & Elmo Richardson, 1977. (PDF Scan included).

Detailed Description of the Collection

Box 1

Box 1: Drafts of The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History and related notes, correspondence, publications, and research files.

  • Series 1: Drafts and edits to The Bureau of Indian Affairs & Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation
    • Folders 1 - 4: Edits, notes for draft of Ficken, Steen, and Richardson’s The Bureau of Indian Affairs & Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation [Folder 1 PDF] [Folder 2 PDF] [Folder 3 PDF] [Folder 4 PDF]
    • Folder 5: Harold K. Steen’s dissertation draft “Forestry in Washington to 1925”
  • Series 2: Correspondence and research files
    • Folder 6: Correspondence concerning The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation, 11/25/1975 - 01/05/1977
    • Folder 7: Correspondence, Elmo Richardson research files, 05/19/1945 - 04/08/1958 
      • Correspondence used for Elmo Richardson’s chapter in The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History
    • Folder 8: Correspondence, Elmo Richardson research files, 04/08/1958 - 10/03/1971
      • Correspondence used for Elmo Richardson’s chapter in The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Forestry on the Quinault Indian Reservation: A History
    • Folder 9: Correspondence, Research files, 05/11/1911 - 12/20/1929
    • Folder 10: Correspondence, Research files, 04/14/1930 - 09/08/1939
    • Folder 11: Correspondence, Research files, 04/08/1940 - 05/19/1958
    • Folder 12: Correspondence, Research files, 07/22/1960 - 10/08/1969
    • Folder 13: Correspondence, Research files, 01/09/1970 - 03/09/1977
  • Series 3: Publications and research files
    • Folder 14: Publications, research files, 1924 - 1968
    • Folder 15: Publications, research files, 05/1970 - 10/1978
    • Folder 16: Nicholas Popoff’s master’s thesis “A Study of Management Policies and Practices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Lands Held in Federal Trust on the Quinault Indian Reservation” (1970)

Box 2

Box 2: Government records, Helen Mitchell vs. United States filings and reports, miscellaneous files, and bound volume of manuscript “Forest Management on the Quinault Indian Reservation” by Philip A. Briegleb and Walter H. Lund.

  • Series 4: Government records and research files
    • Folder 17: Government records, research files
    • Folder 18: Government records, research files
    • Folder 19: Government records, research files
    • Folder 20: Government records, research files (Forest management)
    • Folder 21: Government records, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Reports (1922, ‘23, ‘29, ‘30, ‘31, ‘32, ‘33, ‘64, ‘65, ‘66, and ‘68)
    • Folder 22: Government records, research files - reports, hearings, commissions, bills, and acts from 1923 - 1976
  • Series 5: Helen Mitchell vs. the United States records and research files
    • Folder 23: Helen Mitchell vs. the United States research files
    • Folder 24: Helen Mitchell vs. the United States research files
    • Folder 25: Helen Mitchell vs. the United States research files
  • Series 6: Miscellaneous files
    • Folder 26: Miscellaneous files (note card edits, photos, and business card for Alec Jackson)
  • Bound volume: “Forest Management on the Quinault Indian Reservation” by Philip A. Briegleb & Walter H. Lund (p. December, 1972 - Portland, OR)
    • Assc. Dir. Dr. Harold K. Steen personal copy

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

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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], Quinault Indian Reservation Collection, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.

Processing Information

Processed by Michele Justice, August 1991

Encoded by Amanda Ross, October 2008

Reprocessed by Jake MacDonnell, May 2021

Funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission supported the encoding of this finding aid. Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.

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