Title: SEKI Central Files

Dates: 1921-1975

Bulk Dates: 1954-1968

Collection number: SEKI 22571

Creator: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (Calif.)

Collection Size: 24 linear feet

Repository: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Museum and Archives.

Abstract: Records generated within the organizational divisions of Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park ranging from 1921-1975.

Physical location: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Ash Mountain Headquarters, Archive.

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Collection is open for research by appointment.

Many collections are former federal government records and are in the public domain. Other collections are from private sources; copyright has been transferred to the NPS on most. Some collections have publication restrictions. Staff will assist researchers in determining copyright status of selected materials. Researchers are required to properly credit all materials used. The researcher assumes responsibility for acquiring copyright permissions when needed.

SEKI Central Files, SEKI 22571. Courtesy of the National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

This collection originated from the central files of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park for the years of 1921 to 1975, with the bulk consisting of records from 1954 to 1968. Through normal procedures, these documents were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) storage facility in San Francisco in periodic intervals. When the San Francisco facility moved to San Bruno, California, the files were relocated to that facility. In 2013, these files were withdrawn from the San Bruno facility and returned to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks archives.

In 1890, Sequoia National Park was the second national park to be established by the federal government. Kings Canyon National Park was founded in 1940 and, though the parks are separate, they have been administered jointly for most of their history. The parks were some of the first national parks to face issues associated with the collective effects of development and visitation on the park ecosystems. The central records of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were created by various offices and divisions fulfilling the parks' mission and ensuring accountability to the public and Congress. Originally, the organization of the parks consisted of ranger, maintenance, and administrative divisions. In the early decades of the park, the ranger division provided interpretation and natural resource management for the park services. As the park grew, there was increased specialization and reorganization of divisions to meet the growing needs and challenges of the park, such as safety, conservation, and development of park programs and infrastructure. Extensive fiscal records attest to the increasing complexity of administration. In 1959, the public programming functions of the ranger division were split off into the new division of interpretation. This allowed park naturalists to focus on visitor interactions and education and allowed rangers to focus on such concerns as law enforcement and resource management. The increasing professionalization of the ranger division lead to further programs and initiatives dedicated to improving park safety practices for visitors and employees, a critical issue in the mid-twentieth century. Records in wildlife and natural resource management reflect changing attitudes and growing concerns over the preservation of the parks' flora and fauna. Major programs included: Mission 66, a program enacted by the National Park Service (NPS) in honor of their fiftieth anniversary, which included the construction of the Lodgepole Visitor Center and campground; the implementation of prescribed burn programs as a method of ecosystem restoration and fire control; campaigns for the cleanup and restoration of public areas; and a partnership with the University of California for a major archeological survey of the park. Between 1953 and 2009, the NPS used the NPS-19 Records Disposition Schedule system of file codes to organize and manage records. This method of organization is an alphanumeric system, which consists of primary key letters (A to Y) representing major functional categories and secondary numbers representing the type of records being filed. Records are organized by NPS-19 file code and then by dates within each file code. Records created prior to 1953 were later filed according to the NPS-19 codes by the division and remained part of the records until they were closed and transferred to the archive.

This collection consists of park records encompassing analyses, audits, blueprints and plans, correspondence, ephemera, inventories, legal documents, maps, memoranda, permits, photographs, planning documents, and reports. This collection documents the following topics: administration; concessions; development and maintenance; fiscal matters; history and archeology; interpretation and information; lands and recreation; natural and social sciences; personnel; supplies, procurement, and property; laws and legal matters; and fire management and forestry.

Organized into XII series following the alphanumeric NPS- 19 disposition schedule file code as follows: Series I: A series - Administration; Series II: C series - Concessions; Series III: D series - Development and Maintenance; Series IV: F series - Fiscal; Series V: H series - History and Archeology; Series VI: K series - Interpretation and Information; Series VII: L series - Lands and Recreation; Series VIII: N series - Natural and Social Sciences; Series IX: P Series - Personnel; Series X: S series - Supplies, Procurement, and Property; Series XI: W series - Laws and Legal Matters; and Series XII: Y series - Fire Management and Forestry. All series are arranged by NPS-19 file code and then by dates within each file code.

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.