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Guide to the Mineral King Collection, 1947-1995
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Table of contents
Title: Mineral King Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1947-1995
Extent: 3 linear feet
Audiovisual: Two audiocassettes in box 1.
Photographs: In box 3 and map case __ , drawer__ .
Repository:
Henry Madden Library (California State University, Fresno).
Sanoian Special Collections Library.
Sanoian Special Collections Library.
Fresno, California
Language:
English.
The collection was donated by Scott Kruse.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been transferred to California State University, Fresno.
[Identification of item], Mineral King Collection, Sanoian Special Collections Library,
California State University, Fresno.
The Mineral King movement first began in the late 1940s when the United States Department
of Agriculture's Forest Service proposed alpine ski development in the area. The movement
resurged in the1960s when the Forest Service re-introduced the ski resort proposal and
the Walt Disney Company was awarded the bid to build such a resort. The Disney Company
proposed a resort for both winter and summer activities with a total of twenty ski lifts
as well as accommodations for thousands of visitors and employees in the southern Sierra
Nevada, near Visalia, California. The opposition to the the development centered around a
proposed road into the Mineral King Valley, with the Sierra Club spearheading measures to
protect the valley. The Sierra Club's grass-roots effort, in addition to a legal battle
in the late 1960s, led to many delays and ultimately, the end of any development in the
valley.
The Mineral King collection measures 3 linear feet and dates from 1947 to 1995. The
collection is arranged in six series: Artifacts, Background information, Government
documents, Sierra Club, Maps, and Photographs Walt Disney Company,. Most of this material
was collected in the 1960s and 1970s by John Harper, a geography professor at Humboldt
State University, the original impetus being conservation work with the Sierra Club and
research for Harper's 1982 book,
Mineral King: Public Concern with Government
Policy
(Woodward: F868 S5 H368). Scott Kruse, one of Harper's students,
subsequently added to the collection, a practice that continues today.
The
Background information series (1947-1995) consists of
newspaper and magazine articles that were collected from both national and local
publications concerning the Mineral King controversy. This series also includes research
papers by college students on the Mineral King issue. Two audiocassettes of talk-radio
programs are also included in this series.
The
Government documents series (1969-1979) contains federal
reports from the United States Forest Service, the Department of Agriculture, the
Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Land Management as well as correspondence
between the state and federal politicians that were involved with the Mineral King issue.
The state documents are from the California Department of Fish and Game and the State
Highway Commission as well as Inyo, Kern, and Tulare Counties. Also included are an
environmental impact report and statement from the United States Forest Service.
The
Sierra Club series (1961-1996) documents the opposition of
the Sierra Club to the development of the Mineral King Valley. Included are the numerous
newsletters and letters released by the Sierra Club and its local chapters, most notably
the Kern Kaweah and the Tehipite (Fresno) chapters. Also included in the series are the
affidavits and memoranda from its 1968 lawsuit against the United States government.
The
Walt Disney Company series (1965-1972) consists of
documents and correspondence among Disney executives involved in the development of the
Mineral King area as well as press releases concerning the proposed project.
The
Photographs series (undated) consists of several aerial
photos of the area.