Guide to the Mineral King Collection, 1947-1995

Processed by Michael Hendrickson; machine-readable finding aid created by James Lake
Sanoian Special Collections Library
California State University, Fresno
5200 North Barton Avenue M/S ML 34
Fresno, California 93740-8014
Phone: (559) 278-2595
Fax: (559) 278-6952
Email: specialc@listserv.csufresno.edu
URL: http://www.lib.csufresno.edu/SubjectResources/SpecialCollections
© 1998
California State University, Fresno. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Mineral King Collection, 1947-1995

Sanoian Special Collections Library



Henry Madden Library

Fresno, California

Contact Information:

  • Sanoian Special Collections Library
  • California State University, Fresno
  • 5200 North Barton Avenue M/S ML 34
  • Fresno, California 93740-8014
  • Phone: (559) 278-2595
  • Fax: (559) 278-6952
  • Email: specialc@listserv.csufresno.edu
  • URL: http://www.lib.csufresno.edu/SubjectResources/SpecialCollections
Processed by:
Michael Hendrickson
Date Completed:
1998
Encoded by:
James Lake
© 1998 California State University, Fresno. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

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.
Fresno, California
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Acquisition

The collection was donated by Scott Kruse.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been transferred to California State University, Fresno.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Mineral King Collection, Sanoian Special Collections Library, California State University, Fresno.

Background

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.

Scope and Content

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.

 

Background information

Box Box 1

Academic reports

 

1963

 

1970

 

1971 (5 folders)

 

1972

 

1973-1974

 

1975

 

Undated (3 folders)

 

Audiocassettes (radio programs), 1970-1972

 

Newspaper clippings

 

1947-1959

 

1960

 

1961-1965

 

1966-1967

 

1968

 

1969 (2 folders)

 

1970 (3 folders)

 

1971 (2 folders)

 

1972 (3 folders)

 

1973

Box Box 2

1974

 

1975 (2 folders)

 

1976

 

1977 (2 folders)

 

1978

 

1979 (2 folders)

 

1980-1989

 

1990-1996

 

Undated

 

Government documents

Box Box 2

Federal

 

Congressional

 

1963-1969

 

1970-1975

 

1977-1995

 

Department of Agriculture, 1968-1972

 

Department of the Interior

 

Back country management plan for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 1963

 

Reports and correspondence

 

1967-1969

 

1970-1980

 

United States Forest Service

 

Environmental impact report and statement, 1972

 

Reports and correspondence, 1965-1979

 

Sequoia National Forest

 

1973-1976

 

Undated

 

State of California

 

1963-1969

 

1970-1978

 

Sierra Club

Box Box 3

Bulletins

 

1962-1969

 

1970-1971

 

1972-1977

 

Correspondence

 

1963-1965

 

1966-1969

 

1970-1978

 

Legal papers

 

1968

 

1969

 

Newsletters

 

Kern-Kaweah Chapter, 1963-1969

 

Mineral King Task Force, 1970-1978

 

National News Report

 

1966-1971

 

1973-1978

 

Tehipite Topics, 1968-1978

 

Walt Disney Company

Box Box 3

Correspondence, 1965-1972

 

Maps, 1927-1968

Box Box 3

Miscellaneous sizes

 

Oversize [in map case__ , drawer__ ]

 

Photographs (aerial), undated

Box Box 3

Miscellaneous sizes

 

Oversize undated [in map case__ , drawer__ ]

 

Artifacts

Box Box 4

T-shirt

 

Patch