Doris O. Dawdy papers
Finding aid prepared by Melissa McGann.
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© 2000
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Doris O. Dawdy papers
Date (inclusive): 1865-1995
Date (bulk): 1980-1995
Collection Number: WRCA 202
Creator:
Dawdy, Doris Ostrander
Extent:
6.25 linear feet
(15 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Abstract: This collection represents Dawdy's research files for her book:
Congress In Its Wisdom: The Bureau of Reclamation and the Public Interest, Studies in Water Policy and Management, No. 13 (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1989).
Languages: The collection is in English.
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives.
Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission
of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable
rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Doris O. Dawdy papers (WRCA 202). Water Resources Collections and Archives.
Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Doris O. Dawdy, 1995.
Processing History
Processed by Melissa McGann, 2000.
Collection Number
Collection number updated December 2018. Legacy collection number was MS 99/2. This change was part of a project in 2018/2019
to update the collection numbers for collections in the Water Resources Collections and Archives.
Biographical Note
Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Doris Dawdy's first professional aspirations were very different from her present occupation
as a researcher of water rights and other historical issues in the American West. In her late-teens, Dawdy played the clarinet,
saxophone, and violin in addition to conducting her own orchestra. She attended the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis,
Minnesota to train as a professional music instructor, but left the school just before graduation to pursue other interests.
Dawdy began her career as an author by documenting artists in the American West. Her most notable works include
Annotated Bibliography of American Indian Painting (New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1968), and the three volume set
Artists of the American West (Athens: Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 1980, 1981, and 1985, respectively). She also edited two journal accounts:
A Voice in Her Tribe: A Navajo Woman's Own Story, Based on Navajo Activist Irene Stewart's Letters to Anthropologist Dr. Mary
Shepardson
(Menlo Park, CA: Ballena Press, 1980), and
The Wyant Diary: An Artist With the Wheeler Survey in Arizona, 1873 (
Arizona and the West, Autumn 1980).
Her primary interests, however, are in the fields of politics and political science, with a particular focus on analyzing
government agencies and their operations. She attributes these interests to her experiences as an aid to a Minnesota senator
and as a lawyer's public stenographer. Through exposure to her husband's work, Dawdy added another dimension to her research
interests: water rights in the western United States. Dawdy's extensive research into water quality issues, particularly in
California, has given her over thirty-five years of experience and expertise with which she writes her books. Her diligent
efforts to follow and report on trends in water management arise out of a concern over water use in the West, especially in
California.
Dawdy continues to write about a variety of topics pertaining to the American West. She recently published
George Montague Wheeler: The Man and the Myth (Athens: Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 1993), a critical look at Wheeler's explorations in the American West from
1869-1879, and has three more books in various stages of completion. The soonest to be released is an examination of the history
of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is being published by the University of Ohio Press. The second book discusses water
and land issues on Navaho/Hopi reservations and is currently under review. The third book is a work-in-progress that serves
as a follow-up to
Congress in its Wisdom: The Bureau of Reclamation and the Public Interest, Studies in Water Policy and Management, No. 13 (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1989), by further examining the actions of
the USBR.
Doris and her husband, prominent research hydrologist and consultant David R. Dawdy, currently reside in the San Francisco
Bay Area. Further bibliographical citations for Doris Dawdy are located in the
Who's Who in American Art,
Who's Who in the West,
World's Who's Who of Women, and
Contemporary Authors.
Collection Scope and Contents
The Doris O. Dawdy Papers represent the research files Dawdy used to create her book
Congress in Its Wisdom: The Bureau of Reclamation and the Public Interest, Studies in Water Policy and Management, No. 13 (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1989).
Congress in its Wisdom "provides a critical look at the Bureau and its works, arguing for a reform of the agency and a new mandate from a constituency
of all citizens and representing all interest groups." (caption from back cover)
Collection Arrangement
The collection is divided into seven series: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Selenium, Westlands Water District (WWD),
Subject Files, Geographical Files, Clippings, and Reports. The bulk of the Dawdy Papers is arranged first by subject matter,
and then chronologically. Two additional topics prevalent in the collection but not represented by series are the Kesterson
Reservoir and the San Luis Drain.
Separated Materials
Published and unpublished reports have been transferred to the general collection of the Water Resources Collections and Archives.
See call numbers related to the United States Bureau of Reclamation, the San Luis Drain, Kesterson Reservoir, Westlands Water
District, and selenium.
Dawdy's book,
Congress in Its Wisdom: The Bureau of Reclamation and the Public Interest, Studies in Water Policy and Management, No. 13 (Boulder: Westview Press, 1989) is also available under WRCA call number
G2045 M9
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program
United States. Bureau of Reclamation
Westlands Water District (Calif.)
Agricultural pollution -- California -- San Joaquin Valley
Drainage -- Environmental aspects -- California -- San Joaquin Valley
Kesterson Reservoir (Calif.)
San Luis Drain (Calif.)
Selenium -- Environmental aspects -- California -- San Joaquin Valley
Genres and Forms of Materials
Research notes
Series 1. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
1900-1995
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains files on USBR issues related to water issues in central California, including the Reclamation Reform
Act, the San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program, the Friant Dam, and the San Luis Drain.
Series Arrangement
Organized according to original arrangement by Dawdy.
Box 1, Folder 1
Reclamation Reform Act
1978-1987
Box 1, Folder 3
San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program
1987-1991
Box 1, Folder 4
Friant Water Users Authority: lawsuit
1989
Box 1, Folder 5
Friant Water Users Authority: report
1989
Box 1, Folder 6
Friant Contracts
1986-1992
Box 1, Folder 8
Newlands Project
1982-1988
Box 1, Folder 9
Testimony of Lawrence F. Hancock before the State Water Resources Control Board, Sacramento, CA
October, 15, 1984
Box 2
Reclamation Service
1900-1905
Box 2
Water Development: Central Valley/Delta
1987
Box 3
Finding of No Significant Impact: Proposed Use Agreement Allowing Use of the San Luis Drain for Conveyance of Agricultural
Drainage Waters through the Grassland Water District and Adjacent Grassland Channels
October 18, 1991
Box 3
Miscellaneous
January-July 1994
Box 3
Miscellaneous
August-December 1994
Series 2. Selenium
1865-1994
Sub-Series 2.1. Chronologies
1984-1986
Sub-Series Scope and Contents
Contains chronology fact sheets for the USBR in California, Kesterson Dam, and selenium.
Sub-Series 2.2. Clippings
1983-1994
Sub-Series Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Sub-Series 2.3. Authors
1865-1994
Sub-Series Scope and Contents
Contains articles and reports by, and notes about, authors addressing any of the key issues in this collection.
Sub-Series Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by author, and then chronologically where applicable.
Box 6
Authors: Smith, F.
1980-1984
Box 7
Authors: Smith, F.
1985-1987
Box 7
Authors: Smith, F.
1988-1991
Box 7
Authors: Smith, G.-Sy
1970-1990
Series 3. Westlands Water District (WWD)
1953-1994
Series Scope and Contents
This series addresses issues related to the Westlands Water District from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
Series Arrangement
Organized according to original arrangement by Dawdy.
Box 7
Solicitors' Opinions and Memoranda
1978-1986
Box 8
Brody, Ralph M./USBR documentation
1953-1981
Box 8
Westlands W.D. v. U.S.A., et al.
1994
Box 8
Litigation: clippings
1985-1987
Series 4. Subject Files
1925-1994
Series Scope and Contents
The subjects in this series cover a variety of topics related to the key issues in this collection, including R.J. Claus litigation
and other lawsuits, the Solicitor's Office of the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S.
Geological Survey, the Public Trust Doctrine, and a variety of water issues.
Series Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Box 8
Army Corp of Engineers
1983-1991
Box 8
Baker, Clyde, et al, v. U.S.A.
1989
Box 8
Bliss, Eldred S.
1984-1985
Box 8
Bureau of Mines (U.S.), re: selenium
1987-1994
Box 8, Folder 12
California Institute for Rural Studies
1980-1993
Box 9
California Trout, Inc., et al, v. SWRCB, et al.
1989
Box 9
Claus, R.J. v. U.S.A.
1985
Box 9
Claus, R.J. v. U.S.A.
1985-1987
Box 9
Coercion and Harassment
1985-1989
Box 9
Commission on Organization of the Exec. Branch (U.S.)
1949-1953
Box 9
Conflicts of Interest and Cover-Ups
1983-1989
Box 9
Congress (U.S.)
1949-1979
Box 9
Department of the Interior: Office of Inspector General
1978-1987
Box 9
Department of the Interior: Solicitor's Office
1947-1979
Box 10
Department of the Interior: Solicitor's Office
1980-1985
Box 10
Department of the Interior: Solicitor's Office
1986-1990
Box 10
Dunning, Harrison
1977-1994
Box 10
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.)
1977-1991
Box 10
Federal Water Laws and Implementation
1970-1991
Box 10
Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S.)
1985-1986
Box 10
Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S.)
1987-1988
Box 10
Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S.)
1989-1994
Box 10
Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S.), re: selenium
1986-1990
Box 10
Food and Drug Administration, re: selenium
1986-1989
Box 10
Freitas, Janette, et al. (litigation)
1984-1987
Box 11
Gejdenson, Sam (U.S. Representative)
1988
Box 11
Geological Survey (U.S.)
1925-1992
Box 11
Geological Survey (U.S.), re: selenium
1974-1991
Box 11
Grassland Resource Conservation District
1953-1986
Box 11
Gustine Land Cattle Co. v. U.S.A.
1966
Box 11
Hallett Creek Stream System
1984-1988
Box 11
Instream/Wetlands Restoration: clippings
1986-1991
Box 11
Instream/Wetlands Restoration: general
1976-1990
Box 11
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
1986
Box 12
National Audubon Society, et al. v. L.A. Dept. of Water Power
1981
Box 12
Owens Valley/Mono Basin
1966-1991
Box 12
Peterson v. Dept. of the Interior (and Opinion by Judge Norris)
1986-1990
Box 12
Public Trust Doctrine
1970-1990
Box 12
Summers Engineering, Inc.
1985-1987
Box 12
U.S.A. v. SWRCB (Racanelli Decision)
1986
Box 12
Water and Power
1981
19
88
Box 12
Water Marketing, Trading, and Reallocation
1977-1990
Series 5. Geographical Files
1885-1992
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains files relevant to water issues within each state.
Series Arrangement
Organized according to original arrangement by Dawdy.
Sub-Series 5.1. California
1936-1991
Box 13
University of California
1970-1991
Box 13
Water Districts and Water Rights
1951-1989
Box 13
Water Laws and Implementation
1966-1989
Box 13
Water Policy: Research
1936-1982
Box 13
CVP/SWP Coordinated Operation Agreement
1985
Box 13
Peripheral Canal
1971-1982
Sub-Series 5.2. Arizona
1985-1992
Sub-Series 5.3. Nevada
1885-1991
Series 6. Clippings
1955-1995
Series Arrangement
Arranged chronologically except for the last six folders in the series, which are organized into three subjects: subsidies,
California water policy, and U.S. Congress - George Miller.
Box 15
California Water Policy
1988-1989
Box 15
U.S. Congress: George Miller
1983-1987
Series 7. Reports
1966-1995
Series Scope and Contents
Photocopied title pages of the reports Dawdy collected for her research. These reports have been removed from this manuscript
collection and have been individually cataloged as part the Water Resources Collections and Archives main collection.
Series Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
