Nevada State Library and Archives

Conservation and Natural Resources
State Park Commission and
State Parks Division

Records

Park Commission     1934-1960     1 cu. ft.
This box consists of the files of the State Park Commission which was almost dormant from its inception in 1935 to its reactivation in 1955.  The first twenty years of correspondence are from the office of Robert Allen who was also the State Highway Engineer and Chairman of the State Planning Board.  The files from the 1950's include a transcription of the October 1957 meeting of the Park Commission, as well as correspondence from the Executive Director of the Parks System.

Parks Division     1955-1994, bulk 1961-1994     16 cu. ft.
These records consist of files of the Park Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.   The majority of the records are from the office of the Administrator of the Division who, for many years was John Richardson.

The first box consists of correspondence from the 1960s and early 1970s and quarterly reports from the early 1970s.   The correspondence is filed by subject, including state and federal agencies and state park organizations.

The other 15 cubic feet of records are arranged by the State Parks filing system developed in the early 1970s and followed by the Division into the early 1990s.  The filing system was retained when the records were processed by the State Archives.

 Included in the files of the Division are year-end reports from 1980 to 1992, Park Advisory Commission meeting minutes from 1955 to 1992,  and records of the Nevada Natural History Association-a group that ran the concessions in the parks.  Also included is correspondence regarding the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Young Conservation Corps.

In this collection are records regarding potential park projects and voluminous correspondence related to park planning, including master plans for Nevada state parks.  Lastly there are files on real property acquisition and disposal for park units which include land appraisals, title documents, maps, and drawings.

Other sources of records:
Complimentary collections containing Park Commission and State Parks records can be found at the University of Nevada, Reno, Special Collections Department in the manuscript collections of Commission members Thomas Woodnut Miller and Margaret Wheat.

Thomas Woodnut Miller (NC441) was the first Park Commissioner (1935) and active on both the Commission and State Parks Advisory Commission until his death in 1973.  2 1/2 cubic feet of Parks material includes correspondence, minutes, general material and files on specific parks.

Margaret Wheat (83-24) was a Park Commissioner from 1953-1960 and often diametrically opposed to Thomas Woodnut Miller's policies and practices.  Her collection of Parks material includes one cubic foot of correspondence, financial statements, clippings, bylaws, invoices, minutes of meetings, and notes.

Folder List for State Park Commission and State parks Division Records: