CRATERS OF THE MOON Historic Context Statements

Documenting a park's history is a rewarding experience. The combination of archival research and field research literally makes a landscape come alive. But it requires the help of others, and I would like to acknowledge them here.

The idea for these context statements came from Stephanie Toothman, Chief of the Cultural Resources Division in the National Park Service's Pacific Northwest Regional Office. Stephanie worked with Tom Green, former Deputy Director of the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), to develop a study that would satisfy both the Park Service's and the SHPO's historic preservation program needs.

I would like to thank members of the staffs from each of these agencies who represented a wide range of cultural resource disciplines. From the Park Service, Laurin Huffman, Paul Chattey, Cathy Gilbert, Marsha Tolon, Fred York, Jim Thomson, and Kent Bush willingly offered their assistance on the subjects of architecture, landscape architecture, anthropology, archaeology, and museum curation. Wayne Hill deserves a special mention for taking the time to tutor me in land records. From the Idaho SHPO and Idaho State Historical Society, Don Watts, Lauren McCroskey, Larry Jones, Robert Yohe, and Elizabeth Jacox provided valuable assistance in my research and insightful comments on earlier versions of this document. Merle Wells, Idaho's venerable historian, was especially helpful in piecing together fur trade history around Craters of the Moon. I also benefited from my discussion with Idaho historian Hugh Lovin about irrigation history.

Without librarians historians would be lost, and I would like to mention as many here as I can who helped me with this project. Richard Fusick, archivist for the Civil Reference Branch of the National Archives, patiently assisted me with National Park Service and United States Geological Survey records. Archivist Joyce Justice of the National Archives Pacific Northwest Region uncovered land records for Craters of the Moon. One of several who assisted me at the Smithsonian Institution Archives, Archivist Susan W. Glenn guided me through the institution's collections. Carol A. Edwards, of the U.S. Geological Survey's Field Records Library in Denver, Colorado, answered my questions about records of geological surveys at Craters of the Moon. And once more, Alan Virta and Mary Carter, of Boise State University Library's Special Collections, graciously aided my research in their collections. Similarly, Park Service librarians Nancy Hori, Mary Ellen Bartholomew, and Richard Aroksaar, of the Pacific Northwest Region's library, were up to their usual level of enthusiasm and expertise in entertaining my never-ending-search for records.

Finally, I would like to thank Gretchen Luxenberg, Regional Historian, for advising me on this project and reviewing drafts--all with her special brand of humor and criticism. Most of all, I would like to acknowledge the staff of Craters of the Moon National Monument who have always welcomed me and expressed a keen interest in their park and its history. In particular, Superintendent Jonathan Jarvis was highly supportive of the project. David Clark, Chief of Interpretation, has done more than anyone else, perhaps, to promote the monument's history and this kind of study. I am also indebted to Interpreter Lee Taylor-Edmonston for her assistance in retrieving historic photographs and documents from the monument's collections.