Timeless Heritage: A History of the Forest Service in the Southwest

The authors have genuinely enjoyed the task of writing the history of Region 3, the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service. The Southwest is a beautiful and distinctive part of the country. The history of the Forest Service there is an integral part of the modern history of the Southwest and of the Forest Service as a National agency. Our associates in this task, in person and in spirit, have added to the enjoyment.

We began work in 1984, with the personal cooperation and support of the regional forester, Milo Jean Hassell, who retired in July 1985, and are completing it under the supervision of the current regional forester, Sotero Muniz. Both have provided the tangible and moral support to make our research as open and accessible as possible. This has been reflected by the willingness and cooperation of both active staff and retired personnel to lend assistance and offer information and advice.

Many individuals have been most helpful, and we are very appreciative of their assistance, counsel, and advice. Dr. David Gililo, our official liaison with Region 3, provided invaluable directions in solving some of our problems and offered good editorial advice on a reading of the entire manuscript, all the while maintaining an intensive regular work schedule. Dr. Dennis Roth, Head of the History Section in the Washington Office of the USDA Forest Service, and Frank Harmon, also in the History Section, were thorough but gentle editors, and invaluable resources. We are most grateful to William D. Hurst, who retired as regional forester of Region 3 in 1976. Bill Hurst read every page several times, offered extensive advice and editorial assistance, and saved us from many errors and omissions.

Paul D. Weingart, Director of Recreation for the Southwestern Region, greatly facilitated our research by providing resource materials, directing us to resource persons, and personally reading and editing some of the manuscript chapters. Several individuals with whom we had no direct contact read large portions, if not all, of the manuscript in its formative stages, and we want to thank them for their contributions. They include Frank Carroll, Dick Spray, and Harold Harper. Many other individuals read chapters or segments of the manuscript and offered very constructive and useful advice. We tried, as best we could, to incorporate the suggestions and corrections offered.

The staffs at the Federal Records Centers in Denver, Colorado; Laguna Niguel, California; and Forth Worth, Texas, were most helpful, cooperative, and tolerant. Specifically we want to thank Robert Svenningsen, Sharon Roadway, and Lloyd Spring in Denver; Vance Thompson and Bob Flores in Laguna Niguel; and Kent Carter and Dorothy Tenney in Fort Worth.

Many people in the national forests, ranger districts, and research facilities gave us their time and assistance despite our sometimes unannounced intrusions into their busy schedules. Some of these, but not all, are identified among the lists of persons interviewed in the bibliography. The others, unnamed, we thank just the same. Those many retired foresters who allowed us time for an interview and conversation, or who took the time to write or send us a bit of their recollections about times past in the Southwestern Region, in doing so gave us invaluable insight into those times. Many of these are noted in the bibliography, because their material was used directly in the manuscript. We thank also those unnamed others who helped indirectly. Finally, Professor Thomas G. Alexander, of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University, shared with us some of his experiences with work on the history of the Intermountain Region, and Professor E.A. "Swede" Scholer, at the University of New Mexico, offered counsel and resources on recreational history and activities in the Southwestern Region.

Where there are errors, and we hope they are nonexistent or few, we accept full responsibility. The interpretations, inclusions, and omissions are ours.

Robert D. Baker
Henry C. Dethloff
Robert S. Maxwell
Victor H. Treat