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_„ _. Carpenter Papers Open for Research By Patricia J. Rettig Head Archivist, Water Resources Archive Colorado State University Libraries n Silver Fox of the Rockies: Delphus E. Carpenter and Western Water Compacts (2003), Daniel Tyler wrote: "Much work remains to be done to make the Carpenter Papers fully accessible to future scholars' (p. xviii). The Water Resources Archive at Colorado State University is pleased to announce that "much work" has been done and in mid - October the Carpenter Papers will be fully accessible to present and future scholars and any interested parties. Work on the Collection Over a year of work has gone into the Papers of Delph E. Carpenter and Family since its donation to the CSU Libraries in spring 2004. This was partly due to the size of the collec- tion —135 linear feet and more than 100 oversized items —and partly because of its condi- tion. The collection, spanning the years 1827 to 1992, arrived with some materials being very fragile, dusty, and, more significantly, moldy. preservation of the materials as well as efficient access for researchers. The archivist sorted ev- erything into archival series, putting like items together, such as professional correspondence, family correspondence, publications, photo- graphs, etc. She also rehoused everything in archival boxes and folders upon the final sort, and described it all in a finding aid, the typical "end product" when working on an archival col- lection. Delph Carpent The mold, which was dormant, required thor- ough cleaning before the collection could be made publicly accessible. With Dan Tyler's as- sistance, the Libraries was able to raise sufficient funding to pay for equipment, supplies and staff time to facilitate cleaning and related activities. A fleet of students, hired with the donated funds, was trained to painstakingly brush both sides of each piece of paper in the boxes identified for cleaning. The oversized items, including maps and certificates, were cleaned and flattened by a contracted conservator. Environmental testing has shown the process to be effective in removing the mold spores. Funding also enabled hiring students to assist the archivist with sorting, photocopying, listing and labeling activities, helping ensure long -term Contents of the Collection The focus of the collection is Delph E. Carpenter and his work on interstate river compacts. One of Colorado's most important water law- yers, Carpenter (1877 -1951) conceived, negotiated and promoted the Colorado River Compact as well as compacts on other interstate rivers. er's briefcase Much of Carpenter's work on the compacts, done primarily between 1921 and 1933, was carried out in correspondence, includ- ing frequent telegrams. These materials, part of the collections first series, measure four linear feet, with most of them relating to the Colorado River as well as the Rio Grande, the North Platte, the Arkansas, the La Plata and the South Platte rivers. Many people from many states and levels of government were involved in these issues, so correspondence from prominent people can be found here. These include the water commission- ers from other states, governors, state engineers, government officials (including Herbert Hoover and Elwood Mead), university professors and presidents, and other water and law experts. Negotiations away from the meeting table can