National Park Service

Administrative History:

A Guide

U.S. Department of the Interior

National Park Service

2004
2

CONTENTS

Preface

I. Preparing a Park Administrative History 4

II. Administrative Histories: Selected Sources 9

III. National Park Service History Collection 17

IV. National Park Service Records in the National Archives 20

V. Research in Parks, Central Offices, and Special Collections 24

VI. Evolution of the NPS Regional Structure 29

VII. File Codes 33
3

PREFACE

The National Park Service has a fundamental responsibility for preserving and interpreting many

of the Nation=s most valued cultural and natural resources. Yet it also has a responsibility to

preserve and analyze its own history. The Service has an obligation to maintain a thorough,

accurate record of its policies, decisions, and activities in part because these things reflect how

America chooses to preserve and present important remnants of its cultural and natural history.

Administrative histories are a critical element if the Service is to record and preserve its own

history. Current policies and decisions cannot be formulated properly without reference to past

experience.

Preserving and interpreting historic places and features has long been a primary mission of the

National Park Service. The Service employs a number of historians in its park, regional, and

support offices to conduct research on its historic properties and communicate their significance

to the public. Much of the historical work has been concerned with park resources and the

people and events that historical parks represent and commemorate.

However, Service managers and staff increasingly seek to learn more about their own parks as

parks and the people responsible for them. This interest also encompasses Park Service

programs and activities that transcend individual parks and extend beyond the National Park

System. By learning more about problems their predecessors faced, managers at all levels can be

better informed about contemporary issues and bring greater awareness to their policy and

program decisions.

Administrative histories are the most effective way to convey this knowledge. They relate how

particular parks and functions of the Service originated and how they evolved. Although many

are of wider interest, their primary audience is Park Service personnel. In this context,

“administrative history” is used broadly to cover movements leading to park establishment,

legislative background, and other contributing developments beyond administration in the strict

sense. Service leaders recognize the utility of these histories. They are one of several baseline

studies that the Service requires for each park unit under one of its policy directives -- director’s

order 28, Cultural Resource Management Guidelines.

What follows is an updated compilation of NPS administrative history guidance, sources, and

related titles. Its purpose is to aid the preparation of those histories. This edition draws heavily on

two previous editions (1986 and 1991) written by former bureau historian Barry Mackintosh. It

provides updated contact information and reflects current resources available on the World Wide

Web.

Janet A. McDonnell

Bureau Historian

National Park Service

March 2004
4

I. PREPARING A PARK ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY

The fundamental goal of the National Park Service's administrative history program is to obtain

an accurate, thorough, and well-written account of the origin and evolution of each unit of the

National Park System. A park administrative history explains how the park was conceived and

established and how it has been administered up to the present. It focuses on the history of the

park as a park, to include the history of various park programs and activities. The history of the

event, movement, or person that a historical park commemorates need be addressed only to the

extent that it affected the establishment of the park and its administration. In contrast to the

administrative history of individual parks, the administrative history of the National Park Service

documents and analyzes important aspects of the history of the Service as a federal agency and

deals with the establishment and administration of servicewide programs and policies.

The primary audience for park administrative histories is current and future park managers and

staff. The more familiar managers and staff are with the problems their predecessors faced and

their responses, the better prepared they will be to make thoughtful, informed decisions about

ongoing or recurring issues. Administrative histories provide valuable context and inform

superintendents about why and how their predecessors made certain decisions. They help

superintendents understand past controversies and prepare for future ones and are a critical tool

for park managers who seek greater understanding of why and how certain practices and policies

evolved.

Park managers look for easily accessible, analytical summaries of the major issues affecting their

park. They are much more likely to read histories where the authors have distilled the most

significant information from the mass of data, presented the information in a well-organized,

interesting fashion, and provided thoughtful analysis. By contrast, managers are unlikely to read

inadequately researched, poorly organized, and clumsily written histories that are long on detail

and short on thoughtful analysis. Clear, concise writing, thorough research, and reliable analysis

are critical characteristics for administrative history. Written in this manner an administrative

history can be both good history and an important tool for managers and staff in making and

implementing policy decisions.

*

Administrative histories often combine chronological narratives with topical treatments of key

activities, events, and issues. Skilled authors can use this approach effectively to address the

complexity of park management. Topical treatment of community relations, interpretation,

resource management and protection, visitor use, and threats to the parks are often appropriate.

The more valuable administrative histories resist the temptation to indulge in an exhaustive

account of a park area’s early history and focus instead on the things managers need to know as

they assume their duties. Historians cannot write about every issue affecting a particular park;

instead, they must be selective about the topics they choose to include.

No set formula exists for writing park administrative histories. No two administrative histories

will or should look the same. Each park and its history are unique and should be treated as such.
5

Park histories will differ in length, focus, and scope. The history of a small historic site, for

example, might differ markedly from that of a large, scenic park. In general, administrative

histories of small, fairly new, or less controversial parks can be relatively brief, while histories of

large, scenic parks with long, complex histories require lengthier treatments. Quality is always

more important than length.

Ideally a park administrative history will be thorough and comprehensive, covering all the most

significant aspects of the park story from its establishment to the present. But an exhaustive

treatment of every major event and issue is often not possible or recommended. If a good

account of part of the park story already exists, there is no need to retell that aspect of it. In the

case of a park with particularly complex issues, it may not be feasible to treat the whole story in

a single history. Instead, key topics, such as natural resources management, concessions, and

visitor use, may be addressed separately. If management needs a more extensive treatment of a

specific administrative topic or topics, such as the wolf-sheep controversy in Denali National

Park or Yellowstone National Park’s road-construction program, consider covering these in a

separate volume.

Often it is appropriate and desirable to place a park’s story in the context of national political and

economic trends and events. The trend of memorialization and the historic preservation

movement, for example, had a great impact on the development of many of the Service’s historic

sites. The conservation movement, immigration, Great Depression, New Deal, and World War

II also greatly affected the parks. Broad economic trends have shaped park development and

visitation. These and other broad national trends have affected the drives to establish new parks,

park management, and the tenor of interpretation at parks.

Although, as noted, administrative histories vary as widely as the parks they address, they should

normally include the following:

 A brief statement describing the park, its location, primary resources, values, purpose, and

significance.

 A description of who administered the area, how it was administered, and how it was used

before the NPS acquired it. This is particularly important because the way the area was

managed and used in the past affected subsequent NPS administration. Give particular

attention to early preservation efforts or commemoration by individuals, associations, or

other governmental entities, e.g., a national military park's administration by the War

Department, Valley Forge as a state park, or Sagamore Hill under the Theodore Roosevelt

Association.

 An account of the movement to establish a park is a vital part of the administrative history

because it can provide critical insight about legislative intent. A discussion of the

movement to bring the area under NPS management, culminating in its establishment as a

unit of the national park system. This discussion should emphasize the key organizations

and individuals promoting (and opposing) park establishment, as well as their motivations,

and the involvement and positions taken by the NPS and the Interior department. It should

also cover the legislative process as revealed by congressional bills, hearings, committee
6

reports, floor debate, and final enactment. For areas brought into the system by presidential

proclamation or executive order, give similar attention to the process within the executive

branch.

 A discussion of the major activities and events that subsequently affected the area under

NPS administration, e.g., master or general management planning; land acquisition;

development of administrative and visitor facilities; natural resource management; cultural

resource management; partnerships; interpretation; recreational and other public use; new

or amendatory park legislation. The history should also include a description and analysis

of how the unit was managed and developed during different eras as well as its dealings

with other federal, state and local agencies and entities. More detailed coverage should be

given to topics that concerned park managers in the past and are relevant to present and

foreseeable management concerns. For ease of reference, such topics can often be

addressed in separate chapters or sections rather than combined in a single chronological

account. Topics such as land acquisition, facility development, planning, and resource

management can be updated. While organizing a park administrative history around the

administrations of individual superintendents can be a convenient construct, this approach

can hamper the effective development of themes and analysis.

 The use of maps and photographs can greatly enhance the manuscript. Maps are

particularly important if there is discussion of park boundaries, land acquisition and other

land issues.

 Appendix(es) containing copies of key park legislation, executive orders, cooperative

agreements, personnel rosters, visitation statistics, and other documents and data valuable

for management reference. Although appendixes are not imperative, they greatly enhance

the value of the administrative history as a management tool and are highly recommended.

 A bibliography that directs interested readers to additional sources.

 An index, though not absolutely essential, allows for easy cross-referencing.

Use of primary sources in writing administrative histories is critical. The basic sources for park

administrative history research are NPS files and congressional documents. Congressional

records are available in many libraries; NPS files that include correspondence, reports, and other

documents may be divided among the National Archives and Records Administration research

facilities in the Washington, D.C. area, its regional research facilities, federal records centers,

and NPS headquarters, NPS regional offices, and individual parks. Historians addressing the

NPS, its parks, and its activities in most instances should plan visits to the appropriate National

Archives facility or facilities. They should also consider visiting the NPS History Collection in

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and the Historic Photograph Collection in nearby Charles Town,

West Virginia. Where other organizations or individuals have been significantly involved in the

promotion, establishment, prior administration, or ongoing activities of a park, records and

papers pertaining to their roles should be located and researched as well.
7

Oral history interviews with present and former NPS officials, community leaders, and other

outside parties associated with the park are often essential to complete the story. Those directly

involved in the park’s development and management often can provide important perspective.

Oral histories with park neighbors also can provide valuable insights. However, oral history

interviews should never substitute for careful research in contemporary documents. The

interviews should always be conducted and handled with the highest professional standards and

in accordance with the National Park Service Oral History Handbook.

The documents the researcher or researchers assemble from park files, the National Archives,

and other repositories to support their administrative history can form the basis of a working

archives in the park or augment an existing park archives. These records can be an enormous

asset to park managers and future researchers.

*

High-quality administrative histories do more than recount a narrative of events. They provide

valuable historical context. They tell us what was behind certain decisions and policies and

explain their significance. Understanding where we have been often provides insight and

perspective on the present and future. Like all good history, they describe and evaluate people,

events, and actions in the context of their own times.

Administrative histories should be placed in the context of management conditions that parks

share in common, but also address each park’s unique management structure and environment.

They should address the evolution of park’s relationship and interactions with NPS headquarters

and Department of the Interior. A thorough administrative history addresses not only how park

managers and staff administered the park but also how the National Park Service administered

the park. It also reveals and interprets the political, economic, and cultural forces that influenced

the park.

Administrative histories should meet the same standards of scholarship that apply to published

academic histories: thorough research, objective analysis, and peer review. The very best

administrative histories are set apart by the high quality of their research, analysis, context, and

readability. The very best administrative histories often also open new paths for future research.

Review of park administrative histories in draft form by other historians within and outside the

NPS can help ensure that the highest professional standards are maintained. Regional historians

can assist in planning the review process and participate in that process. The final authority for

approving a park administrative history now rests with the regional director (or more specifically

the regional supervisory historian), subject to consideration of review comments.

Parks are encouraged to consult with the NPS bureau historian when planning an administrative

history. Located in the office of the chief historian in Washington, the bureau historian maintains

a bibliography of existing park histories and related sources and can provide guidance to those

considering or undertaking a new project. The bureau historian can provide a servicewide

perspective and advise a potential administrative history writer about available research materials

in the Washington area or at Harpers Ferry. This individual may also be able to provide
8

additional information on where significant individuals and/or manuscript collections pertaining

to a park area may be located. Finally, the bureau historian can participate in the review

process.

Occasionally parks will use historians from outside the Park Service to write their administrative

histories through contracts or cooperative agreements. Before awarding contracts or authorizing

the cooperative agreements, parks should carefully evaluate the qualifications and backgrounds

of these historians. Scholars enlisted to research and write park administrative histories should

have the appropriate professional training and experience in historical research and writing.

Historians with doctorates or masters degrees are preferable. The scope of work should be

detailed and precise so that the expectations and requirements of all parties involved are clear. In

most instances, historians in the regional offices and the bureau historian can provide sample

scopes of work upon request. One of the most authoritative and useful sources of information on

professional standards for preparing the final manuscript is the most recent edition of The

Chicago Manual of Style.

Although park managers remain the primary audience for administrative histories and these

histories should address their needs and requirements, there is growing interest outside the

National Park Service in the history of the Service and its parks, programs, and activities.

Academic presses are publishing an increasing number of park administrative histories or

histories with park-related topics. Well-written, high quality administrative histories are an

effective way for the Park Service or a park to present its history to the public. Service historians

should consider possible publication outside the Park Service, either by cooperative associations

or by university presses.
9

II. ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORIES: SELECTED SOURCES

The following list includes selected works that deal broadly with National Park Service history or

with particular programs, functions, and concerns of the bureau. They are valuable references both

for administrative historians and for Park Service managers and staff. (Most of the entries without

publication data are National Park Service studies reproduced in limited quantity for internal

distribution and can be difficult to locate.)

Many of the histories on this list are located at the end of the “administrative histories” web

page, <http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPSHistory/adminhistory.htm> are located in the

“useful books” section of the NPS web page <www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPSBooks.htm>.

A detailed list of administrative histories of individual parks, historic sites, and monuments can

be found on the internet at <www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPSHistory/adminhis.htm>. This

web site also includes the full text versions of some park histories.

Books and Printed Monographs

Albright, Horace M. Origins of National Park Service Administration of Historic Sites.

Philadelphia: Eastern National Park & Monument Assn., 1971.

Albright, Horace M., and Robert Cahn. The Birth of the National Park Service: The Founding

Years, 1913-33. Salt Lake City: Howe Brothers, 1985.

Albright, Horace M., and Marian Albright Schenck. Creating the National Park Service: The

Missing Years. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999.

Albright, Horace M., and Frank J. Taylor. “Oh, Ranger!” Stanford University, CA: Stanford

University Press, 1928.

Allaback, Sarah. Mission 66 Visitor Centers: The History of a Building Type. National Park

Service, 2000.

Appleman, Roy E. A History of the National Park Service Mission 66 Program. National Park

Service, 1958.

Burnham, Philip. Indian Country, God’s Country: Native Americans and the National Parks.

Washington, DC: Island Press, 2000.

Butler, Mary Ellen. Prophet of the Parks: The Story of William Penn Mott, Jr. Ashburn, VA:

National Recreation and Park Association, 1999.

Carr, Ethan. Wilderness by Design: Landscape Architecture and the National Park Service.

Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998.
10

Catton, Theodore. Inhabited Wilderness: Indians, Eskimos, and National Parks in Alaska.

Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1997.

The Conservation Foundation. National Parks for a New Generation: Visions, Realities, Prospects.

Washington, DC: The Conservation Foundation, 1985.

Danz, Harold P., et al. Historic Listing of National Park Service Officials. National Park Service,

1991.

Dilsaver, Lary M., ed. America's National Park System: The Critical Documents. Lanham, MD:

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1994.

Ernst, Joseph W., ed. Worthwhile Places: Correspondence of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Horace

M. Albright. New York: Rockefeller Archive Center, 1991.

Everhart, William C. The National Park Service. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1983.

Farabee, Jr., Charles R. “Butch.” Death, Daring and Disaster: Search and Rescue in the National

Parks. Boulder, CO: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1998.

Farabee, Jr., Charles R. “Butch.” National Park Ranger: An American Icon. Boulder, CO: Roberts

Rinehart Publishers, 2003.

Foresta, Ronald A. America's National Parks and Their Keepers. Washington: Resources for the

Future, 1985.

Garrison, Lemuel A. The Making of a Ranger: Forty Years with the National Parks. Salt Lake City:

Howe Brothers, 1983.

Glass, James A. The Beginnings of a New National Historic Preservation Program, 1957 to 1969.

Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1990.

Hampton, H. Duane. How the U.S. Cavalry Saved Our National Parks. Bloomington: Indiana

University Press, 1971.

Hartzog, George B., Jr. Battling for the National Parks. Mt. Kisco, NY: Moyer Bell, 1988.

Henneberger, John W. To Protect and Preserve: A History of the National Park Ranger. 1965.

Hogenauer, Alan K. Gone But Not Forgotten: America's Delisted National Park Service Sites.

1983.

Hosmer, Charles B., Jr. Presence of the Past: A History of the Preservation Movement in the

United States before Williamsburg. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1965.
11

Hosmer, Charles B., Jr. Preservation Comes of Age: From Williamsburg to the National Trust,

1926-1949. 2 vols. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1981.

Hummel, Don. Stealing the National Parks: The Destruction of Concessions and Public Access.

Bellevue, WA: Free Enterprise Press, 1987.

Ise, John. Our National Park Policy: A Critical History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1961.

Jacoby, Karl. Crimes Against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of

American Conservation. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.

Kaufman, Polly W. National Parks and the Woman's Voice: A History. Albuquerque: University of

New Mexico Press, 1996.

Keller, Robert H., and Michael F. Turek. American Indians and National Parks. Tucson: University

of Arizona Press, 1998.

Lambe, James M. Legislative History of Historic Preservation Act of 1966. 1967.

Lee, Ronald F. The Antiquities Act of 1906. National Park Service, 1970.

Lee, Ronald F. The Origin and Evolution of the National Military Park Idea. National Park Service,

1973.

Lewis, Ralph H. Museum Curatorship in the National Park Service, 1904-1982. Department of the

Interior, National Park Service, 1993.

Lowry, William R. The Capacity for Wonder: Preserving National Parks. Washington: Brookings

Institution, 1994.

Lyon, Edwin A. A New Deal for Southeastern Archaeology. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama

Press, 1996.

Mackintosh, Barry. The Historic Sites Survey and the National Historic Landmarks Program: A

History. Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1985.

Mackintosh, Barry. Interpretation in the National Park Service: A Historical Perspective.

Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1986.

Mackintosh, Barry. The National Historic Preservation Act and the National Park Service: A

History. Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1986.

Mackintosh, Barry. National Park Service Preservation Policy: An Exposition and Analysis. 1974.

Mackintosh, Barry. The National Parks: Shaping the System. Washington, DC: National Park

Service, 1991.
12

Mackintosh, Barry. The United States Park Police: A History. Washington, DC: National Park

Service, 1989.

Mackintosh, Barry. Visitor Fees in the National Park System: A Legislative and Administrative

History. 1983.

Mattes, Merrill J. Landmarks of Liberty: A Report on the American Revolution Bicentennial

Development Program of the National Park Service. 1989.

McClelland, Linda Flint. Building the National Parks: Historic Landscape Design and

Construction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

McFadden, Ralph R. From Ground Wire to Microwave: A Chronicle of Telephone and Radio

System Development in Our National Park System. 1991.

Miles, John C. Guardians of the Parks: A History of the National Parks and Conservation

Association. Washington: Taylor & Francis for NPCA, 1995.

Nash, Roderick. Wilderness and the American Mind. 4th ed. New Haven: Yale University Press,

2001.

Olsen, Russell K. Administrative History: Organizational Structures of the National Park Service,

1917-1985. National Park Service, 1985.

Paige, John C. The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933-1942: An

Administrative History. National Park Service, 1985.

Rettie, Dwight F. Our National Park System: Caring for America's Greatest Natural and Historic

Treasures. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1995.

Richardson, Elmo R. Dams, Parks, and Politics: Resource Development and Preservation in the

Truman-Eisenhower Era. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1973.

Ridenour, James M. The National Parks Compromised: Pork Barrel Politics and America's

Treasures. Merrillville, IN: ICS Books, 1994.

Rogers, Edmund B., comp. History of Legislation Relating to the National Park System through the

82d Congress. Photocopies bound in multiple volumes, 1958.

Rothman, Hal K. Preserving Different Pasts: The American National Monuments. Urbana:

University of Illinois Press, 1989. (Paperback edition America’s National Monuments: The

Politics of Preservation. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press 1994)

Runte, Alfred. National Parks: The American Experience. 3d ed. Lincoln: University of Nebraska

Press, 1997.
13

Runte, Alfred. Trains of Discovery: Western Railroads and the National Parks. Niwot, CO:

Roberts Rinehart, 1990.

Sax, Joseph L. Mountains Without Handrails: Reflections on the National Parks. Ann Arbor:

University of Michigan Press, 1980.

Schullery, Paul, and Lee Whittlesey. Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National

Park. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003.

Sellars, Richard W. Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History. New Haven: Yale

University Press, 1997.

Shankland, Robert. Steve Mather of the National Parks. 3d ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970.

Sontag, William H., ed. National Park Service: The First 75 Years. Philadelphia: Eastern National

Park and Monument Association, 1990.

Spence, Mark David. Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the

National Parks. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Swain, Donald C. Wilderness Defender: Horace M. Albright and Conservation. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press, 1970.

Unrau, Harlan D., and G. Frank Williss. Administrative History: Expansion of the National Park

Service in the 1930s. 1983.

Utley, Robert M., and Barry Mackintosh. The Department of Everything Else: Highlights of Interior

History. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1989.

Warren, Louis S. The Hunter’s Game: Poachers and Conservationists in Twentieth-Century

America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.

Watkins, T. H. Righteous Pilgrim: The Life and Times of Harold L. Ickes. New York: Henry Holt,

1990.

Williss, G. Frank. “Do Things Right the First Time”: The National Park Service and the Alaska

National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. National Park Service, 1985.

Winks, Robin W. Laurance S. Rockefeller: Catalyst for Conservation. Washington: Island Press,

1997. 259 pp.

Wirth, Conrad L. Parks, Politics, and the People. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980.

Workman, R. Bryce. National Park Service Uniforms: Badges and Insignia, 1894-1991. Harpers

Ferry Center, National Park Service, 1991.
14

Workman, R. Bryce. National Park Service Uniforms: Breeches, Blouses and Skirts, 1918-1991.

Harpers Ferry Center, National Park Service, 1998.

Workman, R. Bryce. National Park Service Uniforms: In Search of an Identity, 1872-1920. Harpers

Ferry Center, National Park Service, 1994.

Workman, R. Bryce. National Park Service Uniforms: Ironing Out the Wrinkles, 1920-1932.

Harpers Ferry Center, National Park Service, 1995.

Wright, R. Gerald. Wildlife Research and Management in the National Parks. Urbana: University of

Illinois Press, 1992.

Articles

Blodgett, Peter J. “Striking a Balance: Managing Concessions in the National Parks, 1916-33.”

Forest & Conservation History 34, no. 2 (April 1990): 60-68.

Brockman, C. Frank. “Park Naturalists and the Evolution of National Park Service Interpretation

through World War II.” Journal of Forest History 22, no. 1 (January 1978): 24-43.

Dunlap, Thomas R. “Wildlife, Science, and the National Parks, 1920-1940.” Pacific Historical

Review 59, no. 2 (May 1990): 187-202.

Kaufman, Polly W. “Challenging Tradition: Pioneer Women Naturalists in the National Park

Service.” Forest & Conservation History 34, no. 1 (January 1990): 4-16.

Mackintosh, Barry. “Harold L. Ickes and the National Park Service.” Journal of Forest History 29,

no. 2 (April 1985): 78-84.

Nash, Roderick. “The American Invention of National Parks.” American Quarterly 22 (Fall 1970):

726-35.

Polenburg, Richard. “The Great Conservation Contest.” Journal of Forest History 10, no. 4

(January 1967): 13-23.

Righter, Robert W. “National Monuments to National Parks.” Western Historical Quarterly 20, no.

3 (August 1989): 281-301.

Rothman, Hal K. “Forged by One Man's Will: Frank Pinkley and the Administration of the

Southwestern National Monuments, 1923-1932.” The Public Historian 8, no. 2 (Spring 1986):

83-100.

Rothman, Hal K. “`A Regular Ding-Dong Fight': Agency Culture and Evolution in the NPS-USFS

Dispute, 1916-1937.” Western Historical Quarterly 20, no. 2 (May 1989): 141-61.
15

Rothman, Hal K. “Second-Class Sites: National Monuments and the Growth of the National Park

System.” Environmental Review 10, no. 1 (Spring 1986): 44-56.

Runte, Alfred. “Joseph Grinnell and Yosemite: Rediscovering the Legacy of a California

Conservationist.” California History 69, no. 2 (Summer 1990): 170-81.

Schene, Michael G., ed. The National Park Service and Historic Preservation. Special issue of The

Public Historian (Spring 1987).

Sellars, Richard W., et al. “The National Parks: A Forum on the `Worthless Lands' Thesis.” Journal

of Forest History 27, no. 3 (July 1983): 130-45.

Sumner, Lowell. “Biological Research and Management in the National Park Service: A History.”

The George Wright Forum 3 (August 1983): 3-27.

Swain, Donald C. “The National Park Service and the New Deal, 1933-1940.” Pacific Historical

Review 41 (August 1972): 312-32.

Swain, Donald C. “The Passage of the National Park Service Act of 1916.” Wisconsin Magazine of

History 50, no. 1 (Autumn 1966): 4-17.

Doctoral Dissertations and Theses

Abroe, Mary M. “All the Profound Scenes”: Federal Preservation of Civil War Battlefields, 1861-

1990.” PhD diss., Loyola University Chicago, 1996.

Boge, Georgie Holder. Paving Over the Past: An Analysis of Civil War Preservation Policy. BA

thesis, Princeton University, 1990.

Corkern, Wilton C., Jr. Architects, Preservationists, and the New Deal: The Historic American

Buildings Survey, 1933-1942. PhD diss., 1984.

Glass, James A. The National Historic Preservation Program, 1957-1969. PhD diss., Cornell

University, 1987.

Jones, Lynn M. The Design of National Park Visitor Centers: The Relationship Between Buildings

and their Sites. Master of Historic Preservation thesis, University of Georgia, 1990.

Kelleher, Michael J. Making History: Reconstructing Historic Structures in the National Park

System. MS thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 1998.

Lotz, David T. An Analysis of Deletions of Areas Formerly Administered by the National Park

Service. MS thesis, Michigan State University, 1976.
16

Madrid, Christine. The Mission 66 Visitor Centers, 1956-1966: Early Modern Architecture in the

National Park Service. MA thesis, 1998.

Noll, William N. Mission 66: The National Park Service Program for the Revitalization of

America's National Parks, 1955-1966. MA thesis, 1997.

Olson, Gordon C. A History of Natural Resources Management within the National Park Service.

MA thesis, 1986.

Reem, Harold L. Memorializing America’s Flanders: National Park Service Preservation and

Development of Virginia Civil War Battlefield Parks, 1933-1942. MA thesis, George

Washington University, 2000.

Schwartz, Judith N. Local People and National Parks: Profiles of Engagement. MS thesis, North

Carolina State University, 1997.

Shaffer, Marguerite Sands. See America First: Tourism and National Identity, 1905-1930. PhD

diss., Harvard University, 1994.

Zenzen, Joan M. Promoting National Parks: Images of the West in the American Imagination,

1864-1972. PhD diss., University of Maryland, 1997.
17

III. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORY COLLECTION

The National Park Service History Collection is housed in the library at Harpers Ferry Center at

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. This rich collection includes a variety of materials, beyond text

files, that document and illustrate the history of the Service and its parks and may not be saved

systematically elsewhere. Keepers of the collection inventory these materials, as well as

preserve and maintain them for research purposes.

Themes represented in the collection include:

History of the National Park Service

Development of the national park idea

History of historic preservation

History of interpretation

Women in the National Park Service

Early tourism in the national parks

Civilian Conservation Corps in the parks

Forestry in the parks

Bicentennial programs

History of National Park Service uniforms and insignia

Types of documents and artifacts represented in the collection include:

Duplicates of selected records

Copies of select legislation and executive orders

Annual reports of secretaries of the interior and NPS directors

Monthly and annual reports of park superintendents

Minutes of staff meetings in Washington headquarters and regional offices

Reports of conferences of regional directors, superintendents, interpreters, etc.

Master plans and interpretive prospectuses

Newsletters

News releases

Interpretive and informational publications

Records of cooperating associations, concessionaires, employee associations

Personal papers and memorabilia of NPS employees and others associated with parks

Recorded Service ballads

Biographical data on former NPS employees and others associated with parks

Publications and representative artworks by NPS employees

NPS artifacts (uniforms, insignia, characteristic equipment, examples of early exhibits)

and CCC related artifacts

Publications about NPS areas
18

The history collection includes the following records groups (RG). Preliminary inventories of

these record groups are available online at http://www.nps.gov/hfc/lib-npshc.htm

Ronald F. Lee Papers, 1947-1972 (RG 1)

Harold L. Peterson Papers, 1963-1977 (RG 2)

Harold P. Fabian Advisory Board Collection, 1961-1973 (RG 3)

Civilian Conservation Corps (RG 4)

Jesse L. Nusbaum Papers, 1921-1958 (RG 5)

World Conferences Collection (RG 7)

National Park Conferences (RG 8)

NPS Museum Function (RG 14)

Yellowstone National Park materials (RG 17)

Bicentennial Celebration (RG 18)

Interpretation in the NPS (RG 19)

Women in the NPS (RG 21)

NPS administrative manuals (RG 22)

Mission 66, 1955-1966 (RG 23)

Hartzog Directorate Collection (RG 30)

Alaska Research materials (RG 36)

NPS History (RG 37)

Ranger Activities (RG 39)

Proposed Areas Collection (RG 51)

Camping History (RG 52)

Ernest A. Connally Collection (RG 53)

Abolished Areas (RG 55)

Washington Memoranda to All, 1935-1940 (RG 56)

Pitcaithley Files on Historical Reconstruction (RG 63)

For further information about the NPS History Collection, contact:

David Nathanson

Supervisory Librarian

Harpers Ferry Center

National Park Service

Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0050

(304) 535-6262; Fax (304) 535-6492

david_nathanson@nps.gov

Additional contacts:

Diann McCoy (Keeper of the Oral History Collection) diann_mccoy@nps.gov

Sylvia Frye (Curator) sylvia_frye@nps.gov

Nancy Flanagan (Interlibrary Loan) nancy_flanagan@nps.gov
19

National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection

The National Park Service History Collection includes as a separate entity the NPS Historic

Photograph Collection, which was relocated from Springfield, Virginia, to Harpers Ferry in

1990. It is currently housed in nearby Charles Town, West Virginia. This unique and

significant photograph collection is comprised of more than two million images dating from

1890 to the present, including those by official NPS photographers from 1929-1980. The images

cover a variety of subjects, to include park architecture, Civilian Conservation Corps, Native

American heritage, NPS personnel, roads and transportation, scenic views, and much more.

Roughly two thousand images from the collection are available online and the entire collection

can be searched online. Researchers can use an on line database to search for photographs at

http://data2.itc.nps.gov/hafe/npsphoto.cfm.

For information about the NPS Historical Photograph Collection, contact:

Tom DuRant

Photo Archivist

National Park Service

Willow Springs

5 Willow Springs Drive

Charles Town, WV 25414

(304) 535-6707; Fax (304) 535-6712

Tom_DuRant@nps.gov
20

IV. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECORDS IN THE

 NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Perhaps the most useful repository for historians within and outside the Park Service who are

researching topics related to the Service and its parks is the National Archives. The National

Archives and Records Administration (NARA) includes the original building in downtown

Washington, D.C., the modern Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland, regional research

facilities (archives) around the country, and presidential libraries for almost every president since

Herbert Hoover. NARA, which maintains the retired records of the federal government, is vital

to NPS historians because so many areas in the national park system commemorate and interpret

the activities of federal officials and agencies, from presidents to military services to the Bureau

of Immigration.

The largest, most significant collection of National Park Service records, designated Record

Group (RG) 79, are housed at Archives II, with smaller holdings in most of NARA’s regional

archives in or near Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Los

Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. In addition to correspondence and other

textual records, the collection includes still and motion pictures, maps, plans, charts, and other

graphic materials. Valuable records relating to Park Service policy and park operations can also

be found in the records of the secretary of the interior (Record Group 48) at the National

Archives. This could be a particularly important source for parks that were administered by the

department before they became part of the National Park System. Many records pertaining to

Yellowstone National Park are retained in an “affiliated archive” located in the park under a

special agreement with NARA.

Be aware that National Archives regions do not correspond to the National Park Service regions.

For example, the Service’s Midwest Region covers thirteen states, but responsibility for records

in those thirteen states is divided among four separate National Archives regional branches.

Locating the appropriate repository for Service records can be challenging because its

organizational structure has changed over the years. [See Chapter VI, Evolution of NPS

Regional Structure.] The search for records must often extend beyond the NARA facility with

current responsibility for a specific area.

Park Service records can be found not only in the various regional archives around the country,

but also in the various regional federal records centers. These records centers provide federal

agencies with off-site storage for their inactive records. While records are stored at these centers,

the federal agency, field unit, or office that originated those records controls the access to them.

They can be recalled by one of the Park Service’ federal records managers. Some of these

records are eventually transferred to Archives II or to the appropriate regional archives and

become the property of NARA. Visit http://www.archives.gov for information about the various

federal records centers.

Researchers might find it useful to check out the 3-volume Guide to Federal Records in the

National Archives of the United States, compiled by Robert B. Machette and published in 1995.

(This is an updated version of the single-volume NARA publication, Guide to the National
21

Archives of the United States.) NARA’s web site at http://www.archives.gov, contains essential

information on the National Archives and its holdings, including an online version of NARA’s

Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States.

Edward E. Hill’s Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the National Park Service

(Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1966), though dated, remains the

most important guide to the records of the NPS that are housed in Archives II. Note, however,

that the records of Region One, Hill entries 81 through 103, have been transferred to NARA’s

Mid-Atlantic archives in Philadelphia. That branch also holds the 1950-1963 building reports

from the Eastern Office of Design and Construction. An electronic version of the finding aid can

be found at

<www.Archives.gov/research_room/federal_records_guide/national_park_service_rg079.html>

An updated, much more detailed finding aid for RG 79 records at Archives II is currently being

developed.

After perusing the web site and the Machette and Hill publications, researchers would be well

advised to contact NARA staff at the appropriate archival facilities prior to their visit. NARA

staff can provide helpful information about the quantity, location, and availability of specific

records.

National Archives and Records Administration

James S. Rush, Supervisory Archivist

Textual Archives Services Division (NWCTC)

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road

College Park, MD 20740

(301) 837-3480

For information specifically concerning Record Group 79 (National Park Service), contact:

Joseph D. Schwarz, Archivist

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road

College Park, MD 20740

(301) 837-2961

 Joseph.Schwarz@nara.gov

The federal records center in Suitland, Maryland, maintains records belonging to the National

Park Service and other federal agencies located in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and

West Virginia.

Washington National Records Center

4205 Suitland Road

Suitland, MD 20746-0001
22

NARA Research Facilities (Regional Archives)

NARA-Northeast Region (Boston)

Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center

380 Trapelo Road

Waltham, MA 02452-6399

(781) 663-0139

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Connecticut, Maine,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode

Island, Vermont

NARA-Northeast Region (New York

City)

201 Varick Street

New York, NY 10014-4811

(212) 401-1620

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in New Jersey, New York, Puerto

Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands

NARA-Mid Atlantic Region (Center City)

900 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107-4202

(215) 606-0100

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Delaware, Maryland,

Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

NARA-Southeast Region

1557 St. Joseph Avenue

East Point, GA 30344-2593

(404) 763-7477

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,

South Carolina, Tennessee

NARA-Great Lakes Region

7358 South Pulaski Road

Chicago, IL 60629-5898

(773) 948-9019

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,

Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

NARA-Central Plains Region

2312 East Bannister Road

Kansas City, MO 64131-3011

(816) 268-6000

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska

NARA-Southwest Region

501 West Felix Street, Bldg. 1

Fort Worth, TX 76115-3405

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,

Texas

NARA-Rocky Mountain Region

Denver Federal Center, Bldg. 48

West 6th Avenue and Kipling Street

Denver, CO 80225-0307

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico,

North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah,

Wyoming

NARA-Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel)

24000 Avila Road

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-3497

(949) 360-2619

Records for Arizona, southern California,

and Clark County, Nevada

NARA-Pacific Region (San Francisco)

1000 Commodore Drive

San Bruno, CA 94066-2350

(650) 876-7912

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in northern California, Hawaii,

Nevada (except Clark County), American

Samoa, Pacific Trust territories
23

NARA-Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle)

6125 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, WA 98115-7999

(206) 526-6501

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and

Pacific Ocean area except for American

Samoa

NARA-Pacific Alaska Region

(Anchorage)

654 West Third Avenue

Anchorage, AK 99501-2145

(907) 271-2443

Contains records of federal agencies and

courts in Alaska
24

V. RESEARCH IN PARKS, CENTRAL OFFICES, AND

 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Supporting historical research is fundamental to the mission of the National Park Service and has

broad implications for individual parks and for the Service. Superintendents and managers at

every level should do as much as possible to ensure that scholars involved in researching park or

Park Service history have unimpeded access to park records. Their research often contributes to a

better understanding of park operations and activities and provides new avenues for research or

interpretation.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) [5 USC 552] requires federal agencies to provide the

public with access to their records in response to written requests, though a few specific types of

records are exempted. However, scholarly research by historians should rarely require written

FOIA request. The expressed policy of the Department of the Interior is to make its records

available to the public “to the greatest extent possible,” in keeping with the spirit of FOIA. [43

CFR 2.13(a)] Park Service managers should not only abide by requirements of FOIA, but

embrace the spirit of that legislation. 

In addition to what is provided below, the NPS publication Cultural Resource Management, Vol.

22, No. 2, (1999) is a valuable resource for general information about the Service’s archives and

collections.

Park Files

The research value of park files varies greatly. Some parks have consistently maintained wellorganized files going back decades. Yellowstone National Park, for example, has an extensive

collection and received a special dispensation from the National Archives to keep its records

within the park rather than relinquishing them to the Archives or its regional federal records

center. Parks that have held on to their files (sometimes contrary to prescribed records

disposition procedures) and maintained them well are ideal places for park administrative history

research.

At other parks files tend to be less complete. In some cases older files have been disposed of

without record. The absence of files from the 1950s and 1960s may pose the greatest problem to

the researcher because the bulk of material in the National Archives predates 1950. Files from

the 1970s are routinely present, providing a record of the recent past in virtually all cases.

Regional Office Records

The various divisions in the regional offices normally maintain files pertaining to their functions

in the parks of their regions. Again, record retention varies widely among divisions and regions,

with some more fruitful for research purposes than others.
25

Regional offices had central file rooms to which copies of all correspondence went. Files

amassed in these central repositories were generally retired periodically to the federal records

centers, where they remain subject to NPS control and may be physically recalled until they are

either destroyed (if deemed of no permanent value) or forwarded to the National Archives. Each

shipment of records to a federal records center is documented on a Standard Form (SF) 135,

Records Transmittal and Receipt. The ease of locating and retrieving desired material at a

federal records center depends to a great extent on how well the retired files have been described

in their SF 135s.

A factor complicating park history research in regional office records is the periodic realignment

of NPS regional boundaries. Many parks have been in more than one region during their

existence, and records pertaining to them may not have been transferred from their former

regional offices and related federal records centers to their successive counterparts. Thus

researchers might need to conduct research at more than one regional office and records center

for material on a single park. A guide to the evolution of NPS regions and the areas they have

encompassed over the years can be found in Chapter VI.

Denver Service Center/Technical Information Center

The Technical Information Center maintains an extensive collection of design and construction

related reports and documents and copies of some park administrative histories. It also holds

microfilm copies of superintendents annual narrative reports, though there are gaps in the

collection.

Washington Office Records

The divisions in the Washington headquarters office, like those in the regional offices, maintain

files for their park-related and other activities that vary in usefulness for administrative history

research. The park history program in the NPS Cultural Resource Center holds a collection of

park files dating from the 1930s; those on historical parks are strongest. It also contains a

collection of National Park System Advisory Board records. The Park Planning and Special

Studies Division in Washington maintains a large collection of park-related files.

Until April 2001, copies of all Washington office correspondence went to a central file. Records

from the central file and various divisions were retired periodically to the Washington National

Records Center in Suitland, Maryland, in the same way that regional office records are sent to

the other federal records centers. After 2001 individual offices and divisions assumed greater

responsibility for maintaining and retiring their correspondence.

The records in the central file are ordered primarily by subject (such as administration,

concessions, fiscal, and personnel) rather than by park. This is helpful if a researcher is doing a

history of a particular function but considerably less helpful for someone researching a park

history. For park histories, researchers might consider first examining records retained or retired

by particular divisions, which tend to organize their files by park. See section VII for a list of

subject (file) codes used in the NPS filing system since 1953.
26

Researchers in the Washington office can also take advantage of the Interior department’s

Natural Resources Library and Law Library in its headquarters building. The former includes a

complete set of congressional documents, essential for legislative histories, as well as Edmund B.

Rogers’s compilation of park legislation. The Law Library has legislative histories already

compiled for several major park and park-related acts.

Special Collections

Most National Park Service directors maintained office files that were later given to university

libraries or other repositories including the National Archives, where they are kept with the

records of the National Park Service (RG 79). These contain valuable research material.

Finding aids are available for these collections.

The former directors listed below have papers identified by their names at the following

locations:

Stephen T. Mather University of California at Berkeley; NPS Harpers Ferry Center

Library, WV

Horace M. Albright University of California at Los Angeles; National Archives;

Harpers Ferry Center Library

Arno B. Cammerer National Archives

Newton B. Drury National Archives

Arthur E. Demaray University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Conrad L. Wirth University of Wyoming; National Archives

George B. Hartzog, Jr. Clemson University, Clemson, SC; Harpers Ferry Center Library

Ronald H. Walker Clemson University

Gary Everhardt Blue Ridge Parkway headquarters, Asheville, NC

Russell E. Dickenson Clemson University

William Penn Mott, Jr. Clemson University; Harpers Ferry Center Library

Robert Stanton Harpers Ferry Center Library

Research Assistance
27

The bureau historian, in the Washington office, has general responsibility for the NPS

administrative history program and can assist researchers in a variety of ways. Contact:

Janet A. McDonnell

National Park Service

1849 C Street NW (2280)

Washington, D.C. 20240-0001

(202) 354-2259; fax (202) 371-2229

janet_mcdonnell@nps.gov

The following historians in the regional and support offices can also assist researchers dealing

with parks in their regions.

Paul O. Weinbaum

Historian

Boston Support Office

National Park Service

15 State Street

Boston, MA 02109-3572

(617) 223-5057

paul_weinbaum@nps.gov

Clifford I. Tobias

Park History Program Leader

Philadelphia Support Office

National Park Service

200 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

(215) 597-9970

cliff_tobias@nps.gov

Gary T. Scott

Regional Historian

National Capital Region

National Park Service

1100 Ohio Drive, SW

Washington, D.C. 20242

(202) 619-7279

gary_scott@nps.gov

Robert W. Blythe

Chief, Research and Inventory

Southeast Regional Office

National Park Service

Atlanta Federal Center, 1924 Building

Atlanta, GA 30303

(404) 562-3117 x641

bob_blythe@nps.gov

Ron Cockrell

Senior Historian

Midwest Regional Office

National Park Service

1709 Jackson Street

Omaha, NE 68102-2571

(402) 514-9355

ron_cockrell@nps.gov

Robert L. Spude, Program Manager,

Cultural Resources and National Register

Programs

Intermountain Support Office – Santa Fe

National Park Service

P.O. Box 728

Santa Fe, NM 87504-0728

(505) 988-6770

bob_spude@nps.gov

Gordon S. Chappell

Historian

Pacific West Regional Office

National Park Service

1111 Jackson Street, Suite 700

Oakland, CA 94107

(510) 817-1394

gordon_chappell@nps.gov
28

David B. Louter

History Program Lead

Pacific West Regional Office

National Park Service

909 First Avenue

Seattle, WA 98104-1060

(206) 220-4137

david_louter@nps.gov

Sandra M. McDermott

Historian

Alaska Support Office

2525 Gambell Street

Anchorage, AK 99503

(907) 257-2547

sande_anderson@nps.gov

NPS Records Managers

Michael Grimes

National Park Service Records Officer

National Park Service

1849 C Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20240-0001

(202) 354-0918

michael_grimes@nps.gov

Members of the NPS Records Advisory Council can also be a source of assistance on records

related issues. A link to information about the Records Advisory Council can be found at

<http://inside.nps.gov/programs/program.cfm?prog=57&div=11&page=home>

Denver Service Center

Technical Information Center

12795 West Alameda Parkway

Lakewood, CO 80228

Contact:

Jannette Wesley

Technical Information Specialist

(303) 969-2131

jannette_wesley@nps.gov
29

VI. Evolution of NPS Regional Structure

1937

Four regions, influenced by an existing CCC regional organization, were established with offices

in the cities noted:

Region I, Richmond, VA—included ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RT, NY, NJ, PA, OH, DE, MD,

WV, VA, KY, NC, SC, TN, GA, AL, MS, LA, FL.

Region II, Omaha, NE—included MI, WI, IN, IL, MN, IA, MO, ND, SD, NE, KS, MT (except

Glacier), WY, CO (except Mesa Verde, Colorado, Black Canyon, Great Sand Dunes,

Hovenweep, Yucca House), Dinosaur in UT.

Region III, Oklahoma City, OK, to 1939, then Santa Fe, NM—included AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ,

CO (areas excepted from Region II), NV (Boulder Dam NRA and Lehman Caves only), UT

(Rainbow Bridge, Natural Bridges, Arches only).

Region IV, San Francisco, CA—included CA, WA, ID, OR, NV (except areas in Region III), UT

(except areas in Regions II and III), Glacier in MT, AK, HI.

1940-1947

Glacier was moved from Region- IV to Region II. Region III included all of Utah.

1955

In July Region I was subdivided to create Region V.

Region I, Richmond, VA—included AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA (except

GW Parkway, Custis-Lee, Prince William), WV.

Region II, Omaha, NE—included CO (except Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, Black

Canyon, Hovenweep, Yucca House), IA, KS, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, WY, Dinosaur in UT.

Region III, Santa Fe, NM—included AZ, NM, OK, TX, UT (except Dinosaur), CO (areas

excepted from Region II), Lake Mead in NV.

Region IV, San Francisco, CA—included CA, ID, NV (except Lake Mead), OR, WA, AK, HI.

Region V, Philadelphia, PA—included CT, DE, IL, IN, ME, MD (except Suitland Parkway,

B-W Parkway, Catoctin), MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, Wl.

1962
30

National Capital Parks, which administered the parks in Washington, DC, and certain parks in

nearby Maryland and Virginia, became Region VI in January and National Capital Region in the

general regional re-titling at midyear, whereby

Region I became the Southeast Region, Region II became the Midwest Region, Region III

became the Southwest Region, Region IV became the Western Region,

Region V became the Northeast Region, and

Region VI became the National Capital Region.

1969

National Capital Region reverted to "National Capital Parks" on December 5.

1970

The Northwest District of the Western Region, created as a semi-autonomous unit in December

1968, became the Pacific Northwest Region, headquartered in Seattle, WA, and covering AK,

ID, WA, OR, Lava Beds in CA.

1971

In response to the Nixon administration's call for common regional boundaries for federal

agencies, NPS regional boundaries were redrawn in November:

Northeast Region, Philadelphia, PA—included MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH, ME, NH, VT, MA, CT,

RI, NY, NJ, WV (except Harpers Ferry), DE, MD (except Suitland Parkway, B-W Parkway,

C&O Canal, Antietam, Catoctin, Fort Washington, Piscataway), PA, VA (except GW Parkway,

Arlington House, Prince William, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cumberland Gap).

National Capital Parks, Washington, DC—included DC; GW Parkway, Arlington House, and

Prince William in VA; and areas excluded from MD in Northeast except Harpers Ferry

(administered by Director, Harpers Ferry Center, 3/16/70-3/16/74).

Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA (office moved from Richmond 1/9/72)—included AL, FL, GA,

KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, PR, VI, Blue Ridge Parkway in VA.

Midwest Region, Omaha, NE—included CO, UT, Glen Canyon and Pipe Spring in AZ, IA, KS,

MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, WY.

Southwest Region, Santa Fe, NM—included NM, OK, TX, AR, LA.

Western Region, San Francisco, CA—included CA (except Lava Beds), NV, AZ (except Glen

Canyon and Pipe Spring), HI.
31

Pacific Northwest Region, Seattle, WA—included AK, ID, OR, WA, Lava Beds in CA.

1973

As part of an NPS reorganization in December, two new regions were formed: Rocky Mountain

from the Midwest Region and North Atlantic from the Northeast Region, which was re-titled

Mid-Atlantic Region.

North Atlantic Region, Boston, MA—included MA, VT, NH, ME, NY, NJ (except Delaware

Water Gap), CT, RI.

Mid-Atlantic Region, Philadelphia, PA—included PA, NJ (Delaware Water Gap only), WV

(except Harpers Ferry), DE, VA (except Manassas, Arlington House, GW Parkway, Wolf Trap,

Prince William, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cumberland Gap), MD (except C&O Canal, Harpers

Ferry, Catoctin, Antietam, B-W Parkway, Fort Washington, Piscataway, Greenbelt, Suitland

Parkway, GW Parkway, Clara Barton [1974], Monocacy [1976]).

National Capital Parks, Washington, DC—included DC; Manassas, Arlington House, GW

Parkway, Wolf Trap, Prince William in VA; areas excluded from WV and MD in Mid-Atlantic

(Harpers Ferry after 3/16/74).

Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA—included KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, MS, AL, FL, PR, VI, Blue

Ridge Parkway in VA.

Midwest Region, Omaha, NE—included NE, KS, IA, MO, MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH.

Rocky Mountain Region, Denver, CO—included MT, WY, CO, ND, SD, UT, Pipe Spring and

Glen Canyon in AZ.

Southwest Region, Santa Fe, NM—included NM, OK, TX, AR, LA. In 1974 added Navajo,

Canyon de Chelly, Wupatki, Sunset Crater, and Hubbell in AZ.

Western Region, San Francisco, CA—included CA (except Lava Beds until 1978), NV, HI, AZ

(except Glen Canyon, Pipe Spring, and areas in Southwest Region after 1974).

Pacific Northwest Region, Seattle, WA—included AK, WA, ID, OR, Lava Beds in CA until its

transfer to Western 1978).

1976

National Capital Parks reverted to "National Capital Region" October 21.

1980

The Alaska Area Office, operated independent of the Pacific Northwest Region

after March 1979, officially became a regional office and headquarters of the
32

new Alaska Region (AK only) on December 2, 1980, making a total of ten NPS

regions.

1995

On May 15 the ten regions were restructured into seven field areas:

Northeast Area, Philadelphia, PA—includes ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD

(except Antietam, Catoctin, C&O Canal, Clara Barton, Fort Washington, Greenbelt, Monocacy,

Piscataway), WV (except Harpers Ferry), VA (except Arlington House, Blue Ridge Parkway,

GW Parkway, Manassas, Prince William, Wolf Trap).

National Capital Area, Washington, DC—includes DC; Arlington House, GW Parkway,

Manassas, Prince William, Wolf Trap in VA; areas excluded from MD and WV in Northeast.

Southeast Area, Atlanta, GA—includes Blue Ridge Parkway in VA, KY, NC, TN, SC, GA, AL,

MS, LA, FL, PR, VI.

Midwest Area, Omaha, NE—includes MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, IA, MO, AR, ND, SD, NE, KS.

Intermountain Area, Denver, CO—includes MT, WY, UT, CO, AZ, NM, OK, TX.

Pacific West Area, San Francisco, CA—includes WA, OR, ID, CA, NV, HI, GU

Alaska Area, Anchorage, AK—includes AK

1997

In January the seven field areas were redesignated regions.

See http://www.nps.gov/hfc/library/regions.htm for an online version of the NPS regional

structure.
33

VII. FILE CODES

Historical

These codes serve as a Select List of Decimal Classifications Used in the Central Classified Files of the National

Park Service records at the National Archives (RG 79).

000 General 204-20 By headquarters officers

0-1 Conferences 205 Instructions and Orders (General)

0-1.1 Superintendents 205-01 Executive Orders

0-1.2 Rangers 205-01.1 Proclamations

0-1.4 Staff 205-02 National Park Service

0-1.5 Operators 205-03 Secretary's

0-3 Invitations and Addresses 206 Mail Facilities (General)

0-5 Records and Files 206-08 Post offices (establishment of)

0-10 Laws and Legal Matters (General) 207 Reports (General)

0-10.1 Decisions of Attorney General 207-01 Annual

0-10.2 Decisions of Comptroller 207-01.2 Director's

0-10.3 Decisions of Solicitor 207-01.3 Secretary's

0-15 Final Opinions and Orders 207-01.4 Superintendents'

0-20 Executive Departments and Establishments 207-01.5 Park Naturalist's

207-02 Monthly

0-30 Foreign Parks 207-02.1 Director's

0-31 Military Parks 207-02.3 Superintendents'

0-32 Proposed Parks 207-03 Historians'

0-33 State Parks 207-04 Park Naturalist's

0-35 Proposed Monuments 207-05 Rangers'

0-36 Proposed National Historical Parks 207-20 Weather

0-37 Proposed National Military Parks 207-22 Final construction reports

0-38 Parkways 207-23 Burials

0-39 Biological Wild Life Preserves 208 Rules and Regulations (General)

0-40 Recreational Areas 208-01 Automobile and motorcycles

0-42 Memorials 208-01.1 Drivurself

208-01.2 License

100 History and Legislation 208-01.3 Fees

101 History (General) 208-01.4 Permits

101-01 Dedications 208-05 Drumming

120 Legislation 208-06 Fishing, hunting, and trapping

120-01 House bills 208-08 Liquor traffic

120-02 Senate bills 208-09 Livestock

120-05 Acts 208-10 Moral conditions

208-11 Robbery

200 Administration and Personnel 208-30 Uniforms and equipment

201 Administration (General) 208-40 Vandalism

201-01 Director 208-41 Deaths

201-02 Associate Director 208-43 Mining

201-03 Assistant Director 208-44 Firearms

201-03.1 General Superintendent 208-47 Sales tax

and Landscape Engineer 250 Personnel

201-04 Regional Directors 252 Employment

201-06 Superintendents and Custodians 256 Examinations

201-06.1 Assistant Superintendents 257 Leave

201-10 U. S. Commissioners

201-12 Inspectors 300 Appropriations, Finance, and Accounts

201-13 Organization 302 Appropriations -Estimates (General)

201-13.1 Organization charts 303 Appropriations (General)

201-14 Reorganization 303-02 Donations

201-15 Policy 303-03 Emergency reconstruction

204 Inspections and Investigations (General) and forest fires

204-01 By congressional committees 303-05 Insect infestations

204-10 By field officers 303-13 Claims, settlement of
34

. 305 Disbursing Clerk (General) 602 Boundaries (General)

306 Accounts (General) 602-01 Boundaries (extension)

307 Receipts and Revenues (General) 603 Condemning of Lands

604 Donations

400 Supplies and Equipment 605 Entries

403 Contracts 605-01 Exchanges

403-01 Contracts correspondence 605-02 School lands

403-02 Contractors 606 Irrigation (General)

405 Inventories 607 Jurisdiction (General)

425 Books, Magazines, Etc. 608 Memorials (General)

432 Forms and Stationery (General) 609 Leases

435 Gasoline and Oils (General) 609-01 Mining claims

443 Motor and Steam Equipment 610 Private Holdings (General)

443-14 Boats 610-01 Purchasing of lands

444 Photographic Equipment and Supplies 610-02 Taxes

455 Uniforms and Equipment 611 Repairs and Improvements

611-01 Elevators

500 Publicity and Statistics 612 Rights of Way

501 Publicity 613 Sale of Lots

501-01 Advertising 614 Surveys

501-02 Magazine articles 615 Value of Lands

501-03 Newspaper articles (press notices) 616 Withdrawals and Restorations

501-04 Special articles on national parks 618 Public Works Administration

(speeches) 619 Civil Works Administration (FERA and

502 Entertainments and Lectures SERA)

503 Pictures (General) 620 Buildings (General)

503-10 Moving pictures (general) 620-01 Administration building

504 Publications (General) 620-08 Checking stations

504-01 Bulletins 620-10 Churches

504-03 Manuals 620-20 Community buildings

504-04 Maps 620-30 Fish hatchery

504-04.1 Motorist guides 620-31 Gauging stations

504-04.2 Blueprints 620-36 Hospitals

504-07 Portfolio of National Parks 620-37 Lookout stations

504-11 Nature Notes 620-46 Museums

550 Statistics (General) 620-49 Observatories

620-51 Post offices

600 Lands, Buildings, Roads, and Trails 620-53 Power houses

600-01 Master plan 620-54 Pump houses

600-02 Six-year program 620-63 Ranger cabins and stations

600-03 Development outline 620-68 Schools

600-04 Specifications 620-80 Shelter cabins 601 Lands (General) 621 Construction Projects 601-01 Administration sites 630 Roads (General)

601-02 Airfield sites 630-02 Maintenance

601-03 Camp sites 630-02. 1 Oiling

601-05 Reservoir sites 630-02.2 Snow removal

601-09 Cemetery sites 631 Construction under Road Budget

Program

601-11 Park entrances 631-01 Roads budget -allotments

601-12 Recreational areas 631-02 Roads budget

601-13 Wilderness areas 632 Roads Outside Park (Approach Roads)

601-14 Research preserves 633 Roadside Cleanup

601-15 Landscaping 640 Trails (General)

601-18 Soil and moisture 650 Lakes, Rivers, and Waterways
35

650-01 Lakes 732 Geology (General)

650-02 Rivers 732-03 Rocks and minerals

650-03 Waterways 732-03.1 Requests for specimens

650-04 Bridges 732-06 Water

650-05 Structures in waters 732-06.1 Ice and glaciers

660 Plants and Systems 732-06.2 Soil erosion and control

660-03 Sanitary systems 732-06.5 Thermal phenomena (geysers)

660-04 Telephone, telegraph and radio service 732-06.6 Underground water & caves

 732-06.7 Earth movements

660-05 Water supply systems (general) 732-06.8 Vulcanism

660-05.1 Distribution of 

660-05.2 Fountains 740 Antiquities (General)

660-05.4 Reservoirs 740-01 Anthropology

660-05.41 Retch Hetchy (San 740-02 Archeology

Francisco water supply) 740-02. 1 Discoveries

 740-02. 2 Relics

660-05.5 Water analysis (mineral 740-02.3 Researches water) 740-03 Ruins protection . 660-05.51 Radioactivity 750 Sciences (General)

660-05.6 Water power

660-05.7 Water rights 800 Protection, Service to Public, and Forestry

660-05.8 Wells 801 Protection (General)

801-01 Accident

700 Flora, Fauna, Natural Phenonema, 801-02 Flood

Antiquities, and Sciences 801-03 Policing

700-01 Nature study 801-04 Storm

701 Flora (General) 801-05 Fire

701-01.4 Trees 831 Conventions (General)

710 Fauna 832 Expositions (General)

713 Birds 833 Exhibits (General)

714 Fishes 833-01 Botanical

715 Mammals 833-02 Conservation of natural resources

(including restorations)

715-01 Antelope 833-05 Museums

715-02 Bears 833-07 Models

715-03 Buffalo 834 Gifts Other Than Money (Donations)

715-04 Deer 

715-05 Elk 

840 Educational Activities

715-06 Goats and sheep 840-02.1 Bibliographies

715-07 Moose 840-02.2 Libraries

715-08 Beaver 840-02.3 Universities and colleges

716 Insects (Arthropoda) 843 Instruction (General)

717 Invertebrates (Except Arthropoda) 843-01 Courses in national parks conducted

 by outside institutions

718 Ecology 843-03 School facilities

719 Predatory Animals 843-04 Special training

720 Protection and Care

720-01 Feeding 845 Research (General)

720-03 Preserves 855 Medical Service (General)

720-04 Wildlife survey 857 Travel (General)

721 Industry (General) 857-01 Air travel

721-02 Skins 857-04 Hotels and dude ranches

730 Natural Phenonema (General) 857-06 Mountain climbing

731 Geography (General) 857-07 Opening of parks

731-01 Place names 857-08 Railroad

731-02 Topography of parks 867 Tours (General)
36

868 Winter Sports 

871 (870-1) Associations, Clubs and Committees 

880 Forestry (General)

883 Forest Protection (General) 900 Concessions 

883-01 Fires 900 Public Utility Operators

883-02 Protection improvements 900-01 Buildings

883-03 Fire records 900-02 Contracts

883-03.1 Individual fire reports 900-03 Financial reports

883-03.3 Annual reports (fire) 900-04 Lands

883-06 Insect infestations 900-05 Misc. correspondence

900-06 Rates

883-07 Forest protection cooperation 900-07 Reports (semimonthly)

883-07. 1 Forest Protection Board 900-08 Complaints

884 Forest Products (General) 901 Privileges and Permits

884-03 Timber 901-01 Grazing permits

884-03. 1 Sale of forest timber 

885 Silviculture

885-01 Emergency Conservation Work:

Civilian Conservation Corps, Reforestation
Current

The following are the subject file codes that have been assigned to NPS correspondence since the 195Os. A

superintendent's annual report, for example, is filed under A2621.

A –Administration and Management

14 Acting Personnel Designations (See A96 for Delegation of Authority.)

16 Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings, and Monuments

15 Organization

19 Meetings, Recommendations, Appointments

18 Advisory Boards, Field, Groups, (other Organizations, Meetings, Recommendations)

22 Associations, Foundations, Commissions, Councils, Societies

24 Committees

15 International

19 Departmental

27 Interagency

31 Washington Office

35 Field Offices

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

NOTE: Issues; Briefing Statements; Action Forcing Events; Park Data Bank and any material

prepared for briefing Director or Secretary shall be filed in A2623.

34 Commendations/Letters of Appreciation/Awards

15 About Service and Personnel 

19 Concerning Concessions

36 Complaints

38 Public Relations

15 With Federal, State, and Local Agencies 

17 Foreign Agencies 

21 Individuals

23 Public Involvement (Include public meetings. Specific hearings filed by subject, i.e., D18, L48 and

 L7617.)

40 Conferences and Meetings

15 Departmental
38

19 Washington Office

23 Regional Directors

27 Regional Offices

31 Other Field Offices

33 Servicewide

35 Interagency

37 International

42 Cooperating Associations (includes Natural History, Historical, and Museum Associations)

44 Memorandums of Agreement with Federal, State, and Local Agencies

15 Cooperative Agreements

46 Communications Services (Includes Telecopier, Telephone, and Telegraph services. See D5027 for radio and

telephone services within NPS.)

52 Fund Raising and Other Civic Campaigns

54 Inspections, Appraisals, Investigations, Studies, Task Forces and Surveys

15 Congressional Committees 

19 Departmental

23 Washington Office

25 Regional Offices

27 Field Offices

31 Other Agencies

56 Instructions and Orders

15 Secretary's Orders

19 Secretary's Office Memoranda

21 NPS Permanent Guidelines

23 NPS Special Directives

27 NPS Staff Directives

31 WASO Memoranda

35 Field Directorate Memoranda

39 Field Office Instructional Memoranda

41 Other Federal Agencies (by agency if volume warrants, i.e., Office of Management and Budget, OMB)

43 Request for copies of above

58 Interments

60 Visits

19 of Government Personnel

21 of Foreign Persons

62 Lost, Found and Stolen Articles

 64 Organization

15 Lists and Directories

19 Goals/Objectives (Long Term Management Plan)
39

23 Management Policies (Mission Statements)

27 Organizational Charts/Role and Function Statements

35 Standards

37 Management Improvement Projects

NOTE: Establish case files, if required, for each organizational level, i.e., WASO, Region, Parks.

66 Manuals, Government

15 Departmental Manual and other Departmental Issuances 

17 NPS Manuals and other NPS issuances to FPM and FPMR 

21 Other Federal agencies (OMB, GSA, OPM, etc.) 

25 Requests for copies of above

68 Printing and Binding

70 National Priorities

15 Civil Defense Program

19 Area Use, National Defense

21 Conservation (Energy, Water and Recycling of Materials)

72 Information Resources Management (Include policy correspondence.)

15 Automatic Data Processing 17 Correspondence Management

19 Directives Management System

21 Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act 23 Forms Management 25 Mail Management

27 Records Management (Include Files Management, Records Scheduling and Disposition.)

29 Reports Management 31 Vital Records 33 Micrographics

35 Word Processing

37 NPS Informational Systems (includes capital improvements, Fixed Assets): Cultural Resources Studies:

Lands (Management Information System): Natural Resources:

Natural Science Research: Sociological & Economic Studies: and the Technical Information Center (DSC)

(including planning, design, drawings & construction documents) (See Appendix B, A7237, page 18 for

further information.)

76 Protection

l5 Health and Safety

19 Safety Committees, Meetings, Recommendations, etc.

23 Accidents, Injuries, Deaths

27 Floods, Storms, Droughts

31 Building Fires

33 Building Security, i.e. Vandalism

37 Tort Claims

78 School Facilities

80 Space for Administrative Use

l5 Alterations, Maintenance, Improvement

27 Office and Storage Space

31 Parking Space

82 Special Events
40

l5 Dedications, Anniversaries, Similar Observances 

19 Conventions, Tours, Group Visitations, Public Gatherings

23 Religious Services

27 Expositions and Other Special Events

31 Display of Flag

84 Speeches

19 Washington Office Directorate 23 Field Directorate

88 Transportation Studies

l5 Visitor Use 

17 New Systems

90 Permits (except concession and special use permits) See C38 and L30.

l5 Collecting (Archeological, Paleontological, etc.) 

27 Motion Picture Filming 

29 Public Gatherings

31 Recreation Uses (i. e., back country, boating, camping, wilderness, etc.)

96 Delegations of Authority (See A14 for Acting Personnel Designations.)

98 Conservation and Preservation of Areas for Public Enjoyment

C- Concessions

14 Accommodations, Capacity and Type

18 Advertising

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situations

30 Audits and Fiscal Examinations

32 Lump Sum Fund, Concessioner

34 Concessioner's Organizations, Meetings, Recommendations

38 Concessions Administration (Include policy and procedures.)

15 Applications

17 Prospectus

19 Insurance

21 Standard Language

23 Contracts and Permits
41

25 Franchise Fees

27 Commercial Use License

NOTE: Individual folders established for each concessioner

40 Possessory Interest

42 Employment and Labor 46 Merchandising

50 Rates

54 Taxes

58 Building and Other Facilities

62 Concessions Review Program

15 Operational Performance

17 Contract Permit Compliance

D. – Development and Maintenance

18 Planning Program (Include Master Plans, General Management Plans, Development Concept Plans, Outlines for

Planning Requirements, Task Directives, Statements for Management and Resources Management Plans.)

22 Construction and Preservation Programs

15 Development/Study Package Proposals (Forms 10-238, 239, & 250), Estimates (Form 10-802), and

Work Orders (Form 10-455)

17 Line Item Programs

19 Lump Sum and Similar Programs

24 Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Physical Facilities Program (includes Cyclic Maintenance, and Handicap

Facilities etc.)

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Roads and Trails (includes bridges, tunnels, runways and launching ramps, etc.)

32 Grounds/Shoreline

15 Campgrounds, Playgrounds, Tennis Courts, and Picnic areas 17 Beaches

19 Erosion and Watershed Control (Including dredging, rip-rap, etc.)

34 Buildings (other than Concession and Historical)

15 Construction and Maintenance

23 Individual Building Data File
42

46 Other Structures (fences, benches, guard rails, fountains, etc.)

5O Services and Utilities

15 Electricity

19 Garbage Disposal

23 Heating and Cooling Systems

27 Radio and Telephone

31 Sanitation Matters (Solid Waste Program)

39 Water and Sewer

41 Gas Systems

52 Contracts

15 Professional Services (Architect & Engineering) Contracts

17 Construction Contracts

62 Museum and Exhibit Activities

15 Planning, Preparation, Maintenance, and Preservation of Museum Exhibits

23 Acquisitions and Loans for Display

31 Exhibits for Other Agencies

NOTE: See H2017 for Accession Files

66 Signs, Markers, and Memorials (Include road signs, traffic devices, etc. For sign stock see 582.)

F- Fiscal

14 Advances/Transfers of Funds

15 To Other Agencies

19 From Other Agencies

23 Within the Service

16 Accounting (by Area)

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Budget Formulation

15 Current Year Operating Program ( Form 10-561) 

17 Budget Increases/Decreases (Form 10-237)

34 Budget Execution

15 Status of Funds 

17 Reserves
43

36 Budgeted Position Ceilings

38 Appropriation and Allotment Advices (Form 10-243)

15 Operating (Form 10-450)

17 Construction

19 Supplemental

21 Apportionments

23 Administrative Limitations

42 Audits and Fiscal Examinations

15 General Accounting Office and Other Government 

17 Department of Interior/National Park Service

23 Public Auditors, other than Government and States 

46 Cashiers and Collection Officers (Include Imprest Fund.) 

50 Claims and Payments 

15 Construction

19 Supply

23 Travel and Transportation

25 Compensations

54 Special Non-appropriated Funds

15 Donations

17 Reimbursable/Refundables

19 Fees and Revenues (Include camping and entrance fees.)

62 Fiscal Regulations and Interpretations 66 Payrolls

15 Income Tax Deductions

19 Retirement Deductions

23 Other Deductions (Include Savings Bond deductions.)

27 Designations (i.e., Timekeeper, Designated Agent)

74 Rate Schedules

15 Equipment 

19 Mess

23 Quarters (Employee Housing)

25 Utilities

78 Tax Exemptions

86 Travel and Transportation Regulations

H- History and Archeology

(Cultural Resources & Historic Preservation)

14 Area and Service History (Include Significant Events and Contacts Log.)
44

15 Legislative History

17 Administrative History

18 Biographical Data and Special Collections

15 National Park Service Areas

17 Acquisitions, Gifts, Loans, and Inventories (accession files)

NOTE: See D62 for museum and exhibit activities

22 Cultural Resources Studies and Research

15 National Park Service Areas

17 Special Studies

24 Archeological and Historical Data Recovery Programs (External)

15 Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation Projects, River Basins, etc.

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual 21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Historic Sites and Structures Management and Preservation (Include Archeological Ruins.)

15 Management, Preservation, and Maintenance 

17 List of Classified Structures

19 Special Studies (Include Historic Furnishing Plans.)

32 National Register of Historic Places (Include State Plans.)

34 National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings (National I Natural Historic Landmarks)

15 Proposed

17 Eligible or Established

36 Historic Preservation Grants-in-Aid

38 Historic American Buildings Survey

l5 Studies

19 Requests for

40 Historic American Engineering Record

42 Historic Preservation Programs Overview

15 Legislative Policies and Procedures (Title I, Sec. 106, P.L. 80-665, E.O. 11593, etc.)

17 Compliance Documentation
45

K- Interpretation and Information

14 Information Requests

18 Interpretive Activities (includes Performing Arts)

l5 Services

17 Interpretive Planning

22 Libraries and Library Services

26 Reports

l5 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual 21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Photography

l5 Production and acquisition of Motion Pictures

19 Production and acquisition of Still Pictures and Slides

23 Loans and Gifts to public and other agencies

34 News Media (Press, Radio and TV)

l5 Press Release NOTE: Prepare individual folders for Department, WASO, Region and Area.

17 Radio and Television Activities (Include recordings, video, and scripts.)

38 Publications, National Park Service

l5 In-House (Newsletters, etc.)

19 Free Informational Literature

23 Sales

27 Maps

31 Posters, Cartoons and Emblems

41 Manuscripts and Proofs

42 Publications, Other

15 Secretary's Office

19 Other Departments, Bureaus and Offices

54 Special Articles regarding Service or Areas

15 Prepared by Service Personnel

17 Prepared by other than Service Personnel
46

L -Lands, Water and Recreation Planning

14 Acquisition of Lands

15 Policy and Procedures

17 Boundary Adjustments (Include Surveys and Reports.)

19 Federal Holdings (other than NPS)

25 Holdings (other than Federal)

29 Land Records

24 Encroachments

15 Water Projects

19 Logging and Timber

23 Mining

27 Oil and Gas

31 Road Construction

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Land Use (Special Use Permits)

15 Agriculture 

19 Grazing

23 Mining and Minerals

25 Oil and Gas Easements

27 Roads and Road Rights-of-way

31 Water, Sewer and Transmission Lines 

32 Land, Public

15 Cooperation, including Administration, Planning and Development 

17 Grants Applications -- Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Urban Grants for Public use Land

in States and Cities, Recreation Grants Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR)

19 Grant Case Files LWCF, UPARR, Urban State Grants)

34 Recreation Activities (Include back country use, hang-gliding, youth hostels, etc.)

15 Camping

19 Hiking and Riding 23 Mountain Climbing 25 Water Sports

27 Winter Sports

38 Aircraft Landing Sites

46 Navigation Facilities Sites

48 Wilderness Areas and Research Reserves
47

NOTE: After area has been designated "wilderness," see N1623 for management thereof.

50 Geographic Place Names and Area Terminology

54 Water Matters (Water Rights, Compacts, Resources, etc.)

58 Proposed Areas

60 Designated Areas

15 National wild and Scenic Rivers 

17 National Scenic Trails

62 International Parks and Historic Sites

66 Foreign Parks and Historic Sites

70 States and State Parks

19 Cooperation, including Administration, Planning, and Development

21 State Park Organizations

23 Annual Records list of State Park Lands and Related Areas with acreage’s accommodations

25 State Grants

31 Fees and Charges

NOTE: Under the L7019 classification, prepare separate folder for each State and Project.

74 River Basin Studies and Activities

19 Economic and Recreational Benefits 

21 Notices of Public Hearings

23 Studies and Reports (concerning Bureau of Reclamation and Corp of Engineering Projects)

23 Dams and Dredging

27 Other Studies and Reports (Agriculture, Federal Power Commission, etc.)

NOTE: Files are developed by Regions, then by major river basins, and finally by projects where importance of

project or wealth of material warrants. Archeological and Historical Research relating to River Basins are coded

H24l5.

76 Environmental Impact

15 Policy, Procedures, Guidelines (Include Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standards.)

17 Statements and Studies concerning NPS Areas

19 Reviews of Statements and Studies concerning other Federal agencies

21 Reviews of Statements and Studies concerning State and Private agencies

N- Natural and Social Sciences

14 Animal and Plant Life (Observations and Studies)

15 Amphibians and Reptiles

19 Birds

23 Fish

27 Mammals
48

29 Insects and Invertebrates

31 Shrubs

33 Plants

16 Management of Natural Resources and Areas (Include Resources Basic Inventory; Coastal Zone Management;

Wetlands Management, Ecological Impact, etc.)

15 Wildlife

17 Plant Life

19 Water Life

21 Threatened and Endangered Species (Plants and animals)

23 Back country/Wilderness Management

22 Research Programs (Studies by species found in N14)

15 Area Natural Science Research Plans 

17 Social Science Research

19 Research Proposals and Projects

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Geological Features and Studies

19 Paleontology (fossils)

21 Seismology (earthquakes)

23 Speleology (caves)

27 Volcanology

31 Glaciers (ice and frost actions)

35 Rocks and Minerals

39 Thermal Features (geysers, hot springs, steam vents)

43 Water (Fresh and Marine)

36 Pollution/Environmental Quality

15 Air

17 Water

19 Land

40 Energy Research (For individual Solar Heating Systems see D-5023. For Energy Conservation see A7021.)

42 Weather and Climate (correspondence relating to weather, climate and atmospheric sciences)

15 Studies, Observations

44 Natural Landmarks

46 Social and Economic Sciences
49

15 Visitor Use Surveys and Statistics (Special Studies)

17 Demography (Vital and Social Statistics)

19 Economics

21 Assessments

NOTE: See A2615 for monthly public use reports.

50 Pest and Weed Control

54 Soil and Moisture Control

P- Personnel

14 Individual Official Personnel Folders

18 Office of Personnel Management Laws, Rules and Regulations

15 Rules and Regulations

19 Interpretation

21 Inspections

22 Applications and Inquiries for Employment

15 Permanent positions 

17 Temporary positions

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

30 Appointment Requirements and Procedures

32 Classification, position 34 Compensation

15 For Injury

19 For Overtime

21 For Hazard Pay

23 For Duty at Remote Worksites

NOTE: Regulations only, payments in F5025 36 Conduct of Officers and Employees

38 Performance Ratings Program, Procedures, and Appraisals

40 Employee Welfare and Activities

15 Welfare

19 Employee Relations

21 Labor-Management Relations
50

42 Equal Employment Opportunity

15 Affirmative Action Plan

17 Discrimination Complaints and Grievances

19 Special Programs, i.e., Cooperative Education, Upward Mobility, Spanish Speaking, Federal Women,

etc.

44 Incentive Awards Program

15 Procedures

17 Merit Awards

19 Suggestions

48 Examinations

52 Hours and Tours of Duty

56 Identification of Employees

60 Leave

15 Annual

19 Jury

23 Military 27 Sick

31 without Pay

35 Compensatory

39 Holidays

43 Special Occasions

64 Personnel Procedures and Records

72 Recruitment and Certification (Include OPM Requests & Certificates of Eligibles.)

74 Restrictions on Employment

78 Retirement

80 Separation

82 Statistics

84 Status (Include Veterans Preference, Office of Personnel Management reinstatement, Reemployed Retired

annuitant, etc.)

86 Training

l5 In-Service

17 Interagency Facilities

19 Non-Government Facilities

88 Transfers/Details/Reassignments

l5 within Service
51

19 outside Service

90 Wage Board Matters

92 Uniform Standards (Include grooming. See S94 for procurement of uniforms and accessories.)

94 Volunteer Employment Program

S -Supplies, Procurement and Property

14 Animals

18 Historic Building Furniture and Accessories (See H30 for Historic Furnishing Report.)

22 Construction and Maintenance Supplies 24 Communications Equipment 26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual 21 Annual

23 Situation

28 Drafting and Engineering Supplies 30 Explosives

32 Fire Fighting Equipment

34 Firearms, Ammunition, and Defensive Equipment 38 Fuels

46 Library

15 Equipment

19 Publications

50 License Plates and Tags

54 Medical

58 Motor-Driven or Propelled Equipment (includes repair parts)

15 Aircraft

19 Automobiles, Trucks, Motorcycles

23 Boats

31 Road Construction and Maintenance Equipment

35 Use of

62 Office

15 Furniture and Accessories 

19 Forms

23 Machines

27 Stationery

66 Optical Equipment
52

15 Binoculars and Telescopes 

19 Microscopes

70 Photographic and Sound Equipment

15 Cameras and Projectors 

19 Films and Slides

72 Procurement

15 Instructions and Procedures

21 Research Contracts (Archeological, Historical, Natural Science, Theme Studies)

23 Supply and Equipment Contracts

25 Personal Services Contracts

27 Purchase Orders

74 Property Accountability

15 Real Property

17 Disposal of Real Property (Include Reports of Survey.)

19 Personal Property

21 Disposal of Personal Property (Include Reports of Survey)

23 Equipment Replacement Program (Depreciation)

78 Safety Equipment

82 Signs, Markers, Traffic Devices, Flags, Pennants, Symbols, Seals and Logos

84 Stenographic Services

90 Shipments (Bill of Lading/Invoices)

94 Uniforms (See P92 for Uniform Standards)

98 Weed and Insect Control Products and Animal Repellents

W- Laws and Legal Matters

18 Decisions

15 Attorney General

19 Comptroller General

23 Solicitor

27 Chief Counsel

22 Final Opinions and Orders

24 Federal Register Submissions (Cross reference to subject file)

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual 21 Annual
53

23 Situation

28 Executive Orders and Proclamations

30 Jurisdiction/Deputation/Police Powers 32 Civil Litigation/Court Procedures 34 Law Enforcement

15 Violation of Regulations, Arrests, Trial, Prosecution

17 Accident/Investigations 19 Commissions/Magistrates

21 Expungement Orders

23 State and Local Laws and Regulations

25 Alcohol and Speed Measuring Devices

27 Drunk Driving

38 Legislation

15 Proposed 

23 Enacted

42 Special Regulations (Refer: Title 36, CFR, Chapter I, Parts 7-60)

46 General Regulations (Refer: Title 36, CFR, Chapter I, Parts 1-6)

48 Procedure, Policy

15 Beats/Patrol Areas

17 Prisoner Processing

19 Court Procedures

Y - Forestry

14 Wildland Fire Management (See NPS-18, Fire Management Guideline)

15 Prevention

17 Presuppression

19 Supression

21 Prescribed Fire (all use of fire)

18 Forestry and Range Conservation Management

15 Trees and Forests 

19 Range

23 Reforestration and Rehabilitation

26 Reports

15 Monthly

17 Quarterly

19 Semi-Annual

21 Annual

23 Situation

34 Products including Wood Utilization and Timber Cutting (down timber and firewood)

42 Statistics