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Vice President Roosevelt attests to service delivered by R. H. Langford during the campaign the previous fall. Roosevelt believes that Langford is an upright and capable man, but he cannot speak to his ability as a potential Indian Agent. If Langford is chosen, Roosevelt joins Senator Millard, Congressman Neville, and others who “testify on his behalf.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-09-07
Alice Cunningham Murtaugh thanks Ethan Allen Hitchcock for his kind response to her letter. She would like the United States government to “take action in her case,” and if Hitchcock himself cannot attend to the matter, she would like John Shepley to see to her case. Murtaugh reminds Hitchcock of the time she spent with his daughter Sarah Hitchcock Shepley and fondly remembers the time she spent with her and the rest of Hitchcock’s family.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-08
Commissioner of the General Land Office Richards writes to Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock regarding permit applications to cut timber. The Board of County Commissioners and residents of Johnson County, Wyoming, put in the applications, yet Special Agent Hintze found reasons to reject the applications.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03
R. E. Miller asks for Secretary Hitchcock’s suggestions in dealing with Jake L. Hammon, who is determined to control the post office and appoint the postmaster.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-10-02
William J. Burns explains Senator Fulton’s reasons for recommending G. B. Hegardt for registrar of the Roseburg Land Office.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-07-19
William A. Richards recommends sending John McPhaul to New Orleans to teach agents how to detect and investigate fraudulent applications.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-21
After being named acting superintendent of the newly-created Sullys Hill National Park, Charles L. Davis provides Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock with information about the geographical features and flora and fauna in the park. It is one of very few wooded areas in North Dakota, and Davis believes it should be developed so that it can grow into a popular retreat for the public. Davis estimates it will need a $6000 appropriation for development and upkeep.
1904-09-28
Charles L. Davis updates Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock about the current situation at Sullys Hill National Park. Because Congress did not appropriate any money he requested, Davis explains that no improvements have been made to the park. He believes the improvements would have increased the usage of the park, which was quite low. Davis wants to improve the roads, prepare campgrounds, and allow for a caretaker to live at the site.
1905-11-13
Charles L. Davis gives Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock the requested report on the use and operation of Sullys Hill National Park for 1906. Davis’s duties at the Devils Lake Agency made it impossible for him to closely monitor visitors to the park. He notes the lack of appropriations from Congress, which have made it impossible to improve or develop the park. Davis recommends that if the Department of the Interior does not intend to provide funding for the park, the land be returned to the public domain and sold so that the funds can benefit the Native American tribes who originally occupied the land.
1906-08-06
Charles L. Davis, acting superintendent of Sullys Hill National Park, asks Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock for further information about the act in question, which he is not familiar with. Hitchcock previously sent Davis a letter with an estimate blank and called his attention to a certain section of the act.
1906-08-17
Charles L. Davis advises Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock that he will be leaving North Dakota when his term as superintendent of Fort Totten Indian School terminates shortly. He assumes that the Department of the Interior will instruct his successor, Charles M. Ziebach, to continue management of Sullys Hill National Park.
1906-10-08
Acting Superintendent Charles L. Davis acknowledges the new executive order requiring the eight-hour law to be observed by contractors or other public workers. He points out that no money has been appropriated for maintenance or improvement in Sullys Hill National Park, and so no public work is being done there.
1906-10-08
Senator Perkins sends Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock petitions from citizens of Lassen County and Plumas County, California, asking that a committee be appointed to examine Lassen Peak and its surroundings with the aim of making the area a national park.
1906-06-16
George F. Pollock, Acting Commissioner of the General Land Office, inform Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock that his office has received a letter from Senator George C. Perkins enclosing a petition from citizens of California for the creation of a national park encompassing “Lassen Peak and its surroundings.” Pollock describes the area around Lassen Peak and the various points of interest therein, concluding that “there are, without doubt, many points of scientific and scenic interest in the vicinity that should receive the fullest protection possible, which can only be afforded by the creation of a national park.” He suggests that the Forest Service be consulted in this matter, as nearly all points of interest are located in the Lassen Peak Forest Reserve.
1906-10-22
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson acknowledges receipt of Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock’s previous letter concerning the proposed Lassen Peak National Park. As Hitchcock requested, he has requested Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot to examine the region and make a report, which Wilson will forward to Hitchcock. Wilson is somewhat doubtful whether a national park should be created inside a forest reserve, and believes the goal of protecting the area could more economically be accomplished if President Roosevelt were to designate the area a national monument using the Antiquities Act of 1906.
1906-11-21
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson sends Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock copies of three reports regarding the proposed Lassen Peak National Park. While a satisfactory examination of all the points was not possible, the reports show the importance of the various sites and describe the major areas of interest. The Forest Officer who made these reports, Louis A. Barrett, recommended that these sites be made individually into National Monuments, rather than declaring the entire region a National Park due to the scattered nature of the sites, and the possible complications of declaring a National Park within a National Forest. Wilson therefore recommends that they be designated National Monuments as quickly be possible, which will protect the sites while also not precluding the creation of a National Park at a later date.
1907-04-01
President Roosevelt has submitted two draft orders sent to him by Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock to the Forestry Bureau of the Department of Agriculture and shares their response with Hitchcock. Roosevelt feels their proposal is an improvement upon the letters provided to him by Hitchcock’s department.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-23
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock to issue an amendment to the orders withdrawing coal lands in the United States and Alaska from entry.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-14
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock about the Department of the Interior’s handling of illegal fences in Wyoming, and wants to names of the officials who “failed in their duty.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-09
Charles Nagel writes to Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock about the possible nomination of Missouri Governor Joseph Wingate Folk as the Democratic Party’s nominee in 1904. Nagel discusses Folk’s chances, the state of the Democratic Party, and the local political situation. Nagel states that Folk’s supporters include “the worst machine men and lobbyists of this state,” and he worries about the influence they may have over Folk.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-04-11