Files
Description
Glen A. Smith recalls passing his officer’s examination for the U.S. Forest Service with one of the top scores in Montana. He describes his posting in Libby, Montana, where he cleared trail and mapped the land while living in a cabin with fellow rangers Roscoe Haines and Ed Stahl. Smith describes the negative sentiment of the local community towards the Forest Service and the policies of President Theodore Roosevelt and Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot regarding national forest lands during the early 1900s. Smith discusses how his career as a ranger allowed him to survey and explore land across Montana and Idaho, and he provides detailed accounts of the people, wildlife, and challenges he encountered. He makes special note of his role managing cattle on public lands, and comments on the collaboration between federal employees and local ranchers that occurred in the nascent stages of the National Forest system.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Libby, Montana; Kalispell, Montana; Custer National Forest; Idaho; Priest River territory; wolves; mountain lions; Gifford Pinchot; Range management; Cheyenne Indians; Smith, Glen A. – Interviews; United States. Forest Service -- Officials and employees – Interviews; United States. Forest Service – History; United States. Forest Service -- Public opinion – History; Kootenai National Forest (Mont. and Idaho) – History; Public lands -- West (U.S.) -- Management -- Public opinion – History; Stahl, Edward G.; Grazing districts -- West (U.S.) – History; Montana – History; Idaho – History; Wildlife management -- Government policy -- West (U.S.) -- Public opinion – History; Haines, Roscoe, -1949
Original Date
1950
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Glen A. Smith Reminiscences Oral History Project, OH 006, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 006-003
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 reel-to-reel (03:00:00 min.) analog + 1 transcript (19 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
02:05:32 minutes
Local Filename
OH_006_003.mp3; OH_006_003.pdf
Citation
Smith, Glen A., "Glen A. Smith Reminiscence 3, circa 1950s" (1950). Glen A. Smith Reminiscences Oral History Project. 3.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/glensmith_reminiscences/3