Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 8-2015 Western Duck Sickness: Avian Botulism and Conservation in the Bear River Marsh, 1910-1933 Andrew J. Simek Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Simek, Andrew J., "Western Duck Sickness: Avian Botulism and Conservation in the Bear River Marsh, 1910-1933" (2015). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 4413. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4413 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WESTERN DUCK SICKNESS: AVIAN BOTULISM AND CONSERVATION IN THE BEAR RIVER MARSH, 1910–1933 By Andrew J. Simek A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in History Approved: ______________________ _____________________ David Rich Lewis, PhD Christopher A. Conte, PhD Major Professor Committee Member ______________________ _____________________ Joanna Endter-Wada, PhD Mark McLellan, PhD Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2015 ii Copyright © Andrew J. Simek 2015 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Western Duck Sickness: Avian Botulism and Conservation in the Bear River Marsh, 1910–1933 by Andrew J. Simek, Master of Science Utah State University, 2015 Major Professor: Dr. David Rich Lewis Program: History This thesis investigates how the Bear River marsh’s protection became a national interest and a cause for conservation in the Progressive Era. The thesis documents how the marsh declined because of irrigation development culminating with an outbreak of avian botulism in 1910, and traces the long process to protect the marshland. The research focused on examining local water development patterns of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, ornithological research in the 1910s, and the national sportsmen’s conservation movement of the 1920s. Upon examination of these events, it becomes clear that a coalition of ornithologists, sportsmen, and policy makers worked together to institute change that affected the marsh. Through showing how groups came together in the past to work for conservation, this research highlights the important role iv that a coalition of groups can have in reshaping how a landscape is viewed and managed. (139 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Western Duck Sickness: Avian Botulism and Conservation in the Bear River Marsh, 1910–1933 Andrew J. Simek This thesis investigates how the Bear River marsh’s protection became a national interest and a cause for conservation in the Progressive Era. The thesis documents how the marsh declined because of irrigation development culminating with an outbreak of avian botulism in 1910, and traces the long process to protect the marshland. The research focused on examining local water development patterns of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, ornithological research in the 1910s, and the national sportsmen’s conservation movement of the 1920s. Upon examination of these events, it becomes clear that a coalition of ornithologists, sportsmen, and policy makers worked together to institute change that affected the marsh. Through showing how groups came together in the past to work for conservation, this research highlights the important role that a coalition of groups can have in reshaping how a landscape is viewed and managed. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I could not have completed this thesis without the help and support of many people. First, to my wife, Bree Ann Romero, I am grateful for your love and support throughout this endeavor. A great debt is owed to you for pushing me along when I needed it, critiquing my work, and listening to me ramble about ducks for hours on end. I truly could not have done this without you. To my parents, George and Shalley Simek, and my siblings, LaDeanna Simek, Karyn Klebe, Jeff Simek, Eric Simek, and Brad Simek, thank you for supporting and encouraging me to pursue my dreams and take chances. To Jerry and Gayle Romero, for all of your support and providing me with a home and family far from North Dakota, thank you. Special thanks to all of my committee members for staying patient with me throughout this long process. Dr. Joanna Endter-Wada, for introducing me to this topic and to my career in the field of environmental law. Dr. Chris Conte, for challenging and pushing me throughout this work. I am a better writer and critical thinker because of your challenges. To Dr. David Lewis, thank you for all of the support throughout the years. Your help and encouragement kept me interested in finishing my work for a long time. I could not have asked for a better mentor, boss, and friend. Thank you to the History Department at Utah State University for your countless hours of work and willingness to help me along. Particularly, I would like to mention Dr. Colleen O’Neill, who helped me grow academically and professionally, and has helped shape this work. Thanks to the amazing staff that worked with me over the years, especially Diane Buist and Monica Ingold, who always had the answer when I thought I vii had hit a wall. To Carolyn Doyle, thank you for being there for me when I made the move to Logan. I do not think I would have had any clue what was going on in both the school and the community without you. To the staff at Special Collections and Archives at Utah State, Smithsonian Archives, Special Collection at the University of Utah, and the Denver Public Library for helping me locate the sources necessary for this work. To the staff at the S.J. Quinney College of Law Library, University of Utah, for assisting me with my obscure historical legal questions. To professors at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, specifically Robert B. Keiter, Robin Kundis Craig, and Jaime Pluene for teaching me so much about environmental law and helping me think critically. Thank you. The research conducted for this work required significant funding and support. I would specifically like to thank the Western Historical Quarterly and the S. George Ellsworth Fellowship for taking a chance on me, and the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University for funding my research trips to the Smithsonian Archives and the Denver Public Library. And finally, special thanks to my peers and friends. Thank you for your friendship, discussions, and support. Thanks especially to Joe N. Lamb, Sarah B. Fassmann, Philip M. Lockett, John Brumbaugh, Joe Foster, and Nick Mitrovich. I learned much from each and every one of you. Thank you. Andrew J. Simek viii CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT..................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................1 II. RISE OF “DUCK-DOM”..........................................................................12 III. BEAR RIVER WATERSHED IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT......................................................................................34 IV. WETLAND LABORATORY...................................................................57 V. REFUGE ESTABLISHMENT..................................................................80 VI. CONCLUSION........................................................................................109 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................114 ix LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Bear River Watershed Population 1890–1910..............................................49 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Illustration of cycle of avian botulism ..................................................3 2 Photograph of Bear River as seen from headquarters of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge .......................................................4 3 Map of the Bear River watershed .......................................................16 4 Photograph of Bear River Duck Club clubhouse.................................31 5 Photograph of Bear River Duck Club marshland................................32 6 Map of the Bear River watershed showing hydrodevelopments .........35 7 Photographs of irrigation infrastructure of the Last Chance Canal ....47 8 Photographs of crops, irrigation systems, and mechanization ............51 9 Photograph of duck carcasses at Willard Bay ......................................54 10 Cartoon from Milwaukee Journal ........................................................71 11 Photograph of ducks caught for bird banding .....................................77 12 Herbert Hoover’s endorsement of Izaak Walton League ....................94 13 Cartoon from Outdoor America ...........................................................95 14 Map