Colorado Historical Society Edwin C. Johnson Collection 1934-1968 4 linear feet (8 boxes) Mss. 347 Abstract Edwin Carl Johnson (1884-1970) served two terms as Colorado Governor and represented his state for three consecutive terms in the United States Senate. The Edwin C. Johnson Collection consists of correspondence, reports, meeting transcripts and news clippings and illustrates Johnson work on the development of Colorado’s highway system and water conservation. Background Note Governor Edwin Carl Johnson, later affectionately dubbed “Big Ed”, was born in Scandia, Kansas on January 1, 1884. Shortly after, his family moved to Nebraska where in 1903 Johnson graduated from high school and immediately began pursued a career in railroads eventually becoming a train dispatcher. Unfortunately, in 1909 Johnson contracted tuberculosis and like many TB patients of that time went to Colorado to convalesce. After his recovery, he and his wife decided to make Colorado their permanent residency and built a home near Craig, Colorado. In 1923, Johnson entered to world of politics serving four consecutive terms on the Colorado House of Representatives. He went on to serve as Lieutenant Governor, Governor from 1933-1937 and again from 1955-1957 and represented his state in the United States Senate for three consecutive terms from 1937 until 1955. Edwin C. Johnson died on May 30, 1970 Scope and Content This collection consists of eight linear feet of correspondence, meeting reports and transcripts, news clippings and printed material dating from 1934 to 1968. The bulk of the material represents to the years from 1955 to 1962 when Johnson was active in the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Upper Colorado River Commission and the development of a Colorado highway system. What is not represented in this collection is Johnson’s early work in Colorado politics. Subjects Johnson, Edwin Carl, 1884-1970 Colorado Water Conservation Board Governors--Colorado--Manuscripts Legislators--Colorado--Manuscripts Clippings Correspondence Reports 1 Colorado Historical Society Additional Information: Provenance Gift of Eugene E. Anderson, December 1982; John R. Bermingham, December 1986; and Robert Howsam, August, September 1988. Preferred Citation Cite as: Edwin Carl Johnson Collection (Mss. 347), Colorado Historical Society, Denver, Colorado. Processing Information Processed by, Francisco Rios, July 2006. Related Material See also: Compact disc of an oral history interview of Edwin C. Johnson [sound recording, OH # 136] and Compact disc of an oral history interview of Edwin C. Johnson [sound recording, OH #44] Contents List Box 1 FF. No. 1 Correspondence July 18, 1934 Contents: Letter to Mrs. S. B. Hough, Denver, from ECJ, Jul 18 1934, concerning missed appointment and reschedule, 1 p. FF. No. 2 Correspondence May 13, 1946 Contents: Handwritten letter to Eugene from ECJ, 5/15-46, concerning veterans’ benefits, 2 pp. FF. No. 3 Colorado River Commission Dec. 1961-Jan. 1962. Contents: Resolution of the Upper Colorado River Commission, Sept 1 1961, concerning a Commission to supervise the regulation, conservation and utilization of the waters of the Upper Colorado River Basin, 3 pp. Greetings to the Members of the Colorado Water Investigation Commission, Dec 27 1961, by ECJ, 4 pp., with Appendix, 4 cc. Resolution by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Jan 17 1962, concerning the adoption of national water policy legislation, 1 p., 2 cc. Letter to ECJ from Ival V. Goslin, Jan 19 1962, concerning copies of Resolution related to the proposed “Water Resources Planning Act of 1961,” 1 p. Stapled packet: Interconnected Federal Power System, Colorado River Storage Project, Study 107, various dates on pages, year 1962, approx. ¼” thick. Stapled packet: Loss Analysis, 12/29/61, 13 pp. Colorado River Storage Project. Effect of REA Steam Plants on Federal Investment and Basin Fund, no date, 2 pp., plus tables. 2 Colorado Historical Society FF. No. 4 Colorado River Compact, 1922 Report Sept 6, 1957 Storage of Water in the Upper Basin. Contents: Soft-bound clasp report, marked Exhibit (6), [handwritten]. Title” “Colorado River Compact, 1922, Storage of Water in the Upper Basin, 9/6/57, 142 pp. FF. No. 5 Colorado River Storage Project Jan. 1961-Feb. 1962 Contents: Letter of thanks from Ival V. Goslin to Mr. Frank Clinton, Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Jan 16 1961, stapled to Transcript of Meeting Between Representatives of Bureau of Reclamation and Public Service Company of Colorado, Denver, Dec 19 1961, 21 pp. Digital Case 64 W”H 01-3, Interconnected Federal Power System, Colorado River Storage Project, Study 107, 1/5/62, stapled, approx. ½” thick. To Commissioner, Washington, D. C., from Acting Regional Director, Feb 1 1962, copy of transcript of discussions during meeting with Arizona Public Service Company in Denver, Jan 4 1962, 54 pp. Letter to D. W. Reeves, President, Public Service Company of New Mexico, from C. S. Rippon, Acting Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Feb 12 1962, 1 p., stapled to Transcript of Meeting Between Representatives of Public Service of New Mexico and Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Jan 10 1962, 42 pp. plus tables. FF. No. 6 Colorado River Water Users’ Association Dec 3-4, 1959 Proceedings 6th [16th] Annual Meeting Contents: Bound report, 8½” X 11”, Colorado River Water Users’ Association. Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting. Thunderbird Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dec 3 and 4, 1959, 80 pp. FF. No. 7 Colorado Water Conservation Board Feb-May 1959 correspondence, gov’t documents Contents: Undated: Statement by Edwin C. Johnson, Colorado Commissioner, Upper Colorado River Commission Before the Public Works Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, United States House of Representatives, 87th Congress, 1st Session, 5 pp. Undated: Revenue Analysis of Colorado River Storage Project. 52-Year Payout Period to Year 2015 (p. 1). 64-year Payout to year 2027 (p.2). 86-year payout to Year 2049 (p. 3), 3 pp. Undated: Wheeling Totals. Total Wheeling Charges in $thousands, 1p. Undated: Dollar Value ($1000). Firm, non-firm … Year, 6 mills, 2.5 mills …, 1 p. Undated: Colorado River Storage Project (Modified System) Colorado Portion, Method 1, 2 pp. Undated: Colorado River Storage Project (Modified System) Colorado Portion, Method 2, 2 pp. Undated: 2 pp. of calculations—Wheeling, generation, etc. 3 Colorado Historical Society Letter to ECJ Representative Wayne Aspinall, Feb 27 1959, concerning H.R. 3704 (Paper-clipped to letter, along with a letter to ECJ from Frank Delaney, Feb 26 1959, concerning same Bill. Also paper-clipped to Aspinall letter: handwritten notes changing language of the Bill.) Seven copies of letter to Hon. Felix L. Sparks, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Denver, from ECJ, Mar 3 1959, concerning H. R. 3704, Section 1, which “supports the vicious theory of Federal ownership of waters,” 2 pp. Note of thanks to ECJ from Rep. Aspinall, Mar 18 1959, concerning H. R. 3704, 1 p. S. 1591, A Bill To promote and to establish policy and procedure for the development of water resources of lakes, rivers, and streams, Apr. 7 1959, with handwritten note stapled to Bill, objecting to (a) Sec. 3, page 2 “as filled with mischief.” Carbon copy of letter to Hon. Felix L. Sparks, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board, from Raphael J. Moses, May 23 1959, with the latter’s comments on S. 1591, 4 pp. Memorandum to ECJ from L. R. Kuiper, June 8 1961, on the average annual payments for the all- federal transmission system, 1 p., with page attached headed Contribution Toward Irrigation and Participating Projects from Transmission Portion of Colorado River Storage Project, 1 p. Utility Companies Analysis of Utilities Proposal, July 1961, 1 p., with 2 pp. of figures. Colorado Water Conservation Board, Denver, July 31 1961, Analysis of Poncha Jct. – Pueblo Transmission Line for Period 1964-2049, 1 p. Resolution by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Aug 2 1961, endorses and approves the construction of the all-Federal transmission system for the Storage Project, with exceptions, 2 pp. Tentative Agenda, Upper Colorado River Commission, Sept 1 1961, 1 p. Resolution of the Upper Colorado River Commission, Sept 1 1961, 4 pp., with many deletions and emendations, 5 pp. Invoice: Mil-Man incorporated, Denver, to Mr. ECJ for printing 600 copies of 6-page report to Members of the Colorado State Water Conservation Board, 1 p. FF. No. 8 Colorado Water Conservation Board Jan-Feb 1962 Correspondence, memoranda, newsletters Contents: Marked Agenda Item #9 CWCB Meeting 1/17/62. In the District Court in and for the County of Eagle and State of Colorado Civil Action No. 1277, Appropriation of Water in Water District No. 53, Crown Zellerbach Corp., Petitioner, 2 pp. Resolution of Jan 17 1962, Colorado Water Conservation Board, concerning national water policy legislation, 1 p. Letter to ECJ from Ival V. Goslin, Jan 29 1962, concerning enclosed power flow diagrams and other matters, 1 p., with enclosures, 13 pp. Memorandum from L. R. Kuiper, Jan 18 1962, concerning Water Resources Planning Act of 1961 and Resolution adopted by Colorado Water Conservation Board, 2 pp. Memorandum to Members, Upper Colorado River Commission from L. R. Kuiper, 4 Colorado Historical Society Jan 19 1962, Information Bulletin No. 18, concerning vital and continuing [water] problems, 19 pp. Memorandum from L. R. Kuiper, Jan 19 1963, concerning Water Resources Planning Act of 1961, 2 pp. Letter to ECJ from Ival V. Goslin, Jan 23 1962, concerning Department of Agriculture National Conference on Land and People, 2 pp. Draft by Barnard, 2/12/62, concerning proposed Sweetwater Project in the Colorado River Basin, 4 pp. Half-sheet of names: Conference in Dr Clarks office Feb 13 1962 Persons Present and whom they represent. Photocopies of newspaper articles and Public Service Co. of Colorado newsletters, 5 pp. FF. No. 9 Colorado Water Conservation Board: Meeting Sept 30, 1957 Public Utilities Commission Hearing Room, Third Floor, State Office Bldg., Denver, Colorado, 10:00 a.m.