Daniel W. Applegate papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 0733

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers of Daniel W. Applegate were donated to the Idaho State Historical Society by his daughter, Susan Applegate, in November 2003. Dylan McDonald processed the collection in November 2003.

Spanning from 1929 to 1995, the bulk of the Applegate collection runs between 1934 and 1959. Material includes correspondence, maps, blueprints, black and white photographs, ephemera, reports, hard and softbound manuals, and a manuscript. No original order could be determined; therefore the arrangement groups like material together. Housed in three boxes, the collection is organized alphabetically by topic and then chronological within each folder. Total size is 2 cubic feet.

The collection's focus is on Applegate's career with the United States Bureau of Reclamation, Region I, Boise, Idaho. It includes information on the following Bureau Projects: Baker, Bitterroot, Boise, Burnt River, Columbia Basin, Deschutes, Hungry Horse, Okanogan, Owyhee, Umatilla, and Yakima; as well as the following Bureau Dams: Arrowrock, Black Canyon, Boise River Diversion, Bumping Lake, Cle Elum, Clear Creek, Cold Springs, Conconully, Grassy Lake, Island Park, Jackson Lake, Kachess, Keechelus, McKay, Minidoka, Owyhee, Rock Creek Diversion, Salmon Lake, Sunnyside Diversion, Tieton, Unity, Warm Springs, Wickiup, and Yakima River Crossing; and the "D" Line and Ridenbaugh Canal in the Boise Project.

Dates

Creation: 1930 - 1995

Biographical / Historical

Daniel W. Applegate was born on January 11, 1907 at Gold Hill, Oregon into the prominent Jesse Applegate pioneer family. Reared in Oregon, Arizona, and California, Applegate graduated from Burbank High School and later studied civil engineering at Oregon State University (OSU). During college he was active in ROTC and the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, while working summers for the U.S. Forest Service. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from OSU in 1933.

In 1934, Applegate began his long and distinguished career with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as a junior engineer in the Branch of Design and Construction, Region I, located in Boise. His duties included working on the construction of canals and distribution systems for the Owyhee Project in eastern Oregon, the raising of Arrowrock Dam and repair work on Black Canyon Dam for the Boise Project in southwestern Idaho, and various experimental programs in canal lining throughout the region. He conducted numerous field inspections of Bureau structures throughout Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. Applegate was appointed Superintendent of the Central Snake Projects Office in Boise in 1958. In this capacity he oversaw work and maintenance of the Boise Project in Idaho and the Baker, Burnt River, Owyhee, and Vale Projects in eastern Oregon. At the time these reclamation projects included 11 reservoirs and three power plants, which provided irrigation service to nearly 530,000 acres. Applegate retired from government service after over 40 years of dedication in 1972.

On September 30, 1937, Applegate married Mary Heist in the Christ Episcopal Church in Shoshone, Idaho. They had one daughter, Susan, born on December 26, 1947.

Applegate served four years of active duty during World War II in the U.S. Army, and would retire in 1967 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He was active in numerous organizations, including the American Legion; the Reserve Officers Association of the United States; Capital City Kiwanis; Boise Lodge No. 2, A.F. & A.M.; Scottish Rite Bodies of Boise; El Korah Temple of the Shrine; the American Society of Civil Engineers; the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers; and the Oregon State University Alumni Association. He was an active member of St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral in Boise. In his spare time he enjoyed fly-fishing and gardening.

Daniel Applegate passed away on January 30th, 1995, and is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise, Idaho.

Extent

2 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Box 1 contains numerous reports written and photographs taken by Applegate during the course of his professional life. Each engineer's report evaluates Bureau structures and procedures, while also making recommendations. A number of reports document Bureau staff on "Field Inspection Trips" throughout the Northwest where they made site visits to examine the condition of dams, power plants, and canal works. Several reports come from Applegate's days as a Junior Engineer working on projects at Arrowrock and Black Canyon Dams. Also included are reports from the Bureau's testing of various canal lining methods. All of these reports include black and white photographs documenting construction processes and progression; each is well annotated.

Also included are several manuals, soft and hardbound, used by Applegate as reference tools. Many are Bureau of Reclamation publications. A small Correspondence file contains communication about various technical aspects of engineering jobs. A 49-page manuscript, written by John Francis as part of the Boise Project Audit of 1977(?), gives a history of the project; Francis asked Applegate to proof it.

Box 2 houses more manuals, soft and hardbound, and books used by Applegate, most inscribed with his name.

Box 3 contains oversize maps and blueprints that have been flattened, and several encapsulated. Several of the maps are colored and give overviews of Bureau Projects.