LibGuides: HIST 410: Environmental History of the United States: Finding Primary Sources

Primary sources at Tomlinson Library

Environmental Issues in American History: A Reference Guide with Primary Documents by Chris J. Magoc
Call Number: GE 150 .M338 2006
ISBN: 9780313322082
Publication Date: 2006-04-30
Environmental Debate: A Documentary History with Timeline, Glossary, and Appendices by Grey House Publishing Staff
Call Number: GE 197 .E7 2017 and Online access
ISBN: 9781682175507
Publication Date: 2017-09-29
U. S. Environmental Policy and Politics: A Documentary History by Kevin Hillstrom
Call Number: GE 180 .U185 2010
ISBN: 9781604264753
Publication Date: 2010-05-04
U.S. Environmentalism since 1945: A Brief History with Documents by Steven Stoll
Call Number: GE 197 .S76 2007
ISBN: 9781403971524
Publication Date: 2007-02-06
So Glorious a Landscape: Nature and the Environment in American History and Culture by Magoc, Chris J.
Call Number: Online access
ISBN: 1461666279
Publication Date: 2002

19th Century US Newspapers Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Subjects: US History, Political Science
19th Century U.S. Newspapers provides access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life, among other subjects.
History Reference Source This link opens in a new window
Subject: History History-related books, periodicals, documents, videos, biographies, photos, and maps; some full-text from 1917-current.
Times Digital Archive 1785-2019 This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Social & Behavioral Sciences, History The (London) Times has offered readers in-depth, award-winning and objective coverage of world events since its creation 1785 and is the oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication. The Times Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of The Times, a valuable resource for 19th – 20th Century history detailing every complete page of every issue from 1785 onward.

Special Collections and Archives at Tomlinson Library
Special Collections and Archives at Tomlinson Library contains collections related to the local area and includes hundreds of documents related to the environmental history of the Western Slope, the Colorado River watershed, the Colorado Plateau, and the western U.S.
Nelson (William H.) Colorado Water Collection
Hundreds of documents related to the management of water in the West, particularly in the Colorado River watershed, available online or in Special Collections and Archives at Tomlinson Library.
Atomic Energy Commission Collection
Hundreds of reports created on behalf of the Atomic Energy Commission are available here online or in Special Collections and Archives at Tomlinson Library.

Primary Source Collections in the Wild Web

Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America makes millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country available to all in a one-stop discovery experience. It's one of the easiest access points for online primary source materials related to United States history.
Expansion and Reform (1801-1861) in DPLA
This subsection of DPLA contains primary sources related to the early 19th century expansion and industrial development of the United States.
Environmental Preservation in the Progressive Era in DPLA
This subsection of DPLA is focused on primary sources related to the environmental preservation in the United States during the Progressive Era.
Boomtimes Again: Twentieth-Century Mining in the Mojave Desert in DPLA
This subsection of the Digital Public Library of American focuses on primary sources related to mining in the Mojave Desert in the 20th century.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck in DPLA
While this set of primary documents relates to the novel, that includes the initial setting of the novel, which is the drought-ridden plains that resulted in the Dust Bowl and the subsequent migrations to California.
The Hudson River School in DPLA
An artistic movement focused on the American landscape, the documents and artwork in this primary source set encapsulate an idealized vision of the environment in the U.S.
The Homestead Acts in DPLA
The Homestead Acts played a significant role in the fundamental alteration of the environment as the country expanded westward, and this primary source set provides a starting point into exploring its impact.

Library of Congress Collections
Photographs, papers, and more on all eras of American History. Includes the papers of many prominent Americans from the industrial era. While the Library of Congress does hold the papers of some individuals of interest such as Andrew Carnegie, not all collections have been digitized. And cat photos. For real.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
"Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present."
Mapping the National Parks
"This collection documents the history, cultural aspects and geological formations of areas that eventually became National Parks."
Rochambeau Map Collection
"The Rochambeau Map Collection contains cartographic items used by Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), when he was commander in chief of the French expeditionary army (1780-82) during the American Revolution."
Railroad Maps, 1828 to 1900
"Contains 623 maps chosen from more than 3,000 railroad maps and about 2,000 regional, state, and county maps, and other maps which show "internal improvements" of the past century."

Hathi-Trust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Business,
Education, Literature Open Access Resource HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world. Titles out of copyright and in public domain are viewable.

Environmental History Archives of North America
"A database containing descriptions of over 7,000 groups of environmental history records located in more than 450 repositories across North America and around the world. The collections represent individuals, organizations, and associations involved with land use, conservation, or natural resource issues."
National Service Center for Environmental Publications
Many of these may be available through Tomlinson Library. "You can search, retrieve, download, print, and order EPA technical, scientific, and educational materials from this site – all free of charge!"
Forest History Society Digital Exhibits
U.S. Forest Service Headquarters Collection
The Forest History Society manages a collection of the US Forest Services' records and images through a searchable database. This should be used in conjunction with the US Forest Service records held by the U.S. National Archives.
Eight Online Environmental Archives to Bookmark
"These eight thought-provoking environmental archives continue to raise questions about the processes of collection, preservation, curation, and citation even as they seek to answer historical inquires."

How to find primary sources online

The tools you use to find primary sources will be individual to your topic. You can ask questions like where, when, why, how to brainstorm digital collections that may exist for your topic. Keep these especially in mind:

Is your topic associated with a particular place (state, house, university, town, etc.)? Does that place have an archive or history museum?
- An example is the Sierra Club archives, which are held at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley because the Sierra Club's roots are in San Francisco, California.
Is your topic a particular movement or ideology? Does that movement have a digital collection or museum? Is the movement associated with a place (state, university, town, etc.)? Does that place have an archive or history museum?
- Take Quakerism as an example. Haverford College in Pennsylvania has an extensive digital collection of documents that document Quaker life and theology.
Do a quick Google or other web search for a person's name plus "papers" or "collection" or "archives." This can sometimes lead you to the institution that holds the materials, but beware that the materials might not be digitized and readily available to you.
If it's an organization or institution that you're researching to find more about the context of your subject's life, search for the name of the organization plus "records."

You can also use your secondary sources to get an idea of where primary sources might exist. Take a look at the references in the bibliography and see where the author(s) found their primary sources.

Want to know more?

Advanced Primary Source Search Strategies
by Amber D'Ambrosio Last Updated Sep 25, 2024 97 views this year

HIST 410: Environmental History of the United States

Finding Primary Sources at the Library!

Online archival research tips

Primary sources at Tomlinson Library

Primary Source Collections in the Wild Web

How to find primary sources online