You Load Sixteen Tons and What Do You Get? – Coal Records in the National Register

"Mine America's Coal" (National Archives Identifier 515013) Tomorrow, Friday March 16, the exhibit “Power & Light: Russel Lee’s Coal Survey” opens at the National Archives Building in Washington DC.  It features “photographs of coal communities by American documentary photographer Russell Lee. These images tell the story of laborers who helped build the nation, of a … Continue reading You Load Sixteen Tons and What Do You Get? – Coal Records in the National Register

Sau Ung Loo Chan, An Advocate for American Citizenship and Immigrant Rights

Today's post is written by Ruth Chan, archivist and Subject Matter Expert for Asian American and Pacific Islander records Special thanks to Holly Rivet, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at St. Louis; Katie Seitz, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in Washington DC; and Victoria Blue, Public Affairs Specialist, for access to the records … Continue reading Sau Ung Loo Chan, An Advocate for American Citizenship and Immigrant Rights

Getting Out the Vote: Indian Reorganization Act Elections on the Rez

Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records It was the day of the election. Debates had gone back and forth over the past year, voting dates had moved around, a parade of folks had stumped the country drumming up support … Continue reading Getting Out the Vote: Indian Reorganization Act Elections on the Rez

When Will You Be In The Office (1959)?

Today’s Federal work environment features the flextime and flexplace policies that have evolved over the past several decades.  As a result, few current U.S. Government employees remember when agencies had fixed work hours.  Before the flex policies went into effect, start and end times for offices in Washington, DC, were staggered to spread out the … Continue reading When Will You Be In The Office (1959)?

The Story of Two Presidents and One Dam Model

Today’s post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver The contractors were given seven years to do the impossible: dam up the mighty Colorado River in Black Canyon, southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. But it only took them five, when in 1936 the completed dam was formally turned over to … Continue reading The Story of Two Presidents and One Dam Model

The Wrath of Steinbeck: John Steinbeck on the Press in Vietnam, 1967

On February 8, 1967, famed American author John Steinbeck, then in Bangkok, Thailand, sent Secretary of State Dean Rusk a letter.  In it, Steinbeck excoriated the performance of the press in Vietnam and criticized anti-war protesters.  Steinbeck is the author of major American literary classics such as Tortilla Flat (1935), Of Mice and Men (1937), … Continue reading The Wrath of Steinbeck: John Steinbeck on the Press in Vietnam, 1967

Norman Rockwell and his Dam Painting

Today’s post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver. “That’s a mechanical drawing . . . where’s some human interest?” posed the famous artist as he took in the vista of Arizona’s 710-foot-tall, 1,560-foot-wide Glen Canyon Dam. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) staffers accompanying the artist—who at that point in … Continue reading Norman Rockwell and his Dam Painting

Recognition for a job well done, 1952

Employees in a bureaucracy do not always receive recognition for their contributions to the success of their institutions.  This is especially true in large agencies facing a constant barrage of activities such as the Department of State.  There are occasional exceptions to that rule.  One of those came about in early 1952 after the mid-January … Continue reading Recognition for a job well done, 1952