Collection of U.S. Forest Service Slide Presentations and Lassie Memorabilia

Collection

Identifier: MS0301

Staff Only

Content Description

The Collection of U.S. Forest Service Slide Presentations and Lassie Memorabilia contains informational presentations and promotional materials. The Forest Service presentation materials contain slides with accompanying audio recordings on cassettes and reel tapes. Topics of the presentations include environmental programs, the eruption of the Mount Saint Helens volcano in 1980, and the Resource Planning Act (RPA). The Lassie portion of the collection includes materials promoting forest management and conservation themes, featuring the characters Lassie and Corey Stuart, Forest Ranger (played by Robert Bray) from the "Lassie" television series. Items include children's books, comic books, games, a promotional litter bag, photographs and other images.

Dates

Creation: 1960-1981

Language of Materials

English; Swedish

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

The U.S. Forest Service was established in 1905 when responsibility for 17 forest reserves managed by the General Land Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since that time, the U.S. Forest Service has promoted conservation of natural resources.

In the early 1960s, members of the U.S. Forest Service met with executives of the popular "Lassie" television series to discuss ways in which conservation topics could be applied to the story ideas for the show. Plots of the show began to emphasize wildlife management, forest and wildlife research, and wilderness management. Filmed on national rangeland, the subsequent "Lassie" episodes were produced with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.