Arthur Carhart
Encyclopedia
Arthur Hawthorne Carhart (1892–1978) was a US Forest Service official, writer and conservationist who inspired wilderness
protection in the United States
. He was one of the first to realize the importance of conservation and became a nationally recognized authority on conservation practices.
. He was the son of George W. and Ella Louise (Hawthorne) Carhart. His essay "The Downey Woodpecker" was published in The Women's Home Companion when he was eleven years old. In 1916, he was the first to graduate from Iowa State College
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Design and City Planning. He worked for a Chicago landscaping architecture company until 1917, when he entered the United States Army for World War I. His education was put to use and he was made a lieutenant as a bacteriologist and public health officer in the Sanitary Corps at Camp Mead, Maryland. On August 16, 1918 he married Vera Amelia VanSickle. He left the Army after the war ended and moved to Denver, Colorado
to work for the United States Forest Service
. He worked for the Forest Service from 1919 till 1922 as a recreation engineer.
, near Trappers Lake
. Upon completion of the survey, he decided that the land should be preserved as wilderness. The Forest Service agreed, and the area was protected. The protection of Trappers Lake was the first of its kind in the history of the Forest Service. Carhart was the driving force behind recreational-use programs in national forests, first at San Isabel National Forest in Colorado and then at Superior National Forest in Minnesota.
In 1922 Federal funding was lost, and he left the Forest Service for private practice in land architecture and city planning as a partner in McCrary, Culley & Carhart. He sold his first book in 1928 and sold his interests in the firm to work full time as a freelance writer in 1931. He made a living selling books, short stories and magazine articles for eight years. He then became the Colorado co-ordinator for the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program, a position he held until 1943. He worked as the U.S. Office of Price Administration's information executive for the Rocky Mountain Region from 1944 to 1946. In 1946, he returned to writing. He wrote twenty-four books and over 4,000 articles. Carhart wrote historical novels, westerns, and books, stories and articles about forestry, wildlife management, and conservation. From 1960 to 1970, he served as a consultant to the Conservation Library Center At the Denver Public Library
.
, and the American Forestry Association
. He was a member of the Desert Protective Association, Colorado Authors League, serving as President, and was a founder and president of the Denver Posse of the Westerners. He served as a trustee, J. N. "Ding" Darling Foundation, was a member of the Citizens Committee on Natural Resources, and served as a member of historical advisory committee, American Forestry Association Centennial Celebration from 1970 to 1972.
when ill health required that he live closer to his niece after the death of his wife. He died on November 27, 1978
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
protection in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was one of the first to realize the importance of conservation and became a nationally recognized authority on conservation practices.
Biography
Carhart was born on September 18, 1892 in Mapleton, IowaMapleton, Iowa
Mapleton is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,416 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mapleton is located at...
. He was the son of George W. and Ella Louise (Hawthorne) Carhart. His essay "The Downey Woodpecker" was published in The Women's Home Companion when he was eleven years old. In 1916, he was the first to graduate from Iowa State College
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Design and City Planning. He worked for a Chicago landscaping architecture company until 1917, when he entered the United States Army for World War I. His education was put to use and he was made a lieutenant as a bacteriologist and public health officer in the Sanitary Corps at Camp Mead, Maryland. On August 16, 1918 he married Vera Amelia VanSickle. He left the Army after the war ended and moved to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
to work for the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. He worked for the Forest Service from 1919 till 1922 as a recreation engineer.
Work
In 1920, Carhart surveyed a road in the White River National ForestWhite River National Forest
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through it. It also contains the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, largely considered the birthplace of the U.S...
, near Trappers Lake
Trappers Lake
Trappers Lake is a lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, which is in the White River National Forest in Colorado, USA. The lake, at an elevation of approximately 9600 ft , is the source of the North Fork of the White River. It is located in Garfield County east of the town of Meeker and west of...
. Upon completion of the survey, he decided that the land should be preserved as wilderness. The Forest Service agreed, and the area was protected. The protection of Trappers Lake was the first of its kind in the history of the Forest Service. Carhart was the driving force behind recreational-use programs in national forests, first at San Isabel National Forest in Colorado and then at Superior National Forest in Minnesota.
In 1922 Federal funding was lost, and he left the Forest Service for private practice in land architecture and city planning as a partner in McCrary, Culley & Carhart. He sold his first book in 1928 and sold his interests in the firm to work full time as a freelance writer in 1931. He made a living selling books, short stories and magazine articles for eight years. He then became the Colorado co-ordinator for the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program, a position he held until 1943. He worked as the U.S. Office of Price Administration's information executive for the Rocky Mountain Region from 1944 to 1946. In 1946, he returned to writing. He wrote twenty-four books and over 4,000 articles. Carhart wrote historical novels, westerns, and books, stories and articles about forestry, wildlife management, and conservation. From 1960 to 1970, he served as a consultant to the Conservation Library Center At the Denver Public Library
Denver Public Library
The Denver Public Library is the public library of the city of Denver, Colorado in the United States. Its administrative headquarters is on the 7th floor of the Central Library in Downtown Denver. , the library system had 2,519,977 items in its collection, and a library card base of 417,616 local...
.
Memberships
Carhart was an honorary member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and the American Society of Landscape ArchitectsAmerican Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
, and the American Forestry Association
American Forestry Association
The American Forestry Association was formed in Chicago, Illinois in September 1875 by John Aston Warder. The current headquarters are in Washington, D.C.. The organization acts as a clearinghouse for environmental organizations working to preserve world tree growth. The "National Register of...
. He was a member of the Desert Protective Association, Colorado Authors League, serving as President, and was a founder and president of the Denver Posse of the Westerners. He served as a trustee, J. N. "Ding" Darling Foundation, was a member of the Citizens Committee on Natural Resources, and served as a member of historical advisory committee, American Forestry Association Centennial Celebration from 1970 to 1972.
Awards
He received a number of awards. He received the Izaak Walton League of America's Founders Award in 1956, the Outdoor Writers Association of America's Conservation Award in 1958, the American Forest Products Industries Award for conservation in 1966, and the American Motors Conservation Award. In 1968, the Colorado Game and Fish Commission made him and Honorary Game Protector. In 1972, the Alumni Association of Iowa State University gave him a Distinguished Achievement Citation.Death
He moved to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when ill health required that he live closer to his niece after the death of his wife. He died on November 27, 1978
Sources
- Arthur Carhart Wilderness Training Center
- "Biographical Note" PAPERS OF ARTHUR CARHART Collection Guide. University of Iowa Libraries
- Arthur H. Carhart Papers, CONS88, Conservation Collection, The Denver Public Library.
- Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center Document Number: H1000015663.
- Superior National Forest - History
- ARTHUR CARHART: WILDERNESS PROPHET, by Tom Wolf (University Press of Colorado, 2008); ISBN 978-0-87081-913-1