Rocky Mountain Administrative History

1. In the title of this chapter, the word "wildlife" embraces deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and some predators. The stocking and planting of fish will be taken up in a later chapter. Birds were not included in any management program and will not be covered.

2. An Act to Establish a National Park Service, in U. S., Statutes at Large, XXXIX, p. 535.

3. Author's interview with Neal G. Guse, Jr., August 12, 1964.

4. Milton Estes, "Memoirs of Estes Park," Colorado Magazine, July 1939, p. 124.

5. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," p. 7.

6. Neal G. Guse, Jr., "Effective Management Requirements for Eastern Rocky Mountain Deer and Elk Herds," unpublished wildlife report, unnumbered pages, 1962. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

7. Superintendent's Annual Report, 1918, "Annual Reports, 1915-1930," pp. 18-21. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

8. Ibid.

9. Superintendent's Monthly Report, April 1918, "Monthly Reports, 1915-1918," p. 5. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

10. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," p. 8.

11. Estes Park Trail, January 6, 1922.

12. Ibid.

13. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," p. 3.

14. Ibid., pp. 1-2.

15. Ibid., p. 2.

16. Guse in his study "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," p. 13. recorded the following statistics on the number of predators killed:

17. Superintendent's Monthly Report, September 1930, "Monthly Reports, 1930-1931," p. 5. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

18. Ibid., November 1930, p. 4.

19. Ibid., September 1931, p. 10.

20. Ibid., October 1931, p. 9.

21. Superintendent's Annual Report, 1931, "Annual Reports, 1931-1953," p. 21. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

22. Superintendent's Monthly Report, December 1932," Monthly Reports, 1932," p. 4. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

23. Ibid., January 1933, p. 5.

24. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," p. 3.

25. Ibid., pp. 4-5.

26. Dorr Yeager, "A Page of Comment: What About the Coyotes?" Nature Notes from Rocky Mountain National Park, January 1934, p. 133-134.

27. Superintendent's Annual Report, 1935, "Annual Reports, 1931-1953," p. 8. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

28. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," p. 8.

29. Superintendent's Annual Report, 1918, "Annual Reports, 1915-1930," p. 18. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

30. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," pp. 9-10.

31. Superintendent's Monthly Report, December 1937, "Monthly Reports, 1936.1937," p. 5. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

32. Neal G. Guse, Jr., "Administrative History of an Elk Herd" (unpublished Master's thesis, Colorado State University, May 1966), p. 34.

33. Ibid.

34. Superintendent's Annual Report, 1942, "Annual Reports, 1931-1953," p. 3. Rocky Mountain National Park Library and Estes Park Trail, October 31, 1941; December 12, 1941.

35. Estes Park Trail, April 25, 1941.

36. Guse, "Administrative History of an Elk Herd," p. 35

37. Ibid., p. 36.

38. David D. Condon, "Wildlife Management in Rocky Mountain National Park," Estes Park Trail, May 5, 1944.

40. Guse, "Administrative History of an Elk Herd," pp. 38-39.

41. Ibid., p. 40.

42. Ibid.

43. Ibid., p. 44.

44. Estes Park Trail, February 4, 1949.

45. Author's interview with David Canfield, July 28, 1964.

46. Guse, "Administrative History of an Elk Herd," p. 44.

47. Estes Park Trail, November 17, 1950.

48. Ibid., November 16, 1951.

49. Guse, "Elk of Rocky Mountain National Park," pp. 5-6. The following statistics are given on the removal of excess animal numbers:

50. Estes Park Trail, January 12, 1962.

51. Ibid., October 19, 1962.

52. Ibid., January 18, 1963.

53. Ibid.

54. Superintendent's Monthly Report, January 1963, "Monthly Reports, 1963," p. 3. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.

55. Estes Park Trail, February 28, 1964.

56. Superintendent's Monthly Report, March 1964, "Monthly Reports, 1964," p. 6. Rocky Mountain National Park Library.