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A Guide to the Papers of
Claude Dukes
Collection No. 84-11

Claude Dukes, 1914-1984

Harrison Claude Dukes was born on March 3, 1914 in Wilson, Nevada. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno and received a B.A. in English. In 1926, his father, Harry C. Dukes was appointed the first Water Master for the Truckee River. Claude and his brother often accompanied their father in the field becoming well acquainted with the duties of the Water Master.

Walter L. Bell accepted the appointment of Water Master following the death of Harry Dukes in 1946. At that time he offered the job of office manager and assistant Water Master to Claude Dukes who gave up a career as a professional pilot to serve under Bell. In 1949, Walter Bell was named Water Master for the Carson River in addition to his Truckee River appointment. When he died in 1959, Claude Dukes was appointed Water Master for the Truckee River and for the Carson River by two different judges. He remained in this dual post until his death on September 9, 1984.

The office of Water Master was created by the federal courts in 1919 to hear testimony in the U.S. VS. Orr Ditch Water Company lawsuit. Judge George F. Talbot served initially as special master until Harry C. Dukes was appointed first Water Master in 1926.

With the settlement of the Orr Ditch suit in 1944, the Water Master was charged with regulating the waters of the Truckee River as defined by the Orr Ditch Decree. In 1949, a similar position was created to administer the provisions of a Temporary Restraining Order on the Carson River.

Since then, the dual posts have been occupied by one individual.

The Water Master is an officer of the United States District Court for the State of Nevada. Funds to support the position do not come from the federal government but from the water users and litigants in the court actions on both river systems. The Federal Water Master maintains an office in Reno and administers it as an independent, autonomous fiscal agent, subject to the approval of the court which also has the ability to terminate the position.

Scope And Content

The Claude Dukes papers are contained in 18 cu. ft. The material was donated to the University of Nevada by the present Water Master, Garry D. Stone and by Lynne Dukes, Claude Dukes’ widow. The contents pertain to the office of Federal Water Master and include no personal papers.

The papers consist, primarily, of early Water Master records of Harry C. Dukes, Claude Dukes’ father, and date from 1926 to 1946. Included are complete records of claims for expenses, with accompanying receipts, for the operation of the Water Master’s office from 1926 to 1943.

Other records include assessment receipt notices, financial accounts, office operational files, correspondence, water data, reports, subject files regarding conferences, meetings and associations of interest to the Water Master, printed material, drawings and maps. These records span the terms of Harry C. Dukes, Walter L. Bell, and Claude Dukes, and provide statistics and information for the Truckee and Carson River Basins.

Water data constitutes the major portion of material in the collection. Statistics for the waters of the Truckee and Carson River Basins are included as well as weather information for the area. Maps and diagrams give water measurements, indicate land and water use and show water allocated and lands irrigated for both river systems. Data dates from earliest water rights in 1859 to water information for the 1980s.

Eight boxes of scrapbooks, compiled by Claude and Lynne Dukes, contain clippings from several newspapers from 1924 to 1982. The clippings pertain to water issues in Nevada and nearby California.

A large collection of printed material was included with the Dukes papers. Newspapers, magazines, government documents, advertisements for office equipment and Washoe County tax lists were discarded or transferred to other collections in the UNR Library. Retained in the collection are annotated material; early twentieth century articles pertaining to irrigation, weather, snow surveying, and flood control; and early equipment catalogs for irrigation and hydrologic instruments.

The material was received in original binders and envelopes, some with headings supplied by Harry C. Dukes and Claude Dukes. Original order has been maintained with a few exceptions. In most instances, material from a notebook or envelope has been transferred to an archival folder and the original heading retained.

A taped interview of Claude Dukes discussing his role as Water Master for the Carson River is available in book form in the University of Nevada Oral History Office and in the Special Collections Department of the University Library, Reno.

This collection is divided into the following series:

Series 1: Water Master Office Accounts.

Series 2: Water Master Office Files

Series 3: Associations, Conferences, Committees

Series 4: Water Data

Series 5: Reports and Surveys

Series 6: Printed Material

Series 7: Drawings and Maps

Series 8: Newspaper Scrapbooks

Box 1-2
84-11/1    Series 1:Water Master Office Accounts

This series contains records of Federal Water Master’s accounts from 1926 to 1943. Included are the court orders approving the accounts and ordering payment, together with accompanying claims, receipts, bills and correspondence. Itemized expenses such as salaries, office rent and supplies are attached. Also included are "Notices of Receipts of Assessments" from the Clerk of the Court from 1926 to 1944. Water Master claims are arranged in chronological order in Box 1. "Notices of Receipts of Assessments" are arranged in chronological order in Box 2.

Box 3-5
84-11/2    Series 2: Water Master Office Files.

This series contains Water Master’s office files. Included is an extensive correspondence file, ca. 1903 to 1979, which contains correspondence and subject files arranged in alphabetical order. This file has been kept in the original form and is contained in Boxes 3 and 4. Other office files are arranged in chronological order, using earliest inclusive date, in Box 5. Original folder headings have been maintained. A folder list follows for this series.

Box 3

Folder 84-11/2/1 - 84-11/2/30

  1. Correspondence "A", 1926-1966.
  2. American Geophysical Union, 1935-1949.
  3. Assessment Rolls, 1947-1959.
  4. Special Assessment of Work Sheets, 1962.
  5. Assessment Roll Revision Work Sheets, 1962
  6. Correspondence "B", 1939-1966.
  7. Correspondence "C", 1903-1968.
  8. California Attorney General. California Fish & Game Commission, 1936-1970.
  9. California Reclamation Board, 1931-1946.
  10. California Water Master’s Service (D-183), 1944-1952.
  11. California Water Resources Department, 1929-1964.
  12. Carson River Miscellaneous (D-183), 1964-1967.
  13. Carson-Truckee Water Conservancy District, 1955-1965.
  14. Carson-Truckee Water Conservancy District Annual Report, 1959-1965.
  15. Cobb Agency, 1946-1968.
  16. Current Meter Calibration - General, 1928-1967.
  17. Current Meter Data no. 470, no. 10630, no. 13590, 1928-1954.
  18. Correspondence "D", 1929-1963.
  19. Douglas County Deed Filing Notices, c. 1964-1966.
  20. Drought Data on Truckee River System, 1926-1931.
  21. Drought Data on Truckee River System, 1931-1936.
  22. Correspondence "E", 1927-1959.
  23. Correspondence "F", 1926-1963.
  24. Floods and Flood Control on Truckee River, 1937-1940.
  25. Fuhrman, R. B. Trustee, James Canyon Ranch, 1962.
  26. Correspondence "G", 1926-1966.
  27. Gages and Methods of Reading Them.
  28. Correspondence "H", 1935-1959.
  29. Harding, S.T., 1931-1951.
  30. Humboldt River, 1928-1938.

Box 4

Folder 84-11/2/31 - 84-11/2/63

  1. Correspondence "K", 1926-1965
  2. Correspondence "L", 1927-1961
  3. Los Angeles’ Condemnation of Mono Lake Rights, 1936.
  4. Lyon’s Complaint, Judge Farrington’s Letters etc., 1927.
  5. Correspondence "M", 1926-1970.
  6. Correspondence "N", 1926-1965.
  7. Nevada (State Government), 1926-1968.
  8. Nevada (State Government), 1934-1966.
  9. Nevada Industrial Commission, 1950-1979.
  10. Nevada State Reclamation Association, 1965-1968.
  11. Correspondence "O", 1935-1965.
  12. Orders - Headgates, 1949-1968.
  13. Correspondence "P", 1930-1966.
  14. Correspondence "R", 1926-1970.
  15. Correspondence "S", 1929-1970.
  16. Sierra Pacific Power Company, 1932-1966.
  17. Correspondence "T", 1950-1968.
  18. Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, 1910-1966.
  19. Truckee River Ditch System, c. 1932.
    Individual Water Rights Tabulation (age & author unknown).
  20. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1938-1965.
  21. U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1926-1963.
  22. U.S. Department of the Interior, 1960s.
  23. U.S. District Court, 1926-1968.
  24. U.S. Forest Service, 1935-1960.
  25. U.S. Geological Survey, 1901-1968.
  26. U.S. Government, 1926-1966.
  27. U.S. Reclamation Bureau, 1926-1967.
  28. U.S. Senator and Representatives, 1929-1956.
  29. U.S. Soil Conservation Service, 1929-1968.
  30. U.S. Weather Bureau, 1941-1966.
  31. Correspondence "V", 1951-1966.
  32. Correspondence "W", 1927-1965.
  33. Washoe County Water Conservation District, 1931-1965.

Box 5

Folder 84-11/2/64 - 84-11/2/85

  1. R.L. Fulton Correspondence, 1890. (copies)
  2. Legal Documents, 1919-1970.
  3. Notebook. Diary, 1926.
  4. Inventory of Water Master’s Office, 1926-1938.
  5. U.S. vs. Orr Water Ditch Company, 1926-1946.
  6. Orders Appointing Water Master, 1926-1949.
  7. Notebook. Assessments Rolls, Deposit Record, Receipts. Expenditures, 1926-1955.
  8. Assessment Delinquencies, 1930-1946.
  9. "General Policy File" Press Releases, 1933-1977.
  10. Truckee River Agreement, 1935.
  11. Personnel, 1940-1959.
  12. Tax Material, 1943-1959
  13. Water Master’s Fund, 1946-1958
  14. Water Master’s Office Lease. Insurance, 1947-1954
  15. Receipts, Assessments, 1948-1959
  16. Water Master Services. West Carson River Fund, 1949-1951
  17. Assessment Rolls, 1957-1958
  18. Audit Report, 1960. Receipt, 1962
  19. Notes, Speeches, 1961
  20. Diaries, Address Book, 1961, 1975.
  21. Water Master’s Estimated General Budget, 1974-1975.
  22. Agencies, Entities and Individuals Having an Interest in the Waters of the Truckee River.

84-11/3     Series 3: Associations-Organizations

This series contains file folders of information regarding associations, organizations, conferences and committees of interest to the Federal Water Master and those in which he was a participant. The folders are arranged in chron­ological order . A folder list is provided for this series. 12 folders.

Box 5

Folder 84-11/3/1 - 84-11/3/12

  1. Truckee River General Electric Company, 1908, 1926.
  2. Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, Newlands Project, 1926-1965.
  3. Conference of Governors, Colorado River, 1927.
  4. First National Water Users Conference, Reno, Nevada, 1930. Proceedings.
  5. Registered Professional Engineers, 1937-1945.
  6. Drainage Basin Committees, 1937-1938.
  7. National Resources Committee, Lahontan Drain­age Basin, 1938-1940.
  8. National Reclamation Association, 1938, 1959.
  9. Association of Western State Engineers, 1942­1953.
  10. Nevada Water Conferences, 1950-1960.
  11. Nevada State Reclamation Association, 1958.
  12. Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee, 1958.

Box 6-8, 19-20
84-11/4     Series 4: Water Data

This series contains files of the Federal Water Master pertaining to water. Much of the information is statistical and recorded on graphs and charts. Water data is present for years from 1849 to 1980. In general, files were kept intact and original headings retained. The folders in Box 6 are in chronological order by earliest inclusive date. A folder list is provided for this box.

Box 7 contains print of water data in the original Water master file folders. A folder list is provided. The remainder of Box 7 contains Water Master folders labeled "Reno Weather". These include U.S. Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau, Monthly Meteorological Summaries and U.S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau, local climatological data from 1926 to 1936 and 1947 to 1967.

Boxes 8, 19, and 20 contains material pertaining to snow surveys and includes Federal-State Co-operative Snow Surveys and Irrigation Water Forecasts for Nevada from 1926 to 1960. The Water Master collected snow and water data from California, Utah and the Western U.S. This material has not been retained in the collection except for a sample file folder for the year 1957. U.S. Department of Commerce Water Supply Forecasts for the Western U.S., 1949 through 1960 have been transferred to the Government Publications Department, UNR Library.

Five volumes of water data are stored in Boxes 19 and 20.

Box 20 also contains two plaques.

Box 6

Folder 84-11/4/1 - 84-11/4/30

  1. Water Data, 1849-1960.
  2. West Fork, Carson River. Decreed Rights, 1852-1914.
  3. Irrigation Priorities, 1859-1919.
  4. "Forms Made Up (Various Data)", 1861-1928.
  5. Discharge Tables, 1861-1958.
  6. Water Delivery, Ditch Statistics, 1861-1978.
  7. "Precipitation and Snow at Soda Springs, Tahoe City, Truckee and Boca.", 1869-1949.
  8. Water Rights Transfers. Ditch Diversions. Water Measurements. 1906-1958.
  9. Storage Capacity Tables, 1917-1958.
  10. Testimony in Truckee River Adjudication, 1918 Department of Interior Reports, 1927, 1929.
  11. Lake Tahoe Water Data, 1919-1980.
  12. Discharge Statistics, 1920-1945.
  13. Water Data, 1924-1976.
  14. Water Data, 1926-1976.
  15. Weather Conditions. Water Data. 1927, 1928.
  16. Pyramid Lake Irrigation Project. Weekly Reports of Ditch Rider, 1927-1940.
  17. Pyramid Lake Irrigation Project, 1927-1948.
  18. Pyramid Lake Irrigation Project. River Gage Report, 1928-1936.
  19. Reno City Water Used, 1930-1940.
  20. Washoe County Recreational Lake. WPA 1937-1944.
  21. Rating Tables, 1938, 1954.
  22. Pyramid Lake Irrigation Project. Weekly Reports of Ditch Rider, 1941-1947.
  23. Stream Profiles, 1946.
  24. Water Measurement Tables, 1947.
  25. West Fork, Carson River. Discharge Rating Notes, 1947-1960.
  26. Water Supply Outlook, 1965-1970.
  27. Water Data, 1970-1980.
  28. Values of Various Flows in Miner’s Inches... Conversion Tables. Printed Material.
  29. "Hydrocomptomer Data".
  30. Water Notes and Articles.

Box 7

  1. Prints of Lake Tahoe Water Surface Elevations.
  2. Prints of Discharges at Outlet of Lake Tahoe.
  3. Prints of Donner Lake Water Surface Elevations.
  4. Prints of Donner Lake Discharges at Outlet of Donner Lake.
  5. Prints of Donner Creek Discharges near Confluence with Truckee River.
  6. Prints of Prosser Creek Discharges near Confluence with Truckee River.
  7. Prints of Daily Storage in Boca Reservoir.
  8. Prints of Releases from Boca Reservoir.
  9. Prints of Iceland-Farad Discharges.
  10. Prints of Reno Discharge.
  11. Prints of Vista Discharge.
  12. Prints of Discharge of Truckee River at Derby and Truckee Canal at River.
  13. Prints of Truckee River Discharge below Pyramid Lake.
  14. Miscellaneous Prints.
    Lake Tahoe Storage Computations.
    Reno Weather 1926-1936, 1947-1959. (24 Folders)
    Local Climatological Data-Reno, Nevada (U.S. Dept. of Commerce) 1960-1967. (1 Folder)

Box 8

Truckee River Discharges, ca. 1870-1930.

Box 19

Snow and Precipitation at Sierra Summit, 1869-1949.

Temporary Rating Curves, ca. 1870-1944.

Rating Curves, ca. 1951-1958.

Box 20

Appendix II, Temporary Restraining Order, with maps. Not dated.
(Taken from U.S. Government’s opening brief in U.S. vs. Alpine Land and Reservoir Company, lawsuit for waters of the Carson River)

Tahoe Snow and Precipitation, 1867-1949.

Box 20 also contains 2 plaques.

Box 9
84-11/5     Series 5: Reports and Surveys

This series includes published and unpublished reports retained in the Federal Water Master’s files. Reports are arranged chronologically. A folder list is provided for this series.   18 folders, 2 volumes.

Folder 84-11/5/1 - 84-11/5/18

  1. U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1916, 1933, 1941.
  2. Reno-Sparks Sewer Report, 1927.
  3. Debler Report, 1929.
  4. Holcomb, Janet. "The History of the Water Rights of Truckee Meadows", 1939.
  5. "Economic Use and Administration of Range Resources of Northeastern Nevada" 1939.
  6. Salt River Project, 1941.
  7. Shamberger, Hugh A. "The Evolution of Nevada By Boundaries With Name Places", 1945.
  8. Report on the City of Reno, Nevada 1946.
  9. Joint Report on the Use of Water in the Lake Tahoe Watershed, 1949.
  10. Washoe Project, Nevada-California, Status Report, 1952.
  11. Comments of the Truckee River Water Users Committee..., 1953.
  12. Resources Report, Washoe County, Nevada, 1952.
  13. Washoe Project Report, 1959.
  14. South Tahoe Sewerage Survey, 1959.
  15. Stafford, Harlowe M. "History of Snow Surveying in the West", 1959.
  16. Carson River Flood Rehabilitation Program, 1964-1965.
  17. Truckee River Flood Rehabilitation Program, 1964-1965.
  18. U.S. Department of the Interior, "Action Program for Resource Development, Truckee and Carson River Basins, California-Nevada", 1964­1965.
  • Washoe Project, Nevada-California.  Letter from the Assistant Secretary of the Interior Transmitting a Report and Findings on the Washoe Project.  84th Congress, 1st Session, House Document No. 181. GPO, 1955. (1 Vol.)
  • Washoe County Water Conservation District. (1 Vol.)
    • Repayment Contract
    • Appraisal Report
    • Truckee River Agreement
    • Truckee River Final Decree
    • Escrow Agreement
    • "1915" Decree

Box 10

84-11/6     Series 6: Printed Material

This series contains a selected group of publications and printed material found in the Water Master’s files and is included to reflect the kinds of reference material collected by the Water Master’s office. Early twentieth century articles pertaining to irrigation, weather and flood control as well as catalogs for irrigation equipment and hydrologic instruments have been retained.

84-11/7      Series 7: Drawings and Maps

The maps were removed from the manuscript collection and integrated into the Special Collections map files. Unless otherwise noted, these are U. S. G. S. maps in the 15 minute topographical series, and are listed separately in the guide to the Dukes maps.

Boxes 11-18

84-11/8     Series 8: Newspaper Scrapbooks

The Dukes family maintained scrapbooks of newspaper clippings dealing with water issues in the Truckee and Carson River Basins. Clippings are from the Nevada State Journal, Reno Evening Gazette, Fallon Eagle, Fallon Standard, Record-Courier, Eagle-Standard and date from 1924 to 1982.

Box 11

1924 - 1946
1927 - 1959
1960
1961

Box 12

1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
(1967 missing)

Box 13

1968
1969
1970
1971 January - August

Box 14

1971 September - December
1972
1973 January - June

Box 15

1973 July - December 1974
1975

Box 16

1976
1977 January - May

Box 17

1977 June - December
1978
1979 January - June
(1979 July - December, missing)

Box 18

1980
1981
1982 January - September
 

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