Guide to the Harold P. Fabian Papers

This finding aid describes the Harold P. Fabian Papers, part of the NPS History Collection. To search this guide for names, places, key words, or phrases enter Ctrl F on your keyboard (command key + F key on a Mac). Request an in-person research appointment or get more information by contacting the archivist.

Collection Overview

Collection Number: HFCA 1645 (Series XIII.A)
Accession Number: HFCA-00713
Creator: Fabian, Harold P.
Title: Harold P. Fabian Papers
Dates: 1955-1976
Extent of Collection: 3.0 LF
Language of Materials: English

Digital Access: The collection has not been digitized.

Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open to research use. See the NPS general copyright and restricted information here.
Provenance: Donated to the NPS History Collection by Josephine Fabian in 1981.
Processing Note: This collection was processed and described by contractors in 2015. Updated by Nancy Russell in November 2024.

Rights Statement for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation: Harold P. Fabian Papers, Assembled Historic Records of the NPS (HFCA 1645), NPS History Collection
Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Related Materials:

• Frank E. Masland Papers (HFCA-00907), NPS History Collection
• Emil Haury's NPS Advisory Board Photographs, ca. 1964-1978 (HFCA-01428), NPS History Collection
• Audio recordings of Secretary's Advisory Board for NPS meetings, 1971-1975 (HFCA-01599), NPS History Collection
• Edward Bridge Danson's NPS Advisory Board Photographs (HFCA-01808), NPS History Collection
• NPS Advisory Board Meeting Files, 1956-1990s (HFCA-02052), NPS History Collection
• Harold P. Fabian Papers, 1914-1976, University of Utah Libraries Special Collections
• Harold P. Fabian Photograph Collection, 1950-1969, University of Utah Libraries Special Collections

Biographical Note

Harold Pegram Fabian was born April 1, 1885, to Ferdinand John and Minnie Pegram Fabian in Salt Lake City, Utah. After attending public school in Salt Lake City and the Mercersburg (Pennsylvania) Academy, Fabian received a BA from Yale in 1907. He was awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree by Harvard in 1910. He was admitted to the Utah Bar that same year. In October 1910, Fabian married Ruth Chapman. The couple later divorced, but they had two children together.

Fabian began his legal career as a member of the firm Dey, Hoppaugh and Fabian. He was with the firm from 1910-1917. He left the practice to serve as an infantry major in the US Army during World War I. In 1919, Fabian joined Bayley, Fabian, Clendenin and Judd, which subsequently became Fabian and Clendenin. He remained with that firm for the rest of his career. On February 14, 1936, he married Josephine Cunningham.

An active member of the Republican Party, Fabian attended the 1920 and 1940 national conventions, and served on the national committee (1928-1932). He belonged to the American, Utah, and Wyoming Bar Associations. Additionally, Fabian was involved in the National Chamber of Commerce, serving as president (1930-1931), and was also on the organization’s board of governors. He belonged to and held posts in both the Sons of the American Revolution and the Utah Society of Mayflower Descendants. He was also a member of the Alta, Bonneville, and Elihu clubs; Psi Upsilon; and Scottish Rite of the Freemasonry. He was a 32nd degree Mason.

Fabian conducted the legal work for the Wildlife Park and the Jackson Hole Preserve, Inc. As the local administrator of the Snake River Land Company, he was the principal representative of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in purchasing Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to protect it from commercial development. The land was turned over to the National Park Service (NPS) and became part of Grand Teton National Park in 1950.

His work led to a continued association with the NPS. Fabian served on the Advisory Board of National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings, and Monuments (now called the National Park System Advisory Board) from July 1, 1958, to June 30, 1964, including a term as chairman (1962-1964). The purpose of the Advisory Board was “to advise the secretary of the Interior on any park-related matters” which included making recommendations on park designations, restorations, conservation, and administration. The Advisory Board also played a large role in Mission 66, a ten-year program intended to expand and improve the NPS visitor services in time for the 50th anniversary in 1966. Fabian also served on the Yellowstone-Grand Teton planning team in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Fabian was also very active in other organizations, including: Rocky Mountain Packing Corps (president, 1934-1935); Jackson Hole Preserve (executive vice president, treasurer, and trustee, 1954); Grand Teton Lodge and Transportation Company (president and director, 1946-1952; executive vice president, general manager and director 1952-1954); Jackson Hole Wildlife Park (treasurer and trustee, 1946-1952); Travelers Aid Society, Salt Lake City (president, 1957-1958); Utah Pony Express Commission (1959-1960); St. John's Hospital, Jackson, Wyoming (trustee); Sugarhouse Park Authority, Salt Lake City (board member and president); Utah Heritage Foundation (trustee); Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. (vice president and trustee); Utah Park and Recreation Committee (member (1957-1966); chairman 1962-1966); Salt Lake City Board of Education (member and vice president); National Advisory Committee New York World’s Fair; Citizens Defense, Salt Lake City (1941-1942); Board of Governors, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce (president, 1947-48); Continental National Bank and Trustee Company (director, 1929-1943); and Western Air Lines (director, 1929-1943).

Harold Fabian P. died on December 6, 1975.

Scope and Content Note

Advisory Board minutes, program books, status reports, and other meeting materials, as well as correspondence and memos relating to Advisory Board activities. Includes correspondence and policy planning documents related to Canyonlands, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton national parks, and Gettysburg National Battlefield Park. Studies and other documents related to Yellowstone-Grand Teton management planning is included. Of note is correspondence with NPS directors George B. Hartzog, Jr. and Ronald Walker, Conrad Wirth, and Horace M. Albright. NPS director's staff meeting minutes from 1964 to 1971 are also present.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject, and thereunder chronologically.

Container List

BOX 01
Folder 01: Advisory Board: 55th Meeting Agenda, Spring 1966
Folder 02: Advisory Board: 55th Meeting Program Book, Fall 1966
Folder 03: Advisory Board: 63rd Meeting Program Book, Fall 1970
Folder 04: Advisory Board: 66th Meeting Program Book, Spring 1972
Folder 05: Advisory Board: 67th Meeting Program Book, Fall 1972
Folder 06: Advisory Board: 68th Meeting Program Book, Spring 1973
Folder 07: Advisory Board: 69th Meeting Program Book, Fall 1973
Folder 08: Advisory Board: Collaborator Position, 1958-1970
Folder 09: Advisory Board: Correspondence, 1961-1972
Folder 10: Advisory Board: Correspondence: Members: Membership List Committees, 1962-1964
Folder 11: Advisory Board: Field Trips: Arizona, California, and Nevada, Spring 1970
Folder 12: Advisory Board: Field Trips: Hawaii, Fall 1962

BOX 02
Folder 01: Advisory Board: Field Trips: National Capital Region, Fall 1968
Folder 02: Advisory Board: Field Trips: Pennsylvania, New York, and New England, Fall 1969
Folder 03: Advisory Board: Field Trips: Washington D.C., Spring 1969
Folder 04: Advisory Board: Field Trips: Washington, D.C., Blue Ridge, and Great Smokies, Fall 1964
Folder 05: Advisory Board: Meeting Materials: 47th Meeting, Fall 1962 [1 of 2]
Folder 06: Advisory Board: Meeting Materials: 47th Meeting, Fall 1962 [2 of 2]
Folder 07: Advisory Board: Meeting Materials: 49th Meeting, Fall 1963
Folder 08: Advisory Board: Meeting Materials: 50th Meeting, Spring, 1964
Folder 09: Advisory Board: Meeting Materials: 51st Meeting, Fall 1964
Folder 10: Advisory Board: Memos, 1969-1973
Folder 11: Advisory Board: Minutes, April-May 1962
Folder 12: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1962
Folder 13: Advisory Board: Minutes, March 1963
Folder 14: Advisory Board: Minutes, November 1963
Folder 15: Advisory Board: Minutes, April 1964

BOX 03
Folder 01: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1964
Folder 02: Advisory Board: Minutes, April 1966
Folder 03: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1966
Folder 04: Advisory Board: Minutes, April 1967
Folder 05: Advisory Board: Minutes, November 1967
Folder 06: Advisory Board: Minutes, April 1968
Folder 07: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1968
Folder 08: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1969
Folder 09: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1970
Folder 10: Advisory Board: Minutes, April 1971
Folder 11: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1971
Folder 12: Advisory Board: Minutes, October 1972
Folder 13: Advisory Board: Minutes of Regional Advisory Boards, 1974-1975
Folder 14: Advisory Board: Personnel, 1961-1976
Folder 15: Advisory Board: Preparatory Materials for 45th Meeting, Fall 1961

BOX 04
Folder 01: Advisory Board: Preparatory Materials for 46th Meeting, Spring 1962
Folder 02: Advisory Board: Reports, 1963
Folder 03: Advisory Board: Rules and Regulations, 1962
Folder 04: Advisory Board: Rules, Regulations, and Laws: NPS Organization, 1960-1972
Folder 05: Advisory Board: Status Reports, 1961
Folder 06: Advisory Board: Status Reports, 1962
Folder 07: Advisory Board: Status Reports, 1963
Folder 08: Advisory Board: Status Reports, 1969
Folder 09: Advisory Board: Wirth, Conrad, 1962-1963
Folder 10: Advisory Board: Zoning, 1969
Folder 11: Articles, 1964-1976
Folder 12: Bookmark from Exchange Club, 1959
Folder 13: California State Park System, 1963
Folder 14: Canyonlands National Park, 1962-1976
Folder 15: Conflicts of Interest, 1962-1968
Folder 16: Correspondence: Albright, Horace, 1971

BOX 05
Folder 01: Correspondence: Hartzog, George B., 1962-1970
Folder 02: Correspondence: Officials, 1962-1974
Folder 03: Criteria for National Scenic Trails, 1969
Folder 04: Director’s Staff Meeting Minutes, 1964-1967
Folder 05: Director’s Staff Meeting Minutes, 1968-1969
Folder 06: Director’s Staff Meeting Minutes, 1970-1971
Folder 07: Discussion by NPS for Developing and Operating Grand Teton National Park, 1971
Folder 08: Gettysburg, 1963
Folder 09: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1963-1964 [1 of 3]
Folder 10: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1963-1964 [2 of 3]

BOX 06
Folder 01: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1963-1964 [3 of 3]
Folder 02: Land and Water Conservation, 1963-1970
Folder 03: National Landmarks, 1963-1969
Folder 04: NPS Director Ronald Walker, 1972-1973
Folder 05: News Releases, 1963-1971
Folder 06: Newsletter: American Enterprise Institute: “Memorandum,” 1975-1976
Folder 07: Newsletter: National Conference on State Parks, September 1969
Folder 08: Newsletter: Report to Utah: Gun Control Laws, 1968
Folder 09: Project 70: Pennsylvania Recreation, 1963
Folder 10: Publication: “The National Park System,” 1955
Folder 11: Redwoods, 1977-1978
Folder 12: Statements of NPS Director George Hartzog, 1967-1971
Folder 13: Summer in the Parks, 1969
Folder 14: Superintendents’ Conference: “Conference of Challenge,” Yosemite National Park, October 1963
Folder 15: “Total Challenge of Automation: An Address by John I. Snyder, Jr., US Industries, Inc.,” 1963
Folder 16: Travel and Tourism, 1969
Folder 17: US Department of the Interior Conservation Yearbooks, 1965-1970
Folder 18: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Data from Chet Brown, 1966-1967

BOX 07
Folder 01: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Master Plan (Draft), 1971
Folder 02: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Master Plans, 1967-1971
Folder 03: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Planning Team, 1967-1968 [1 of 2]
Folder 04: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Planning Team, 1967-1968 [2 of 2]
Folder 05: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Planning Team: Meetings, 1966-1970
Folder 06: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Proposed Master Plans, 1970-1971
Folder 07: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Public Hearing Notices, 1972
Folder 08: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Road System Review for Yellowstone, 1966-1968
Folder 09: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Study Group of the Advisory Board, 1967

BOX 08
Folder 01: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Study Team, 1964-1968
Folder 02: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Superintendent Jack Anderson’s File, 1974
Folder 03: Yellowstone-Grand Teton: Travel, 1967-1971

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