"Cattle" A-Y, 1910-1919

In the early twentieth century, filing of papers was performed utilizing boxes designed with alphabetical dividers. Nearly thirty of Delph Carpenter's box files remained intact and together make up this subseries. The boxes were grouped by subject into five categories: cattle, compacts and rivers, legal, personal, and political. Each category is further arranged chronologically, with the exception of the compacts and rivers category, which is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. Within a given box file, the correspondence was kept alphabetically by correspondent (person or organization) and often chronological (or reverse) within a letter of the alphabet. Groups of non-correspondence items, such as advertisements or accounting information, that were filed in the boxes were largely kept in place (filed under "A," for example); the exception was publications, which were placed in Series 7.

The cattle correspondence largely relates to buying, selling, and breeding Bates Milking Shorthorns as well as to the financial aspects of the Carpenter Cattle Company. Correspondents found in this category are mostly individuals from Colorado, though also included are ranchers from throughout the West, such as H. T. Groom of Texas, as well as the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association. Carpenter held a dispersal sale in October 1928 but retained a few animals until 1933.

The compacts and rivers category is the largest in this subseries and has significant quantities of files relating to the Colorado River and the Rio Grande among others. In addition to addressing broad issues of the rivers involved and compacts in general, specifics are often addressed, such as meeting times and places and wording of the compacts. Additional topics are legislation, court cases, and power generation. Correspondents include commissioners, governors, U.S. senators and representatives, other federal and state officials, engineers, lawyers, and other people with interest in compact or river issues. In this correspondence, much of the background, politics, and negotiation of compact development can be found.

The legal correspondence is largely copies of only the outgoing letters of both Carpenter and his law partner Herbert M. Baker. The wide scope of their practice is covered, but significantly includes water-related cases as well as the Walter Rising murder case. Filed separately is correspondence concerning the Greeley-Poudre Irrigation District, Carpenter's client which was named as a defendant in the Wyoming vs. Colorado lawsuit.

The personal correspondence covers a variety of subjects, including finances and real estate, politics, religion, Carpenter's children and other family members, his health, and compact issues. Correspondents include many of the same people as in the compacts and rivers category with whom he became friends, but also many others.

The political category contains correspondence related to various aspects of Carpenter's political life. The senate letters are constituent mail to Carpenter while he was a Colorado state senator. They typically ask for his support or opposition to a bill in question; Carpenter's responses are not included. Copies of bills can be found here as well. The remainder of this category is Carpenter's political correspondence, largely after he left office, though some 1912 re-election campaign materials exist. Subjects concern his feelings about his defeat, his support of other candidates, and other topics.