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Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association

 Collection
Identifier: ACFG

Scope and Contents

The Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association consists of documents dated 1928 to 1980, with the bulk falling between 1958 and 1972. The collection includes minutes from meetings of the association, the board of directors, and several committees, as well as correspondence, newsletters, financial reports, scrapbooks, clippings and photographs.

Major topics of interest include advertising and publicity for Colorado carnations and the creation of a trademark, research in propagation, cultivation and tinting of carnations, flower shipping via airlines, and relationships of the CGFA with other florist organizations.

Dates

  • Creation: 1928-1980
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1958-1972

Creator

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

History

The Colorado Flower Growers Association (CFGA) was founded in 1928 to support the production and marketing of greenhouse flowers and plants grown commercially in the state. The CFGA accomplished this goal through vigorous promotion of greenhouse products, cooperative group action, and financial support of plant research conducted at Colorado State University. Called by several names after its inception, including the Colorado State Flower Growers, the Colorado State Florists Association, and the Colorado Growers Association, the Association established its official name as the Colorado Flower Growers Association in 1956.

In order to increase control over quality, prices, supply and demand in the local flower market the growers voted to organize the Colorado Flower Growers Cooperative Association in 1933. Members of the CGFA entered into contractual agreements to sell their products through the cooperative rather than directly to retailers. This cooperative became inactive a few years later, was revived in 1947 and resumed full operations in 1962.

Initially, the members of the Colorado Flower Growers Association cultivated carnations as their major flower crop. During the first half of the twentieth century, Denver became known as the "Carnation Capital" of the world. The emphasis of producers shifted in the latter part of the century to other cut flowers and potted plants. The name of the association was changed in 1979 to the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association to reflect the increasing diversification of the industry. In 2005, the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association merged with the Colorado Nursery Association to form the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association.

Dick Kingman, hired in 1969 as the first Executive Director of the CFGA, wrote the book entitled A History--Colorado Flower Growers and It's [sic] People, published in 1986. This history describes the greenhouse industry in Colorado from its beginnings in 1891 and includes biographical information on fifty-five growers and their families. Two other individuals mentioned frequently in the collection were horticulture professor W. D. "Bob" Holley and Ralph "Tex" Baker, professor of plant pathology. Their research, supported by CFGA grants to Colorado State University, contributed significantly to the industry.

Extent

15.5 linear feet (10 record cartons, 1 document case)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Colorado Flower Growers Association was founded in 1928 to support the production and marketing of greenhouse flowers grown commercially in the state. In 1979 the organization changed its name to the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association to reflect the increasing diversification of the industry. The Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association merged with the Colorado Nursery Association in 2005 to form the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association. The collection consists of documents pertaining to the Association prior to its 1979 name change and includes minutes from general, board and committee meetings, correspondence, newsletters, financial reports, clippings, scrapbooks and photographs.

Arrangement

The collection consists of eight series in ten record cartons and one document case:

Series 1: Minutes, 1928-1979

Series 2: Correspondence, 1960-1972

Series 3: Newsletters and press releases, 1969-1976

Series 4: Financial records, 1955-1976

Series 5: Related associations, 1928-1972

Subseries 5.1: National associations, 1965-1972

Subseries 5.2: State associations, 1928-1971

Series 6: Events, 1936-1980

Series 7: Scrapbooks and clippings, 1948-1979

Series 8: Photographic material, 1950-1972

Acquisition

The Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association was donated to the Colorado Agricultural Archive on June 9, 1981, by Dick Kingman, Executive Director of the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association. When the Colorado Agricultural Archive was transferred from the Colorado State University Department of History to the Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) in 2004, the Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association was moved to the CSUL Archives and Special Collections Department.

Online Materials

Some materials have been scanned and are available through the Colorado State University Libraries website. In the electronic version of this document, direct links appear in context.

Related Collections

Related collections in the Colorado Agricultural Archive include the Records of the American Carnation Society, the Records of the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Records of the Colorado Cooperative Extension Service. A complete run of the Colorado Flower Growers' Bulletin, produced in cooperation with the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, is available through the Colorado State University Libraries.

Processing

Processing was completed in March 2005. Materials were re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes and partially rearranged to correspond to series. Metal fasteners were removed and news clippings were placed between sheets of acid-free paper. Duplicates beyond a second copy were discarded. Photographs found within the general files were separated and placed with the photographic material series.

Inventory Note

Note: Title information supplied by the archivist is bracketed. Two identical copiesof the same item are indicated by the phrase "2 copies" at the end of the entry,following the number of pages of each copy. Authored articles, books, and studiesare listed in bibliographic form.

Title
Guide to the Records of the Colorado Flower Growers Association
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Prepared by Linda M. Meyer
Date
Copyright 2005
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the CSU Libraries Archives & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Fort Collins Colorado 80523-1019 USA
970-491-1844