Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Peter J. Bier Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0973
Creators:
Bier, Peter J.
Dates:
1915-1970
bulk 1934-1959
Languages:
Collection is in
English
. Some materials in
Spanish
.
Physical Description:
3.3 Cubic feet
7 boxes
Repository:
Peter J. Bier, born in Hungary, immigrated to the United States in 1904. Bier worked as an engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of the Interior from 1923-1954, and continued to work as a consultant in the field after retirement. The collection includes materials related to his work with the Bureau of Reclamation, including project materials, drawings, designs, and inspection reports and data, along with materials documenting his time as an engineering consultant.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection documents Bier's work with the Bureau of Reclamation on dams and power stations in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest regions of the United States and his contract work in the United States and Mexico. It includes project files, reports, correspondence, notes, blueprints, and technical drawings.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1: Biographical, 1918-1965
Series 2: Articles, Manuals, and Research Materials, 1923-1970
Series 3: Bureau of Reclamation, 1915-1970
Subseries 3.1: Projects, 1934-1958
Subseries 3.2: Inspections and Testing, 1915-1954
Subseries 3.3: Technical Drawings and Designs, 1923-1970
Subseries 3.4: Employee Related Documents, 1950-1954
Series 4: Contract Work, 1954-1967

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Peter J. Bier was born on April 22, 1884 in Ujnely, Hungary. He completed his college education at the State Technical School at Timisoara, Hungary. In 1904, Bier moved to the United States and in 1906 he started a job at Babcock and Wilcox Boiler Company. He worked for a series of companies as a draftsman and designer, and in 1923 he began working as an engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of the Interior in Denver, Colorado. Bier specialized in steel pipes and penstocks, which are pipes that deliver water to hydraulic turbines, for various dams.
Over the course of Bier's career, he was involved with project planning for irrigation and power developments, hydraulic structures and equipment, and inspections of equipment. He later supervised the design, specifications, and inspections for penstocks and related equipment. Bier wrote inspection manuals, monographs, and articles related to penstock and pipe design. Upon his retirement from the Bureaus of Reclamation in 1954, he remained active in the field and traveled as an engineering consultant.

Administration

Author
Sara Wheeler
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Custodial History
Original provenance unknown, collected by the Division of Work and Industry (then called the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering), transferred to the Archives Center in 2007.
Processing Information
Processed by Sara Wheeler, intern, August 2017; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Peter J. Bier Papers, 1915-1970, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Technical drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hydraulic engineering -- 1920-1960 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Power stations -- Colorado Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dams -- Colorado Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Denver (Colo.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engineers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dams -- Mexico Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Monographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Blueprints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Technical manuals -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Memorandums -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pipelines Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Bureau of Reclamation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu