Scope and Contents: The Senachwine Club records document the club's hunting activities from 1886-1986. In addition to information on the Club, these records contain material from the Illinois Department of Conservation and from Ducks Unlimited, a private organization. Researchers should note that there are two gaps in the records, files from 1941-1945 and 1963-1971 are missing. The collection is organized into two series: Administrative Files and Correspondence Files.
Administrative Files include by-laws, minutes, financial records, and property records. The minutes contain the Club's charter, early by-laws, membership lists and reports from committees and the treasurer. Financial records also contain some treasurer's reports and financial statements, accounting records and the Secretary/Treasurer's records. Property records deal with the Club's grounds and include maps, tax receipts, plus deeds, leases and mortgages. Finally, this series contains kill sheets and daily registers which record the number of birds shot each day of the season.
Correspondence Files contain incoming and outgoing letters kept by the Club's secretary. All aspects of the organizations' business and activities are covered in these files. Correspondence concerning membership applications, club hunting rules, by-laws revisions, leases, contracts, legislation and regulation is included in this series. Of special interest are the files of correspondence with the several caretakers employed by the Club. Various improvements to the clubhouse and grounds can be traced through their letters.