Hunter Rouse’s Historical Writings and the History of Hydraulics Collection

Hunter Rouse is largely remembered for his seminal role in the development of hydraulic engineering and for his leadership of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR, now IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering), but his legacy is far broader. In his later years, Rouse became increasingly involved in studying the history of fluid mechanics and hydraulics. This interest led him to author two books, many articles, and give numerous lectures on the subject, and to accumulate an unusual collection of rare historic books. The collection holds over 500 volumes with publication dates spanning approximately 500 years. Housed at the University of Iowa, the collection remains a valuable resource for historical research. This forum article describes Rouse's history-related research and writing and the History of Hydraulics Book Collection that he created.