Western History and Genealogy

Manuscript Collection News

April 2007

Welcome to The Denver Public Library's Manuscript Collection News. This page is updated monthly and includes new Manuscript Finding Aids, Hidden Treasures of the Manuscript Collection, Recent Donations, Archivists Notes and previous Manuscript News.

New Manuscript Finding Aids

A note about the Manuscript Collection: all Manuscript Collections are cataloged and a brief record is available through the Library catalog. Only a portion of the Manuscript Collection has extensive online guides found in the Manuscript Finding Aids that contain detailed descriptive information and lists of contents including the following new materials.

Carolyn St. Clair King Papers

Pulp fiction author Carolyn St. Clair King’s Collection was just completed. This Denver native wrote over 200 short stories published primarily in Ranch Romances and Western Story Magazine under the pen names Sally Lockhart and Carlos St. Clair. The Collection comprises over 100 of her short stories published between 1931 and 1951.

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Collection, WH512

The records of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, are completely processed. This Collection provides an incredible wealth of detailed information for rail historians, rail enthusiasts and especially for model railroaders. Over 12,000 detailed mechanical drawings of locomotive and rolling stock parts spanning 1880 to 1991 comprise the bulk of this collection. The drawings use standard Denver and Rio Grande index numbers, making them easily searchable. Locomotive and rolling stock drawings are included in both standard and narrow gauge with numerous early drawings from the 1880s. Detailed plans for passenger depots and freight handling facilities along with town site plats, track maps and station ground sketches comprise the remainder of the drawings.

Enos A. Mills Collection, CONS250

Enos Abijah Mills came to Colorado around the age of 13 or 14 because of poor health. Moving first to Greeley where his older sister, Belle, lived, he later moved to Estes Park. Mills traveled extensively, and in 1889 met the famous naturalist John Muir in San Francisco. It was through Muir's encouragement that Mills became active in the emerging conservation movement and began writing about his experiences in the wilderness. Mills wrote books and articles on the animals of the Rocky Mountain region, but he is probably best remembered as the father of the Rocky Mountain National Park. From 1909 until his death in 1922, he lectured extensively on the need for preservation of natural resources and the importance of setting aside areas for future generations. The Enos Mills Collection, contains over sixty manuscripts of Mills' articles and lectures on natural history topics, with a few devoted to the Lewis and Clark expedition. It also includes biographical essays about Mills and reviews of some of his books. The materials date from 1896 to 1954.

U.S. Forest Service Collection, CONS74

The U.S. Forest Service Collection was created in the early years (1960s) of the Conservation Library Center. It is an aggregate of materials sent to Arthur Carhart in response to his requests to friends from the Forest Service, and is composed of material covering several different aspects of Forest Service activities. The foresters themselves comprise part of the Collection, which includes daily work diaries, letterpress books and oral history recordings. The day-to-day activities of the foresters are recorded in considerable detail in their work diaries and their official communications are available in the letterpress books. This letter is located in Box 43, item 5, page 240, letterpress book:
October 12, 1904
Gentlemen:
You are most respectfully advised that I am this day in receipt of a notice to the effect that you are maintaining and operating a saloon upon public lands within the Gila River Forest Reserve, New Mexico, located on the South half of Section 221, Township 10 South, Range 19 West, in what is known as Cooney Mining District.
You are hereby notified, requested and directed to close your saloon in ten days from the date of this notice so to do, and by the term "close your saloon" you are to understand that after the lapse of ten days from the date of this notice, you will not dispense liquors at your present place of business or elsewhere within the Gila River Forest Reserve, New Mexico.
Very respectfully,
R.C. McClure
Forest Supervisor

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Hidden Treasures

Edwin Palmer Hoyt Papers, WH1226

Palmer Hoyt worked with Lyndon Johnson in the Office of War Information during World War II. The two became great friends as they dealt with issues of censorship versus endangering troops. After the war, Frederick Bonfils hired Hoyt as editor of The Denver Post and Johnson continued his political career in Congress. Hoyt gained a reputation as a mid-century liberal mind with his incessant editorials condemning Senator Joseph McCarthy's Communist witch-hunt. Hoyt corresponded with Supreme Court Justice William Douglas and every President from Truman to Nixon. In November 1963, Hoyt was in Washington, D.C. where he conducted a private interview with President Kennedy. Before the interview could be published, the President was assassinated and the interview has never been printed. Hoyt's notes from that interview are in the Collection. The Palmer Hoyt Papers, are replete with original correspondence from influential people and copies of his correspondence as well as his editorials, articles and speech transcripts.

William E. Barrett Papers, WH1125

Among the papers of author William Barrett, (Lilies of the Field, Woman on Horseback, The Left Hand of God) are thousands of letters he sent to family, friends, business acquaintances and other notables; these are in addition to the letters he received. Of particular interest for Coloradans is an exchange of several years of letters with Edwin Johnson. Johnson served as both Governor of Colorado and represented the Centennial State in the U.S. Senate. Their correspondence went beyond the stiff formalness one would expect and became quite revealing as they frankly discussed the issues leading up to and during and after the Second World War.

Eben Smith Collection, WH927

The Collection of mining magnate Eben Smith, WH927, offers some surprising insights into the businesses that were operating in Denver during the 1890s. Smith's wife shopped in downtown Denver and sent the bills to his office where the invoices and receipts were retained - thus providing a glimpse into the spending habits of this wealthy family. One could reconstruct life of the upper crust of Denver by following the paper trail left in this remarkable Collection.

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Recent Donations

Western History

• Greater Denver Chamber of Commerce has added 23 boxes of materials to their existing records.
• Chicano activist and professional boxer Rodolpho "Corky" Gonzales' papers have been donated by his widow Gerri Gonzales and their family.
• Denver Fortnightly Club - one box donated by Janis Falkenberg
• Eislinger – Gunter Hoye Family - one box (.25 lf) donated by Teresa Shurley Hoye
• Perkin, Robert L. – journal transferred by Bill Knot of Jefferson County Library
• Highland United Neighbors - one box (.5 lf) donated by Monique Elwell
• Moulton, Jennifer - 12 folders, one video donated by Ruth Falkenberg
• Noel, Tom - one box donated by Tom Noel
• Kopel, Gerald - one box donated by Gerald Kopel
• Kountze Family/ Colorado National Bank - one envelope donated by David Sturges
• Mulligan, Mary Calvin - one box donated by Mary Ann Mulligan
• The Children’s Museum - ten boxes, two oversize folders donated by Caryn Jones for the Organization
• Colorado Archaeological Society - two boxes donated by Kevin Black for Society
• Swan Family - four boxes donated by Gretchen Bering
• Nevaar, Denver (aka Sister Who) - five DVDs, one box papers donated by Denver Nevaar
• Gallagher, Dennis - one envelope donated by Dennis Gallagher
• William Sharpless Jackson Family - one partial box donated by William S. Jackson, Jr.
• H. Benjamin Duke Family - one partial box donated by Ben Duke
• Lightburn, Dr. John L. - one box donated by Dr. John L. Lightburn
• Historic Montclair Community Association - four boxes donated by the Organization

Conservation Collection

• The Nature Conservancy - four boxes donated by the Organization

• The Wilderness Society - two boxes donated by the Organization

10th Mountain Division

• National Association of the 10th Mountain Division Records – additional material donated by Thomas E. Shaw
• Winter, Burdell S. "Bud" - donated by Fred Winter
• Johnson, Norma T. - donated by Norma T. Johnson

• 10th Mountain Division Photograph Collection - two photographs of Dwight Williams donated by Georgia Gould-Lyle

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Archivists Notes

Preserving Paper

• Cardinal rule - never do anything to a document which cannot be reversed
• Enemies of all documents are: light, heat, humidity, acidity, adhesives and pollutants
• Don't fold it (if it's been folded unfold it)
• Remove any paperclips or other metal objects that might rust - replace with plastic clips
• Isolate any newsprint from other papers (use plastic or extra layers of acid free paper) [Most printer paper manufactured today is acid free]
• If placing papers in folders make certain they too are acid free. (This usually requires a special purchase, most manila folders in office supply stores are not acid free, but can be found by searching for them at both brick and mortar and on-line stores).
• Don't store papers in an attic or basement - the lower the temperature the better, and a humidity of 20% - 50% is best; the less variation of temperature and humidity the better
• Plastic enclosures are safe for documents if they are made of polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene
• Don't laminate a document, encapsulation between two sheets of polyester film is preferable and reversible
• Keep handling to a minimum

If you have materials, artifacts or family information you would like to donate, please visit the donation guidelines page.

Volunteers are always welcome to assist with the processing of the Manuscript Collections and processing the related photographs. If you are interested in volunteering to help process Manuscript Collections, contact the volunteer office.

Previous Manuscript News

March 2007

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Cover of the pulp fiction magazine, Ranch Romances, which carried many stories written by Carolyn St. Clair King under the pseudonym Sally Lockhart.

Cover of Western Story Magazine, a pulp fiction magazine, which carried numerous stories written by Carolyn St. Clair King under the pseudonym Carlos St. Clair.

Receipt for purchase in 1896 by Mrs. Eben Smith from Importing Tailor William Derry.

The 1899 receipt for a billiard table from the Eben Smith Papers.

Flower purchase receipt of Mrs. Eben Smith for flower beds from Capitol Hill Greenhouses in 1901.