Denver Public Library: Western History Genealogy: News, Exhibits and Classes

Western History/Genealogy News

April 2008

Welcome to The Denver Public Library's Western History/Genealogy News. This page is updated monthly and includes:

Archives Collection News
New Books in the Western History Collection

Archives Collection News

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

New Archives Finding Aids

Colorado Society of the Sons of the American Revolution WH78

The Colorado Society of the Sons of the American Revolution was organized on July 4, 1896, the 33rd state member of the National Society. By the end of its inaugural year, the Colorado Society had 47 members, and Joseph F. Tuttle as its president. At the end of its first decade, the Society boasted 195 "registered compatriots." The Colorado Society's membership peaked in 1921 with 344 members. The bulk of the papers in this collection stem from the activities of General Irving Hale. Hale served as the second president of the Colorado Society, beginning his term in 1899. Camp Hale, the training center for the heralded 10th Mountain Division, was named for him.

Department of Colorado and Wyoming Grand Army of the Republic WH732

Though only one battle in the Civil War was fought by Colorado troops, the veterans who moved here after the war are included in the records of the Department of Colorado and Wyoming Grand Army of the Republic. This collection comprises rosters and adjutant reports from G.A.R. posts in Colorado and Wyoming. Departments of the Grand Army of the Republic typically fell within a state, but because of the sparse population, Colorado and Wyoming were consolidated into one Department. These descriptive books include the name, birthplace, residence, occupation; date of entry, company, rank and unit served in; date of exit from service, final discharge, cause of discharge; date of muster into the G.A.R., dates of suspension, drop or dismissal from the G.A.R.; when reinstated; nature of wounds received; and engagements when wounded. Frequently the date of death and place of burial are also recorded.

Hidden Treasures

Yosemite Valley Photographs by Carleton Watkins

The Western History Photograph Collection has a rare portfolio of photographs of Yosemite Valley taken by Carleton Watkins, also known as C.E. Watkins. This great 19th century landscape photographer was also one of California's early commercial photographers. The images were made beginning in 1861. Manipulating images is not new to photography. In one of Watkins' photographs a tree obscured his view of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, so he climbed the tree and removed the offending branches. Early glass negatives had such contrast that the clouds and distant mountains faded out, so they were later added by Watkins, William Henry Jackson and many early photographers. The albumen prints are 21 1/8 x 15 3/8 inches and more of them will soon be available on this web site.

Colorado Cowboy Photographs

24 original black and white photographs capturing local ranch and cowboy life circa 1910 to 1915, assembled in an album by rancher W. L. Martin of Ordway, Crowley County, Colorado. This new collection depicts cowboys at a chuck wagon during mealtime, astride horses with lassos at their sides, herding and corralling horses and cattle, driving cattle and the ranch.

Camp Carson P.O.W. Internment Camp as Documented by Karl Zimmer

This photo collection documents the lives of German prisoners of war held at Camp Carson, Colorado during World War II. The album compiled by a German P.O.W., Karl Zimmer documents theatrical productions, orchestras and choirs and images of Karl Zimmer’s family in Germany.

General Index

Most people who visit Level 5 and the Western History/Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library are surprised to see what they think is an actual card catalog file across from the reference desk. While the DPL collection catalog has been available online since the mid 1980s the cards in these files, called the General Index, are one of the most unique and valuable resources in the Western History collection.

Beginning in the 1930s when the Western History Department was created a WPA (Works Progress Administration) group began to painstakingly index the contents of Denver newspapers from 1859 on. Librarians and volunteers continued to index major articles until 1995. Over the years, the index has grown to include entries for many of our manuscript collections and other historical journals and publications, including mining reports and chapters in books. The result is an amazing compilation of people, places and events that were reported in Denver’s many newspapers, and other publications found among the resources of the Library.

This remarkable collection, of nearly a million cards, and over four million entries, is in the process of being scanned and made available online, but the completion date is not set. It is often the best place to start any search related to Denver and Colorado history.

Recent Donations

The Western History and Genealogy Department is home to over 4,000 archival collections having to do with the history of Colorado and the states west of the Mississippi. We have countless families, individuals, businesses, and organizations to thank for our archival collections, which contain original materials such as correspondence, business records, meeting minutes, speeches, legislative files, scrapbooks, journals, diaries, and photographs. The generosity of our donors has allowed countless researchers to glean one-of-a-kind information about Colorado and the West, and it has enabled generations of family members to visit the Library and learn about their ancestors. We consider our archival collections to be treasures of the Library, and we are grateful for the opportunity to preserve and provide access to them.

Virginia Village/Ellis Community Association Records, 1993-2005

The Virginia Village/Ellis Community Association promotes the welfare of residents living in east Denver within the boundaries of Mississippi Avenue (north), Evans Avenue (south), Holly Street (east), and Colorado Boulevard (west). The collection (2 boxes) includes minutes, zoning information, handbooks, pamphlets, newsletters, and association presidents’ files. Helen Leaver donated the collection.

Seibel Family Papers, 1894-1948

Ludwig Charles Seibel and his wife, Salma C. (Anderson) Seibel, were Colorado natives born to European emigrants of German and Swedish decent. Shortly after their marriage in about 1920, the couple resided at 26th and Champa streets. They then moved to the family home at 918 South Emerson Street in Denver. Ludwig and Salma had three children: Frederick C. (“Fred”), Richard Phillip (“Dick”), and Barbara M. Seibel. The collection (1 box) includes documents related to the Seibel children, such as their school records, and materials related to Salma Anderson Seibel, such as her albums and notebooks and a small assortment of family photographs. Stephen Moreno donated the collection.

More Donations

Western History

Claims Service Panoramic Photo – staff photograph donated by Michelle Masterson
Cordova, Donald E. – three boxes of professional and personal records donated by Patricia Cordova
Ephemera Collection – twelve advertisement cards donated by Patsy Stanley
Hauk, Paul – one box of professional research records donated by Bob Miller
Lawson-Sick, Helen – one box of family photographs donated by Rita Cordova
Lucero, Helen – one box of papers donated by Mary-Rita Cordova
Landes Family photos – one box of photographic images donated by Ilana J. Landes
Palmer, S.E. – a travel diary donated by Rhonda Black
Peña, Federico – donated the first twelve boxes of his professional and personal records
Seibel Family – one box of family papers donated by Steven R. Moreno
Tangeman, H.H. – two boxes of papers donated by Sharon A. Henry
Virginia Village Community Association – two boxes of organizational records donated by Helen Leaver

Conservation Collection

Laycock, George – donated one box of his professional research records
Wilderness Society Southeast Regional Office – donated twelve boxes of organizational records

10th Mountain Division

Dean, Okey C. – Oral History donated by William G. Goodge
Evans, Hugh W. – donated his reunion correspondence
Bob Krumm, John Litchfield, Robert MacDonald, Seymour Cohen, Warren Elmer, Webster Barnett, Vic Eklund, Chappy Chapman, Ray Farley, Nate Morrell and Ken MacDonald – Oral Histories all donated by Abbie Kealy

Information for Donors

Individuals, businesses, and organizations are welcome to contact the Library to discuss donating materials having to do with the history of Colorado and the West. Such materials may include, but are not limited to, original personal and professional correspondence, organizational and business records, meeting minutes, memos, speeches, legislative files, subject files, scrapbooks, journals/diaries, and photographs.

We are particularly interested in locating archival materials that document the following areas of state and regional history:

Colorado legislators and political figures
Ethnic groups, such as the Hispanic and Japanese American communities
Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender communities
Sports history and industry
Cultural and non-profit organizations
Native Americans
Notable historical families or individuals
Societies, clubs, and organizations

If you are interested in donating materials to the Library, please contact Erin Edwards, Acquisitions Specialist, 720-865-1810, eedwards@denverlibrary.org or check here for donation guidelines.

Volunteering

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

New Books in Western History Collection

We select books for the Western History Collection in order to reflect the dynamic and diverse nature of the West, to provide information on a wide variety of Western history topics, and to support our department's other collections, including manuscripts, photographs, art, and maps.

The definition of the region, no small matter of controversy in the last several decades of scholarship, is understood in geographic terms as those contiguous states west of, or bisected by, the Mississippi River, and Alaska and Hawaii. Just as the geographic scope of the West has been controversial, the subject matter of Western history has developed beyond the traditional standards, and come to include all facets of the human experience within the region.

Western music is as diverse as the region's peoples are. The Western History Collection includes works on regional music, musical traditions, and musicians. Several new works on Western music and musicians have been added to the collection in recent months, reflecting styles sacred, secular, and psychedelic.

Cantemos al Alba: Origins of Songs, Sounds, and Liturgical Drama of Hispanic New Mexico (University of New Mexico, 2006) is Tomas Lozano's stunning examination of southwestern Hispanic musical traditions. At more than 700 pages, this Spanish and English language volume is an imposing publication. It includes more than one hundred songs, notations, and two compact discs of the sounds and songs of Hispanic New Mexico.
Kathryn Marie Kalinak's How the West was Sung: Music in the Westerns of John Ford (University of California Press, 2007) explores the place of song and sound in the films of the acknowledged master of the Western genre. A genius of imagery, John Ford is largely responsible for how we see the Western. As Kalinak demonstrates, Ford was also deeply involved in the selection, use, and meaning of music in his films, even with his earliest silent features.
Kathleen Hudson's Women in Texas Music: Stories and Songs (University of Texas Press, 2007) explores the lives and art of more than three dozen Texas women musicians, including Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks, Broadway musical actress Betty Buckley, country-blues musician Rattlesnake Annie, rhythm and blues artist Lavelle White, and tejano accordionist Eva Ybarra. Whether ballad, polka, or show tune artists, Texas women have shaped Western and American music.
Finally, Paul Drummond's Eye Mind: The Saga of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators, the Pioneers of Psychedelic Sound (Process Media, 2007), examines the always volatile, and often frankly harrowing, experiences of a profoundly influential band of the 1960s. Formed in Texas, the 13th Floor Elevators would relocate to San Francisco, and later return to Austin. There the health and fortunes of band members collapsed, even as their music continued to reverberate in the sound of American and European artists of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

Previous Newsletters

March 2007, April 2007, May/June 2007, July 2007, August 2007, September 2007, October 2007, December 2007, January 2008, February 2008, March 2008

View Slide Show

Carleton Watkins photo of a survey party “in the Yo Semite” as it was referred to at that time.

Cowboys gather around the chuck wagon for what was presumably a lunch of beans in an early 20th century. Photo from the W. L. Martin photo collection No. 204.

A cowboy with pistol and chaps astride his cow pony from the W. L. Martin photo collection No. 204.

Wild horses are corralled and lassoed in this early 20th century print from the W. L. Martin photo collection No. 204.

German Prisoner of War choir at Camp Carson in 1943, with W. Deutsch the choir director from the photo collection compiled by POW Karl Zimmer.

Theatrical company composed of German Prisoners of War at Camp Carson in 1943 from the photo collection compiled by P.O.W. Karl Zimmer.

General Index in card catalog files located on Level 5 of the Denver Public Library, Central Library.

General Index card of individual: Ingalls, A. covering several years and showing date, page and column number of stories.

Drawer index showing contents related to Denver Hotels.

One of many cards showing date, page and column number of stories related to the Brown Palace Hotel.

Librarian Hadley Beaten By Man Over An Imaginary Love Affair – one of thousands of quirky entries to be found in the General Index.