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

Western History/Genealogy Newsletter

January 2009

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

Archives Collection News
Exhibits
New Books in the Western History Collection
Genealogy News

Archives Collection

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

Jane Silverstein Ries Papers WH1785

In 1968, Jane Silverstein Ries was granted the third certificate ever issued by the Colorado Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects, making her Colorado’s first licensed female landscape architect. Her papers feature client files, business records, awards and ephemera, architectural landscape drawings and photographs from Ries’ professional and personal life, including drawings and photographs from her childhood and her years as a student at Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture for Women in Groton, Massachusetts. Letters reveal Ries’ personal affiliations with many of her clients and colleagues in the landscape architecture field. Records and photographs relating to Jane Silverstein Ries’ own home garden at 737 Franklin Street exemplify her meticulous record keeping. Photographs in the collection are largely snapshots, sometimes taped together to form panoramic views. The collection contains some professional photographs of her design work, which Ries submitted to various house and garden magazines including House and Home and Sunset. An exhibit of Jane Silverstein Ries' work will be in the Level Seven Vida Ellison Gallery at the Denver Central Public Library from February 6 through May 3, 2009.

Walter Galson Papers TMD60

The Walter Galson Papers is primarily photograph albums and scrapbooks. Nine photograph albums, which Galson created and arranged into three subject areas, comprise the bulk of the collection. Each album relies heavily on Galson's hand-written captions, limited maps, clippings and other notes to document the experiences of the 10th Mountain Division during World War II. Their first action was in the “Kiska Island Campaign” in the Aleutians from June-December 1943, which comprises three albums. A fourth, closely-related album is titled “A Picture Story of Kiska Island.” The second group comprises two albums, which document winter warfare training at Mt. Rainier and Ft. Lewis, Washington; Camp Hale, Colorado, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Austria. A third group of three albums is entitled “This was Italy: 10th Mtn. Div. in Combat, Jan-May 1945.”

Weldon A. Chase Papers TMD35

This collection contains several intriguing letters that Chase sent to his parents during the War. Chase began writing almost immediately upon his arrival at Fort Devens, Massachusetts in April 1943. He continued to write to his parents almost daily for more than two years. The collection includes many examples of military stationery, including numerous varieties of Camp Hale, U.S. Army, 85th Regiment, U.S.O. and American Red Cross letterheads. Eventually, Chase created his own gold-foil letterhead using his nickname, "Bug." Chase's letters occasionally include humorous sketches. One letter includes b/w photographic prints, which depict scenes from Camp Swift, Texas.

Veronica Casey Papers WH999

The papers of Veronica Casey feature several photos taken in Denver about 1920. Photo box 1 contains an image in file folder 36 showing the Denver Public Library building, funded by Andrew Carnegie, at Civic Center Park. A similar view today provides quite a contrast.

Hidden Treasures

William Henry McNichols Papers WH1015

Within the papers of former Mayor William McNichols is the 1977 tale of the Colorado and Southern Railroad complaints about crowds of fans crossing over its tracks on the way to Denver Bronco games at Mile High Stadium. Parking at Auraria was only fifty cents so the hundreds of fans created a potential headache for the railroad. The solution was an unused 1916 Denver and Southern Pacific Railroad bridge that was moved from South Platte Canyon to alleviate the liability concerns of the Colorado and Southern.

Photo Albums

Photos are among the most commonly viewed and requested part of the Western History Collection. A photo album from Best Chance Mining & Milling Company in Pend d' Oreille, Washington is one example. Photographs taken early in the 20th century show the bare-boned mining operation.
Another interesting photo album is from Henry S. Persse, a native of New York, who acquired land south of Denver that he named Roxborough Park after his family's estate in County Galway, Ireland. The album contains studio portraits of the Henry S. Persse family. In 1902, he formed the Roxborough Land Company to develop a hotel and golf links on the land. He only managed to build a two-story stone house and guest cottages that attracted Denver's high society. Persse was killed August 26, 1918 when he was struck by a tramway car in Denver. The State of Colorado later acquired a total of 3,319 acres and created Roxborough State Park.

Archives 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.

Featured Donations

David Taylor Dance Theater Records, 1980-2006

David Taylor, founder of the David Taylor Dance Theater (DTDT), began ballet training in 1970 and danced with Post Opera, Colorado Concert Ballet, and Denny’s Ballet Now. In 1976 he began choreographing and in the mid-1970s established his own ballet school with locations in Georgetown and Denver. He founded the DTDT in 1979 and served as Artistic Director from 1979-2006. Since 2006 he has served as Artistic Director Emeritus. The DTDT has won numerous awards and recognition.

The collection (8 boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 oversize file folder) was donated by David Taylor and contains administrative records, awards, clippings, correspondence, fundraising materials, photographs, programs, scenery and costume designs, and a scrapbook.

Charles Deaton Architectural Records, 1964-1993

Colorado architect Charles Deaton (1921-1996) designed several notable structures in Colorado and the region, including the Wyoming National Bank of Casper; the Englewood (Colorado) Savings and Loan Association; and the Jackson County Sports Complex (Arrowhead Stadium) in Kansas City, Missouri. His most famous design was for the Sculptured House (a.k.a. Sleeper House), which was used by Woody Allen in the 1973 motion picture Sleeper. The Sculptured House was not completed until 2003.

The collection was donated by Snow Deaton Schaefer and contains a large selection of Deaton’s designs for completed and uncompleted commercial, residential, and sports-related projects; architectural models personally constructed by Deaton; industrial, ceiling, two-seat airplane, sewing machine and furniture related designs; and sketches and original paintings. Approximately twenty-five 1992 architectural plans for the Deaton-approved completion and addition to the Sculptured House are also included.

Western History Donations

Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce records – donated 20 additional boxes of records
Grossman, Arnold papers – donated manuscript for Going Together, 2007
Rodriguez, Andrew J. papers – donated manuscript of Adios, Havana, 2005
Valdez, Bernie papers – two additional boxes of papers donated by Dora Valdez
H. Benjamin Duke Family – a partial box of records donated by Ben Duke
Webb-Waring Institute – donated their institutional archives comprised of 26 boxes
Kimball, Tom O. – a draft of his manuscript donated by his son Dustin B. Kimball
Reich, William – donated a disk of research for his recent publication, Colorado Industries of the Past
Noel, Tom – donated a partial box of papers
Sayre, William – Frank Bulkley and Robert Autobee donated a sampling of Sayre’s architectural plans
Hampden Heights Civic Association – Melanie Henry secretary for the Association donated two boxes of records
Changing Scene Theater – Glenn Giffin donated four oversize boxes of awards and scrapbooks
Wood, Jones, Lewis, Kindley family genealogy – one box donated by Joyce Griffen
Hawks, Leon and Vera – midget car scrapbook donated by Roger Dudley
Menu Collection – one box of Colorado menus donated by Matthew Pocernich
Cervi, Eugene – disks of his speeches donated by Cle Cervi Symons

Conservation Collection Donations

Nature Conservancy – donated three additional boxes
Swem, Ted – one box of his papers and audio visual material donated by his wife Helen Swem
The Wilderness Society – donated one box of records

10th Mountain Division Donations

Osgood, William – donated photographs for his collection
10th Mountain Newspaper Collection – Yank magazines donated by Wilma Huber
Drennan, Robert M. – donated his oral history on DVD
Harmon, Henry F. – military papers and photograph donated by Michael Jones
Anderson, Clayton – donated photographs (mules, Camp Hale) to his personal papers

Photograph Collection Donations

Oishi, Yuji photograph collection – donated additional photographs of Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and Children’s Hospital
Fort Logan – photographs donated by Bernard Joseph Young

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.

Exhibits

Maps As Art

December 8, 2008 - February 28, 2009
Central Library, Level 5 - Western Art Gallery
Maps As Art is the current exhibit in the Level Five Western Art Gallery of the Denver Central Public Library, continuing through February. Maps As Art presents more than 80 maps and affords an opportunity to explore how we portray our world. Included are a map that shows the elevations of a lake, a city captured on cocktail napkin, and the iconic imagery of highway and street maps. A virtual adjunct to the exhibit includes slideshows, audio commentary, and a behind-the-scenes discussion of how the exhibit was created by the team involved in selection, digitization, and online presentation. One of the more eye-catching pieces on display is a map of the Mississippi River. The 1866 Colony and Fairchild ribbon map is a scroll ten feet long and about three inches wide. It is highly detailed and includes mile markers, ports and river towns with the states denoted along the sides of the map's length. A scan of this unique map can be viewed online. Maps As Art was made possible by the generous financial assistance of Wesley A. Brown.

New Books in Western History Collection

A new year may bring reflection, resolution, and thoughts of the future. For this month’s column, we discuss three books explicitly interested in the future, with eyes on the past, the present, and what those might presage for the West in years to come.

Fernando Romero’s Hyper-Border: The Contemporary U.S.-Mexico Border and Its Future (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008) explores the physical and cultural space of the U.S.- Mexico border, both a line variously observed, defended, and ignored and a relationship between states, nations, and peoples entangled in myriad ways. Romero, a Mexican architect with an active international practice, looks at the border with an eye to the present and the prospective future of 2050. Drawing on several disciplines, he explores the border as it is made and remade on a daily basis, with chapters on comparative borders, border data, the post-9/11 border, interdependence, drugs and corruption, the informal economy, migration, education, development and trade, and transportation, as well as energy, environment, health, and urbanization. Reviewers have praised the book’s scope and insight, and one reviewer has described its lavish charts and illustrations as some of the best ever seen in print. Hyper-Border is an important work for the present and future. Romero’s website for his architectural practice, LAR (Laboratory of Architectural Research), also includes extensive discussion of design, philosophy, and the practice of “translation.”

Martin Nie, an associate professor of Natural Resource Policy in the College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, has previously written on the politics of perhaps the West’s most controversial symbol and species in Beyond Wolves: The Politics of Wolf Recovery and Management (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2003). In his most recent work, The Governance of Western Public Lands: Mapping Its Present and Future (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2008), Nie examines the seemingly intractable questions of public lands in the West, and why a complex set of factors, most notably the contentious and conflicted relationships amongst federal agencies, have almost always ensured irresolution. Moving from the basic premise of conflict in bureaucracy and public land law, to case studies of public land management, Nie concludes with a prescription of governing the West’s public lands for our common future.

Finally, Susan G. Clark’s Ensuring Greater Yellowstone’s Future: Choices for Leaders and Citizens (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2008) focuses on competing visions of the world’s first national park, a circumstance where differences, she observes, may be reduced to two questions: “How will we use Yellowstone?” and “Who gets to decide?” Clark is especially concerned with the work of the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (GYCC), an organization representing several federal agencies with stakes in the region. Examining a more than forty-year-long history of shared decision and interest in the future of the region, Clark explores what has been accomplished and remains undone, offering both critique and directive for the future. One reviewer has praised Clark’s sixth chapter, “Improving Leadership,” as valuable quite apart from conservation questions, and deserving of consideration for anthologies on management, leadership, and teamwork.

Genealogy News

Monthly Beginning Genealogy classes have resumed. These classes are free and held on the second Saturday of each month with no reservation required. They meet in the Central Library as a joint project of the Colorado Genealogical Society and the Western History/Genealogy Department of the Library. Class is followed by a tour of the genealogy collection. There will be a 30-minute lunch break. Each all day session begins promptly at 10 a.m. ends at approximately 3 p.m.

Denver Public Library Genealogical News and Events Calendar

Colorado Genealogical Society Classes and Events

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, April 2008, May 2008, June 2008, July 2008, August 2008, September 2008, October 2008, November/December 2008

View Slide Show

Jane Silverstein Ries, as a 13-year-old student, crafted this construction paper project, in 1922

This 1944 photo of Jane Silverstein Ries was taken during her stint in the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard. She went to New York during World War II, and when she returned to Denver she designed landscaping for war housing projects for the Federal Public Housing Authority

Part of the Best Chance Mining & Milling Company operation in Pend d' Oreille, Washington around 1900

The crew of the Best Chance Mining & Milling Company hoping to “strike it rich” in Pend d' Oreille, Washington about 1900

The exhibit “Maps As Art” features this 1866 ribbon map of the Mississippi River.

Two photographs from the Henry S. Persse C Photo Collection 217

A photo from the Henry S. Persse C Photo Collection 217

The ornate cover of Henry S. Persse's C Photo Collection 217

Two tintypes from the Henry S. Persse C Photo Collection 217