Western History and Genealogy

Manuscript Collection News

July 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.

Denver Chamber of Commerce Records WH1216

Primarily organized chronologically, the Denver Chamber of Commerce Records Collection consists of Chamber papers and records covering the years 1867 to 2003. Researchers will be surprised at the scope of long-term projects that resulted from the efforts of or initiation by the Chamber of Commerce. Of particular note are the records surrounding the subscription by the public to purchase land in order to establish a convalescent home for soldiers after the First World War. After years of leasing the land for a dollar a year to the Federal government, it eventually became Fitzsimons Army Hospital, and later Fitzsimons General Hospital. Arranged separately, the twelve boxes of photographs in the Collection have been divided into broad categories by subject, activity or location, along with a number of staff and local and national celebrities.

John Parker Compton Papers TMD42

The recently processed John Parker Compton Papers will be available online soon. Compton was an exceptionally bright, well-liked young man who loved skiing. During the Second World War, he volunteered for the ski troops and trained at Camp Hale, Colorado with the 10th Mountain Division. Compton was killed in action near Iola, Italy when he was only nineteen years old. His family restored a bombed church in Iola and funded a memorial bridge at Camp Hale in his honor. The Collection includes extensive correspondence between Compton and his family.

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Hidden Treasures

Henry Moore Teller Collection WH381

The Henry Moore Teller Collection offers a look into the year in the life of the Senator (1877-1878). The Collection contains dozens of constituent letters and quite interesting correspondence from Indian agents.

Shafroth Family Collection WH912

The Shafroth Family Collection includes 19th and early 20th century photographs. This remarkable Collection spans three generations of the Shafroth family, with the largest portion of documents pertaining to the first two generations. It consists primarily of the business and personal papers of John Franklin Shafroth and his son, Morrison Shafroth. Their papers document their legal careers, extensive involvement in politics and their families.

Coors International Bicycle Classic Records Collection WH1418

Bicycle enthusiasts will enjoy looking back at one of the premiere bicycle events held in Colorado. The Coors International Bicycle Classic Records Collection contains records of the legendary Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, begun by Celestial Seasonings founder Mo Siegel in 1975 and continues until Coors took over the sponsorship in 1980 through 1989. This collection contains many of the unique marketing items created for participants and spectators including shirts, water bottles, postcards, mugs, sports caps and rider jerseys.

William N. Byers and Family Papers WH55

Perhaps one of the most hidden items in the Western History Collection is what could be considered the community of Denver's birth certificate. In April of 1859, when a handful of miners had made their way to the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek there was a race to print the first newspaper in what was then part of Kansas Territory. William N. Byers won the race to produce that newspaper and when he pulled it off the press, Byers added his signature, the date and the time on that often reproduced first edition of the Rocky Mountain News. The autographed dated paper, located in the vault area of the Denver Public Library, is one of about a dozen copies of the first edition that survived. The Byers Collection contains his diaries, correspondence, letter books and a small portion of his financial and legal documents. The material primarily documents his personal life, although the diaries and letter books contain information on his business transactions, both personal and professional.

Albert N. Brockman Collection TMD84

This Collection, a recent donation, includes several hundred letters from Brockman to his parents, aunt and sisters as a soldier with the 10th Mountain Division during the Second World War. Brockman was an extremely articulate young man, and his correspondence provides an amazing picture of one man's war. The Collection also contains a large number of loose photographs and a well-annotated photograph album. Brockman rose in rank to become a company First Sergeant, in charge of 200 enlisted men.

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Recent Donations

Western History

• Archuleta, Lena – scrapbook pages donated by Lena Archuleta
• Bermingham, John – one box and folio donated by John Bermingham
• Campa, Arthur L. – scrapbook donated by Dr. Arthur Campa, Jr.
• Colorado Monday Forum – one box donated by Polly Cox
• Colorado Symphony Guild – partial box donated by Organization
• Etter, Don and Carolyn – one box and one oversize folder donated by Don and Carolyn Etter    
• Friday Book Club – one box donated by Mary Jane Nance
• German Club – three boxes donated by Hans and Uda Pott
• Gonzales, Rodolfo “Corky” – 12 additional boxes and four oversize folders donated by Geraldine Gonzales
• Holme, Barbara – one box donated by Barbara Holme
• Mountain Plains Library Association – partial box donated by the Organization
• Nevaar, Denver, (aka Sister Who) – one box donated by Denver Nevaar
• Puls, Margaret – one envelope donated by Margaret Puls 
• William S. Jackson Family – partial box donated by William S. Jackson, Jr.

Conservation Collection

• Student Conservation Association – six boxes donated by the Organization
• United States Forest Service – partial box donated by Diane Rhodes
• Vogt, William – four letters donated by Jeffrey A. Levy M.D.

10th Mountain Division

• Brockman, Albert N. – correspondence, photographs, photo album, books and notes donated by Marsha Marsellus
• Condito, Rocco – 24 photographs and two booklets donated by Kathryn Paoletti
• Evans, Hugh – five boxes of papers and photo albums donated by Hugh Evans
• 10th Mountain Division Clippings – newspaper clippings donated by Andrew Coletto

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Archivists Notes

Environmental History Fellowship Program

The Denver Public Library Western History/Genealogy Department is pleased to announce the granting of two Fellowships in Environmental History for 2007-2008 through the generosity of Joy Hilliard.

Megan Jones will be conducting research using the Student Conservation Association and the National Parks Conservation Association records. Her dissertation is entitled A Worthwhile Summer: The Student Conservation Association, National Parks, and the American Environmental Movement, 1953-1970.

Sara Dant Ewert received her Ph.D. in History from Washington State University with a major in United States and Environmental History. With Hal Rothman, she authored The Encyclopedia of American National Parks, and has recently signed a contract with Harlan-Davidson publishers to write an environmental history of the American West. Her current area of research interest is the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965.

The 2006 award recipient was Barry Muchnick, Ph.D. candidate, who is pursuing a joint degree at Yale University through the Department of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Department of History. Other past fellowship recipients includes John Miles, Michael Yochim, William Philpott, Hal Rothman, and Sarah Thomas.

Visit the Environmental History Fellowship Program page for more information.

Donations and Volunteering

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, April 2007, May/June 2007

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Contributors certificate for purchase of land by Denver Chamber of Commerce, known then as the Denver Civic and Commercial Association, in 1918 to create the U.S. Recuperation Camp at the site of what would become Fitzsimons Army Hospital.

Letter to Senator Henry M. Teller from Governor John L. Routt thanking him for his help in getting State Lands set aside.

Letter from the Central City Postmaster to Senator Henry M. Teller announcing the change of train companies providing mail service to the mining town, and asking for another employee.

Letter enclosed with receipt from Greeley National Bank for services performed by Shafroth.

Letter to Representative William Shafroth from Knights of Labor supporting an 1894 bill and urging Shafroth to support it as the representative of Colorado's 1st Congressional District.

One of the many letters which Representative Shafroth received asking for assistance in getting a larger pension payment for Civil War veterans.

The diary of W.N. Byers notes rains the previous day and a flood on May 20, 1864, which "swept away" the Rocky Mountain News Building. He had constructed the building despite the warnings from Indians that the Platter River would flood.