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Acclaimed Western Photographers ~ Horace S. Poley

Originally from Pennsylvania, Horace Swartley Poley lived in Colorado Springs for sixty two years, and ran his photo studio there from 1892 to 1935.

The Library has digitized and cataloged more than 2,500 items from the Poley collection. In addition to the digitized material, the Library owns hundreds of hand-colored lantern slides used by Horace Poley during public lectures.

Acclaimed Western Photographers

Native Americans

Colorado Springs

View of a Native American (Ute) scouting party mounted on horseback as they cross the Los Pinos river, La Plata County, Colorado; three men have rifles, one a pistol; men wear moccasins, fringed leggings, blankets, shirts, and braided hair; some have feathers in their hair; all horses have bridles and saddles.

View, facing southeast, of ancient Native American (Anasazi) cliff dwellings before excavation on Chapin Mesa, Mesa Verde National Park, Montezuma County, Colorado. The stone masonry and mud mortar Cliff Palace pueblo homes stand underneath a cliffside overhang. The cylindrical and square ruins have square and T-shaped door openings. Crumbled masonry litters the ground.

Native American (Cochiti) woman and a white boy stand in front of a pueblo wall and wire fence, Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico. The woman carries a handcrafted pot on her head. She wears a print dress with a cloth belt and ruffled hem, and a shawl over her head. The boy wears a shirt and overalls.

A Native American (tribe unknown) man stands on a wooden ladder which leads out of a kiva at Ceremonial Cave, near Frijoles Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico. The round, covered kiva stands in a cliffside cave.

View of spectators awaiting the beginning of the Snake Dance at Walpi Pueblo, First Mesa, Arizona (Hopi Native American). Groups of men, women and children sit and stand on pueblo buildings with chimney pots as well as on adobe steps and near the dance area. Photographers and their cameras stand among the crowd.

Native American (Hopi) antelope altar shows sandpainting; clay pedestals and crooks (ceremonial bows) around painting, water gourds, corn stalks, baskets, medicine bowl, rattles; Walpi pueblo, Arizona.

Native American (Pueblo) woman and three children stand by a beehive oven (horno), north plaza, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico. The woman wears a shawl covering her head and shoulders, there is a basket of bread by her feet. An adobe pueblo cluster is in the background.

A man stands on a wooden ladder at the Long House Ruin, Native American (Anasazi) talus dwelling, Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico. Other ladders lean against the tuff dwellings which have holes for vigas.

Native American (Hopi) Walpi Pueblo, Arizona with multi-story adobe and masonry structures on mesa with windows, doors, and ladders. Shows wood pile, metal bucket, ladder against a stone wall in foreground, valley in background.

Native American (Hopi) men and children stand in a courtyard at Oraibi Pueblo, Third Mesa, Arizona. One man in the group holds a basket. The adobe and stone cluster homes have adobe stairs, wooden vigas, and wood pole cross beams supported by the walls. A tripod stands in the courtyard.

Reproduction of a painting; Native American (Hopi) woman prepares corn on a metate. Behind her is an adobe building, ristras, and pottery.

View of large petrified log segments at Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona. The log-like rocks stand on their sides and ends on a rocky desert landscape. Possibly Blue Mesa stands in the distance.

Photomechanical reproduction of a photograph by George Kennan shows multi-story buildings in Gimry, in the Untsukulsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, in Russia.

Deck and rocking chairs are arranged on the balcony of the Casino at the Broadmoor Hotel and Casino, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. A fanlight tops double doors; columns with ornate capitals support the beamed ceiling.

A woman holds a child's hand at the side of a log cabin, Goldfield, Teller County, Colorado. The front gable house is constructed of logs and hewn lumber and has one glass pane window, a mud and sod roof with a stove pipe. Several wooden boxes and crates are piled in front of the cabin and a full sack is hung on the side. A man in a horse-drawn wagon shows in distant far left.

A group of Native American (Navajo) men, a woman, child, and baby in a cradleboard pose outdoors near an unhitched wagon at Shiprock, New Mexico. The men are wrapped in woven blankets and wear headbands. The woman wears a dress and shawl. The girl wears a dress with a wide belt. The woman holds a baby in a cradleboard.

View of Cliff Palace, a group of Native American (Anasazi) cliff dwellings, before excavation, Chapin Mesa, Mesa Verde National Park, Montezuma County, Colorado. Window holes are visible throughout the masonry homes' walls. One wall has a large hole and shows signs of cracking. Masonry and rocks litter the grounds.

View of a Native American (Navajo) summer hogan. The brush shelter stands near two crossed wooden poles that support a horizontal pole.

Interior view of the Drawing Room at the Palace of Governors, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Chairs, tables, a footstool, and a lamp sit in the center of the room. A boy sits in one of the chairs that line the wall. A couch sits next to the fireplace. Paintings are hung on the walls. Greenery hangs from the chandelier. Statuettes stand on the mantle.

Studio portrait (sitting) of a Native American (Navajo) man. The man wears a woven blanket and holds a stone and wood hand drill. He sits on a wooden crate that reads: "[?] Factory Hartford [G]eneral Sales of [?] 253 Broadway [Ne]w York, U. S. A.".

Studio portrait of a Native American (Navajo) man. The man wears a shirt and a squash blossom necklace.

Close-up view of the Puye Cliffs, Native American (Tewa) tuff dwellings, at Puye Cliff Dwellings, Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. The cliffs have arched doorways that stand underneath holes for vigas.

View of the Climax Mine works near Midway, Teller County, Colorado. Three men sit and stand near a wooden building with a metal roof through which a hoist protrudes. A horse stands near the building. A pile of mine tailings stands near the works. Patches of light snow cover the ground. Snow covered Pike's Peak stands in the far distance.

View of the Native American (Anasazi) Tyuonyi ruins in Pajarito Park (later Bandelier National Monument), New Mexico. A circular group of foundations of Pueblo style buildings circumscribe possibly three round kiva holes. A wooden rail fence separates the excavated ruins from trees and bushes growing on the adjacent mountains. A dirt road leads to the ruins.

Business partners Charles L. Tutt and Spencer Penrose, Mrs. Tutt, and Nina Crosby pose in a flower decorated buggy for the Sunflower Carnival Parade, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. The men wear white suits and straw hats; the women wear flowered hats and carry a ruffled parasol.

Native American men (Hopi), snake dancers, stand in a circle at Walpi Pueblo, First Mesa, Arizona; five men handle snakes, one holds a snake in his mouth; one man strokes a rattle snake (on the ground) with a feather, while groups of unidentified Native American and white men and women look on; snake members wear kilts and bead necklaces; some wear body paint.

Sunflower Carnival Parade, Colorado Springs, Colorado: a man poses with a bicycle that is covered with a large seahorse-shape frame and decorated in flowers and netting. A flag hangs from the top that reads: "The Sterling Bicycle, Built Lik[e] a Watch."; sign on side of bicycle reads: "Sterling." The man wears a costume with flowers and a large hat.

Moki Indians Walpi family

Interior view of a kiva, possibly the snake kiva, at Walpi Pueblo, First Mesa, Arizona; two unidentified Native American (Hopi) men sit in the kiva; one man sits on a wooden crate at a wooden loom and weaves a dark blanket or rug while another looks on; both men wear pants and print shirts, one wears a woven hat, one wears a headband and no shoes.

A group of Native American (Navajo) men and boys, in hats, shirts, overalls or pants, pose on a sidewalk in Farmington, New Mexico, by the Farmington to Shiprock auto truck. The convertible truck has packages and bundles tied to the back and one man seated on a square basket; another man stands by the running board. Shows store fronts with signs that read: "Mercantile Co." and "The Rexall Store" and a large "Rexall" thermometer on wall.

Outdoor portrait (standing) of a Native American (Hopi) woman near a Pueblo doorway at Walpi Pueblo, First Mesa, Arizona; she wears a dark manta, print and fringed shawl, woven blanket shawl, bead necklace with open hoop pendant, and hair in side whirls.

Interior view of a kiva, possibly the snake kiva, at Walpi Pueblo, First Mesa, Arizona; two unidentified Native American (Hopi) men sit near a loom; a wooden ladder leans against a large opening in the ceiling; a clay bowl is next to the ladder; one man sits on a wooden crate at a wooden loom suspended from the ceiling by fur pelts, and weaves a dark blanket or rug; one man sits against the wall; both men wear pants and print shirts; one wears no shoes.

A Native American man (Taos), poses outdoors at Taos Pueblo, New Mexico. The man wears moccasins, fringed leggings, and is wrapped in a woven blanket. Adobe cluster homes and drying racks stand in the distance. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains stand in the far distance.

View, facing northwest at the corner of Main and South Temple Streets, of Temple Square, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormon Tabernacle, the Seagull Monument, and Assembly Hall (Endowment House) are in view. A gold statue of Moroni on the main spire of the temple is visible. A trolley car, tracks, and electrical wires are on and above South Temple Street.

Man sits in a window opening of a Native American (Tewa) talus dwelling at the Puye Cliff Dwellings, Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. The talus dwellings have holes for vigas and petroglyphs on the exterior wall.

Interior view of the First National Bank, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, features coffered wood ceilings and an ornate, three-windowed tellers box and brass footrails under writing shelves. A. H. Hunt, the cashier is behind beaded grating and another man stands in the background. Signs read: "Cashier," "Teller," "Next Window," and "Revenue Stamps for sale at This window."

Close-up view of Native American (Anasazi) talus dwellings at Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico. Two ladders rest against irregularly shaped door openings. The tuff dwellings have holes for vigas.