YCLD Ephemera Collection

TITLE:  YCLD Ephemera Collection

DATE RANGE: 1870’s - current

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: 89 Linear Feet (176 boxes)

PROVENANCE: In 2013 all ephemeral and vertical file materials from multiple donors and locations were evaluated and consolidated to form a unified ephemera collection that could grow into the future. Recognition should be given to the thousands of donors and thousands of volunteer hours who collected and organized these materials since 1965. 

RESTRICTIONS: None   

CREDIT LINE: Yuma County Library Ephemera Collection, Yuma County Library District, Yuma, Arizona

PROCESSSED BY: John Irwin, 2013-2014

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE:

This is the largest archival collection in the holdings. It represents a wide range of social, economic, cultural and ethnic communities reflecting the spectrum of human activity, past and present.

The Yuma County Historical Society began collecting archival materials in 1965.  This effort continued after it became a branch of the Arizona Historical Society in 1971, and later the AHS-Rio Colorado Division.  Over the decades various methods were employed by staff and volunteers to organize segments of the materials. The bulk of this collection is based on the organizational structure adopted in the 1980s.  Subheadings have been added to make this large body of material more accessible to researchers.   Between 1993 and 2012 volunteers also assembled and organized twelve linear feet of newspaper articles primarily from the Yuma Daily Sun.  These contemporary articles have been added within the appropriate headings. 

It is arranged alphabetically both by geographic place names and subject headings that range from broad to more specific. Its scope covers the breadth of human activities and knowledge of the Lower Colorado River area of Arizona, especially Yuma and La Paz Counties, from the Spanish period to the present.

It also includes extensive material on western Imperial County, California such as the old Fort Yuma and the later Fort Yuma Quechan Reservation, Winterhaven, the Imperial Sand Dunes, the Old Plank Road, and the Picacho Mining District.  There are also extensive files covering the early history of nearby Baja California, Mexico.

The materials include pamphlets, reports, small maps, flyers, brochures, broadsides, cards, prospectuses, newspaper and magazine articles, photocopies of book chapters, reports, studies, and small quantities of miscellaneous original material such as a single letter or business document.   Generally files with subheadings (e.g. Automobile Dealers, Banks, etc.) contain material prior to the 1990’s.

The researcher is advised to perform key word searches to locate material on a specific topic.  For example, material on the San Carlos Hotel is located under Business- Hotels – San Carlos Hotel” during its life as a hotel.  Subsequent development and reuse of the building after it closed is located under Buildings – San Carlos Hotel.

Major Headings

In the container list, major headings are in bold within the boxes. What follows are highlights of some but not all of these headings.

Buildings contains material on construction, demolition, developments, subdivisions, malls, prominent commercial structures, and special building types, such as straw and dome.     

Business–newspaper articles” contains information on the opening and closing of large and small businesses, winter visitors, economic planning, business forecasts, business conditions and statistics for the specific year. 

Environment contains information on Borderlands and, groundwater pollution, fuel spills, off-road vehicles, graffiti, endangered species, invasive species, Colorado River dumping and trash, and the United State Bureau of Land Management activities. .

Fire (newspapers) contain information on the Yuma Fire Department, Rural Metro, EMS rescue and emergency response, and fires of all types.

Government–City of Yuma contains information about the activities and decision of the City Council and city departments, including zoning, development and annexation issues.  Government–State of Arizona includes information on redistricting, visits by State officials, and legislation affecting Western Arizona.  Government–Yuma County contains information about the activities and decisions of the Board of Supervisors, government officials, and county departments, including planning, zoning, and development issues.

Organizations includes a variety of civic, charitable, social service, special interest, political, fraternal and women’s groups.

Rivers-Colorado River contains an unusually rich collection of research materials covering numerous issues pertaining to the river, including water rights and the decades-long controversy with California, including the 1923 Colorado River Compact meeting of Western states in Santa Fe, the 1934 Parker Dam War, and the Arizona Colorado River Commission.  These particular files contain rare pamphlets, broadsides, and newspaper articles from the 1920s to the 1960s.

San Luis, Arizona focuses on the Port of Entry connecting San Luis, Arizona and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora Mexico and the San Luis Border Inspection Station. 

Schools contains general information about Yuma area schools, including the Yuma Elementary School District 1, and the Yuma Unified High School District. 

Utilities contains information about electrical power and service, gas service, telephone service, water service, waste management, and commercial solar energy.

Yuma Crossing contains information about various use plans and developments of the area over the decades, including the riverside park, the Yuma Crossing Park and the Yuma Crossing Foundation, the Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area designation.

CONTAINER LIST