Photographs

This collection contains material pertaining to the activities of Alpha Delta Kappa organization. The information focuses primarily on two of the organizations chapters located in Yuma: the Fidelis Zeta chapter and the Alpha Kappa chapter. The memorabilia folder contains two initialed Alpha Delta Kappa napkin rings, a flower clothespin, and a Silver Sister award. The photographs are mostly snapshots taken at various group events, the majority of which are unidentified. Includes a signed photo of Alice Faye. See container list.

Silvestro Modesti (a.k.a. Antoine Lorette) first came to Yuma in 1870 and opened a general merchandise store in 1872. Lorette married the widow Jesus “Chu” Monreal de Aguilar. He sent to Corsica for his son, Althee Modesti (1858-1946) to come and work in his father’s store. Eventually Althee Modesti had his own store, and the Hotel Modesti at Agua Caliente Springs as well as other properties in Yuma. He married Elisa Bustamante and along with their eight children, alternated their time between Yuma and Los Angeles. With the exception of two files, the collection consists of photographs and photo albums. Nearly all the photographs are identified with family members’ names, dates and places. Families included are: Lorette, Bustamante, Bain, Leon, Ortiz, Burgess, Foncerada, Molina, Noriega, Salazar. See container list.

This collection was previously split between the AHS Yuma and Tucson branches. The materials have been reunited here.  The research files include many hard-to-find sources, aggregated news articles typed from microfilm, and bibliographies. The bulk of photographs are numbered and indexed. They were intended to be published in the History of Yuma Law Enforcement book.  See container list.

The bulk of the photos were taken in a 1980 high altitude survey for the Hercules Mining Company. It includes a photo index and property map titled “Hercules Lode and Placer Claims.” Arranged in original order and interleaved with acid-free bond paper. Historical and Geological Background added to provide context. See container list.

No series. Arranged according to the titles on five original notebooks “Civil Air Patrol Squadron 508 Historical Record 1941-2001+.” The contents reflect the order in which the documents were found. The materials are in excellent condition.  However, the news clippings had deteriorated significantly and were copied to improve access. Highlights of this collection include: official reports, debriefings, news clippings and correspondence related to search and rescue missions; documentation related to border intelligence flights for U.S. Customs; flight plans and logs; rosters of senior members and cadets; pilot training and certifications;  aircraft maintenance records; military correspondence, rules and regulations; newsletters and a few photographs.  See container list.

The collection consists of biographical files and two scrapbooks, 1940-1968, primarily documenting her career as the Yuma Territorial Prison Museum curator.  The scrapbooks contain numerous original photographs.  The collection also contains Anaconda Mining Company stock certificates under her name, and two articles written by her daughter, Eleanor Winsor Davis, about Clarissa Winsor’s parents at the Sahuarito Stage Station Ranch south of Tucson in the 1870s and 1880s. See container list.

The correspondence and photographs in this collection are significant for their volume and detail.  The correspondence between Zenobia Lacy (mother) and son Dale Ralston 1904-1918 is voluminous. Their letters document a hard life along the Colorado River whether it was prospecting, building canals, farming, road construction or land speculation. Some of the print material is fragile. There are over 200 photographs, most taken by Dale Ralston from  the 1920s to 1930s, of mining and survey sites, canals and levees, the construction of the Phoenix-Yuma Highway, and his friends, pets, cars, colleagues, and wife, Ludmelia.  Album fragments dating from 1897 to the 1920s also include early family photographs and images of Quartzsite, Arizona. See container list.

This collection consists of a small number of photographic prints, numerous negatives, and slides. The collection is arranged by prints, negatives, and slides. Then topically and chronologically within. All negatives and slides have been sleeved. The original envelopes, which contain identification information, have been retained and are found within the corresponding folders. See container list.

This collection consists mostly of mounted prints, many taken by Andrew Greer. They document early Yuma, Yuma Valley, and the building of the Laguna Dam. The collection contains about 70 prints which range in condition from good to excellent. The photographs are arranged topically and chronologically within.  See container list.

These photographs provide insights into Eleanor McCoy’s early life and those of her family and friends from the 1900s through the 1930s.  Highlights include her vacations as a young girl to Venice Beach and later to Catalina Island; road trips in her husband’s Overland; time spent with girlhood friends moving from bib overalls and boots to dainty, stylish dresses and back again; and her warm, close relationship to her brother Bill Dunne, sister Pat Dunne Murphey, and cousin Dorothy Dunne Williamson. See container list.

The collection consists of correspondence, legislative minutes, speeches, publications, and personal financial records from Giss’ work of over 23 years in Arizona politics. Highlights include correspondence with distinguished individuals including John F. Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, Morris Udall, and Arizona governors Samuel Goddard and Jack Williams and significant political issues including water resource management, Equal Rights Amendment, and state legislative reapportionment. 69 Boxes, 33.5 linear ft.   See container list.

This collection includes primarily photocopies of published and archival materials collected about the life and times of the Yuma area during the 1930’s.  It includes reminiscences of Yuma residents, who experienced the Great Depression, as well as those people passing through Yuma on their migration to California.  Of special interest are the file of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Yuma area, the 1935 Yuma CCC Camp newsletter, The Sandune, and transients and hobos file. Also significant are reference photocopies of Yuma/Colorado River area photos in the U.S. National Archives from the Farm Service Administration that contain the work of noted photographers Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee.  See container list.

This collection contains materials related to the trials of Louis Douglass, Willard Doughty, and Dan O’Connell for the murders of miners Jack Hayden and Hart. The materials largely consist of assorted documents acquired or produced in the process of the trials including warrants, subpoenas, witness interviews, interrogations, and letters. Photographs taken of the victims bodies, and the car used by the defendants are also included in this collection. This collection also contains a number of nitrate negatives of letters passed between the defendants while in custody. Due to the storage requirements of nitrate film, these negatives are stored separately in the conservation lab freezer at the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe, Arizona. See container list.

Helene Alberta Thomas was born July 5, 1901 in Raton, New Mexico, and was the eldest child of Jonathan Bertie Thomas and Katherine Helen Wendel. Helene’s father was the engineer on a passenger train on the Santa Fe railroad when it wrecked in Earl, Colorado in 1905, killing him instantly. Helene received a degree in chemistry in 1922 from the University of Kanas. Her first job was with the Kansas State Food Lab. She then obtained a Master of Arts degree in Bacteriology in 1924 and went to work for the Kansas State Public Health Lab. The collection consists of biographical files, newspaper clippings, and correspondence, business papers from Thomas Laboratories and photographs, all with a date range of circa 1900-1986. See container list.

Binders of meeting minutes, annual scrapbooks, and yearbooks containing a combination of club activities, newspaper clippings and photographs of members and club events. Much of the club’s activities are well documented with accompanying photographs. See container list.

In 1915, the first Kiwanis Club was founded by business and professional men in Detroit, Michigan. Organizers coined the word “Kiwanis” meaning “We Trade.”  By 1924 the club became Kiwanis International with 1200 clubs worldwide and 90,000 members.  In 1987, bylaws were changed so that women could be elected as members.  The Kiwanis Club of Yuma is part of the Southwest District which originated in El Paso, Texas in 1917. Phoenix was the first club chartered in Arizona. The Yuma club was organized in 1922. What began as a business network has evolved into an organization dedicated to community service around the ideal of “The Golden Rule in Business, Civic, and Social Life” with the motto “We Build.”   The focus of Kiwanis fundraising is to benefit young children and youth through gun shows, pancake dinners, and the Yuma County Fair. The collection is arranged in six series, alphabetically and chronologically within. While the records date from the 1918 through 2000, there are significant gaps throughout. See container list.

The brief summary of the Klan by B. Johnny Rube entitled “Yuma County’s Invisible Empire: The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” indentifies the organization coming to Arizona in 1921. The Yuma Klan held their meetings at Somerton, Arizona ten miles southwest of Yuma. It was claimed that over 2,000 persons attended some local Klan meetings with “at least 50 or more men” becoming members. Most individuals left the Yuma membership early in 1925. This collection consists of correspondence, publications, membership materials, and blank forms associated with the Yuma County Ku Klux Klan Chapter. Also contained in the collection is a catalogue of official robes and banners for purchase, along with a brief pamphlet of Klan organizational history in western Arizona. There are eight photos and ten negatives depicting materials in the collection. One oral recording of the Somerton Star talk by Dr. Minor about the Ku Klux Klan was transferred to the Oral History collection, AHS-Tucson. See container list.

Lizzie Frank was the Yuma city assessor and tax collector from 1919 to 1939. She was born in Yuma, Arizona on June 11, 1884 to Abraham and Tomasa Frank. She graduated from Second Avenue Grammar School and began working for E. F. Sanguinetti in The Toggery. In 1919 Lizzie was elected to city assessor and tax collector. She was a member of the Yuma Business and Professional Women, the Yuma Woman’s Club, and the Delta Club. She died on September 26, 1965. This collection contains material covering Lizzie Frank’s business as a debt collector during the late 1930s and early 1940s. There are also a few non-business related papers. The collection is organized into 2 series: Series I – Business, Series II – Personal. See container list.

This collection consists of materials concerning Marcell Moser and her immediate family. There are a variety of personal and business documents representing a long period of time including school records, awards and publications. In addition to the documents there are a large number of family photos spanning more than a century of Marcell’s family history. The majority of the photos are black and white images on photo paper. However there are also a few photos in older photographic mediums such as tintypes and an ambrotype. Other materials include a scrapbook from Marcell’s time at college and assorted memorabilia. The collection is arranged into 16 series. See container list.

Mary Elizabeth Post was an influential school teacher in early Yuma. She was born in Elizabeth Town, New York on June 17th 1841. Her early years were marked with a love of learning, which was supported by her father who purportedly hired tutors to come to their home when the local school was not in session. By the time she was 15, Mary had begun to teach classes as well as take them. In 1862 Mary’s family moved to Iowa where she followed, teaching in a number of different schools around the state.  This collection is arranged in seven series: Series I: Biographical, Series II: Correspondence, Series III: Hall of Fame, Series IV: Manuscripts, Series V: Memorabilia, Series VI: Photos, Series VII: Publications. See container list.

Omer Trent (O.T.) McCoon was born at Fort Scott, Kansas in The family moved to Oregon where his father George Henry McCoon sold Singer Sewing Machines. Omer and his brother Otis became involved in construction and real estate in Fresno, California. Otis went on to specialize in construction and urban development in the San Francisco area.  O.T. became head of the Fresno Realty Syndicate. He reportedly sold over 200,000 acres of grape and fig land before moving his family to Yuma, Arizona in 1916 where he envisioned huge opportunities for agricultural growth. Arranged in four series:  Series I: General, Series II: Publications, Series III: Photographs, Series IV:  News Clippings. See container list.

Steve and Anne Orto owned the Hobby Craft Shop at 46 W. 2nd Street, Yuma, Arizona from 1953 to 1977.  Both were popular, civic-minded citizens who contributed to the quality of life in Yuma.  Anne was an active member of the Christian Science Church, Pilot Club, Desert Manor, Freedoms Foundation, Yuma County Historical Society and co-founder of Senior Citizens Day on the Territorial Mall.  The Ortos were charter members of the Yuma Fine Arts Association and headed the Arts and Crafts display at the Yuma County Fair for twenty-eight years.  The collection is arranged in eight series: Series I: Arts and Crafts, Series II: Buildings, Series III: Contact Prints, Series IV: Family and Friends, Series V: Fine Arts, Series VI: Landscapes, Series VII: Portraits, Series VIII: Oversized. See container list.

R. Peter Woodard was an influential educator in Yuma, Arizona. He was born in Hereford, Arizona in 1915. He graduated from Bisbee High School in 1931, and received teaching degrees from Arizona State College in Flagstaff, the University of Arizona in Tucson, and Arizona State University in Tempe. He began his life in Yuma teaching at Sunnyside School before serving a three- year stint in the military during World War II. He returned to Yuma upon his release from service and took a teaching position at Fourth Avenue Junior High School. Soon afterwards Pete became Superintendent of Yuma School District 1, a post which he held for 26 years from 1948 to 1975. In 1980 he was named Yuma’s Man of the Year. He died in 2007 at the age of 92. This collection documents the District 1 Yuma Elementary Schools. The scrapbooks primarily contain news clippings but also include photographs, correspondence, and memorabilia. The dates of the material coincide with the dates that Peter Woodard served as superintendent of the school district. See container list.

There is little personal information in this collection and the correspondence is fragmentary. Business ledgers document transactions with livestock ranchers and customers in Arizona, Colorado, California, and Mexico. Oversized boxes include Yuma Postmaster citations for service and an educational certificate for Mary Piedad, Joseph’s sister as well as a postcard scrapbook compiled by another sister, Lilah. Note that Balsz family photographs can be found in the AHS-Rio Colorado Subject Photograph Collection. The bulk of this collection are drafts of Josephine’s short stories and novelettes, many of which are based on stories told by Joe Balsz growing up along the Rio Colorado River as a rancher and part of the extended and influential Balsz-Redondo family.  Manuscript dates are largely unknown. The writings provide insights into personalities, relationships, and life in early 20th Century Yuma. She wrote under several pen names including Joshua Sands, Jean Sands and Josephine Canét.  It is not known what, if any, of the manuscripts were published. The publications listed below were used as resources for various writings or collected for the Balsz’s private library.  Arranged in two series under each name and alphabetically and chronologically within. See container list.

The bulk of the collection came from the estate of Mary Kerckhoff, who researched the Customhouse on behalf of the Yuma Assistance League. Other donated items have been added from a variety of sources. This collection is organized into three series: Series I – General: This series contains various documents concerning the Quartermaster Depot and related subjects. These documents include biographical material about various people related to the Depot, copies of ledgers from the time that the Depot was active, and copies of the deeds dating to the period in which the city of Yuma acquired the property. Also included in this series are materials concerning Mary Kerckhoff and her research into the history of the Customhouse. Series II – Publications: This series contains historic structure reports, cultural resource investigation reports, manuals, and interpretive plans. Series III – Media: This series contains media related to the Quartermaster Depot, including newspaper clippings, photographs, an audio interview and a video recording. See container list.

This collection consists of materials donated from multiple sources, primarily soldiers that spent time in the training centers. There is also material copied from the National Archives. See container list.

The Yuma Army Air Field was an advanced training ground for army pilots during World War II. The air field was first created in the 1920s as a simple open field with a windsock for use by airplanes. In 1942 the Army was given the use of the land for a flight training school and the first cadets arrived in January, 1943. In the first year alone, the Yuma Field saw a dozen graduating classes. The Yuma Field offered advanced training in AT-6, T-17, and B-17 models.  It was noted as being one of the busiest air fields in the United States.  In 1946, after the war had ended, the Army declared the field to be surplus to their needs and returned the field to civilian control. The field would later become an U.S. Air Force base, a U.S. Marine station, and an international airport. This collection consists of donations from many individuals who were involved with the Yuma Army Air Field. Papers and other material retained by soldiers stationed at the base make up the bulk of the collection. The collection is organized in 10 series: Series I – Airfield, Series II – Memorabilia, Series III – Personal Papers, Series IV – Photographs, Series V – Publications, Series VI – Women Airforce Service Pilots, Series VII – YAAF Veteran Events, Series VIII – Yearbooks, Series IX – Videos, Series X – Scrapbook. See container list.

Four binders cover a short period of the club’s activities. They include newspaper clippings, photographs of club outings and picnics as well as membership lists and a few meeting minutes. See container list.

The Yuma Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1905 to represent the interests of local business owners. From the beginning, the Chamber has promoted Yuma as a place to visit and live.  In 1925 it created Fly Field, the first airport in the City of Yuma. In 1954 the chamber played a major role in convincing the Baltimore Orioles, a major league baseball team, to hold their spring training in Yuma. Other projects include developing a convention center, building a desalinization plant, organizing various conferences, and supporting a wide range of civic initiatives. The bulk of this collection is material generated by various Yuma Chamber of Commerce committees from the 1960s to mid-1980s.  It includes newsletters, correspondence, and news clippings. Folders are arranged alphabetically within each series and chronologically within each folder. The collection is organized into five series: Series I – General, Series II – Committees, Series III – Publications, Series IV – Photographs, Series V – Scrapbooks. See container list.

This collection contains scrapbooks and photo albums created by volunteers to document the history, activities and events of the Yuma County Historical Society from its inception in 1963 through 2012. The scrapbooks consist of flyers, programs, photos and news clippings. They range in condition from fair to excellent.  See container list.

This collection represents approximately 18,000 photographs ranging from poor to good condition. The collection represents an aggregation of images from multiple and diverse sources. Most of these derive from previously un-catalogued, unprocessed, or poorly described materials.   This collection is arranged by broad subject. Series I: Biography; this series contains both families and individuals that are identified. Note that unidentified individuals are found under “People” in the subject series. Series II: Subject; this series is arranged topically then chronologically into the following: Aerials, Agriculture, Animals, Businesses, Buildings, Churches and Cemeteries, Earthquakes, Fires, Floods, Houses and Ranches, Indians, Irrigation, Canals, and Dams; Law Enforcement and Crime, Military, Mining, Organizations, Parades, People, Places, Plants, Rodeo, Schools, Sports and Recreation, Transportation, and Yuma Scenes. See container list.

This collection represents approximately 18,000 photographs ranging from poor to good condition. The collection represents an aggregation of images from multiple and diverse sources. Most of these derive from previously un-catalogued, unprocessed, or poorly described materials.   This collection is arranged by broad subject. Series I: Biography; this series contains both families and individuals that are identified. Note that unidentified individuals are found under “People” in the subject series.  Series II: Subject; this series is arranged topically then chronologically into the following: Aerials, Agriculture, Animals, Businesses, Buildings, Churches and Cemeteries, Earthquakes, Fires, Floods, Houses and Ranches, Indians, Irrigation, Canals, and Dams; Law Enforcement and Crime, Military, Mining, Organizations, Parades, People, Places, Plants, Rodeo, Schools, Sports and Recreation, Transportation, and Yuma Scenes. See container list.

This collection consists primarily of material from the Reclamation Service’s experiment farm. Some documents from the University of Arizona’s experimental farm are also included. The bulk of the collection consists of large notecards with records and photographs of various farm activities – remarkable for the clarity of images and data recorded on the reverse side. The notecards also document other Reclamation projects including Laguna Dam, levee construction, images of the Colorado River, and flood control measures. There are also several progress reports of various farm projects and accomplishments.  Of interest is a copy of The Great Southwest from January 1907 which has an article about growing dates. Another two folders contain handwritten journals recording weather data covering the 1930s. There are no series. See container list.

During World War II the Bureau of Land Management began preparing land for farming in the Yuma Mesa area as a dust abatement measure and preparation for future settlement. In 1948 the first half of this prepared land was sectioned and raffled to military veterans for homesteading. Soon afterward the wives of the new homesteaders formed a social group called the Yuma Mesa Homesteaders. The group was intended to provide entertainment and a means of communication for the inhabitants of the Yuma Mesa.  This collection is consists of various documents and scrapbooks documenting the activities of Yuma Mesa Homemakers Club. In addition to administrative papers dealing with the running of club there are also stories gathered by the club about the early lives of the homesteaders on the Yuma Mesa. The collection also includes 5 boxes of scrapbooks created by members of the club to record yearly events and activities. The collection is organized in to 4 series: Series I – Club Documents, Series II – Photographs, Series III – Yearbooks, Series IV – Scrapbooks. See container list.

Yuma Proving Grounds is a military testing area for new technologies. It began in 1943 as the Special Bridge Test Section to assist in the development of floating bridges by testing them in the swiftly flowing Colorado River. The bridge tests were also used to train engineering troops in using the finalized bridges in the European theatre of WWII. In 1944, due to lack of man power, the testing was carried out by volunteer Italian Prisoner of War troops. Near the end of the war testing was also done on placing roads across rice paddies in preparation for invading Japan. This collection is an eclectic mix of materials donated by individuals associated with the Proving Grounds, and records copied from the National Archives. This collection is organized into nine series: Series I – Documents, Series II – General, Series III – Historical Preservation, Series IV – Newspaper Articles, Series V – Personnel, Series VI – Photographs, Series VII – Publications, Series VIII – Videos, Series IX – Oversize. See container list.

The Yuma Water Users Association is an organization dealing with water issues in the Yuma area. It was originally organized in 1903 shortly after the Reclamation Act was passed by the United States Congress. The Association was originally created as a non- profit to represent its members in negotiations with the Bureau of Reclamation. In 1904 Congress created the Yuma Project under the Bureau of Reclamation with the intention of making the Yuma area more agriculturally profitable. Towards this end, construction was begun on Laguna Dam in 1905. Water diversion to the Yuma area was handled by Laguna Dam until 1941, when the diversion point for Yuma was switched to Imperial Dam. Through a contract with the Bureau of Reclamation in 1951, the Yuma Water Users Association assumed control of the works and facilities of the Yuma Project including both irrigation and power generating facilities. In 1962, a supplemental contract was signed giving the Association control of the Siphon Drop Power Plant and its various facilities such as transmission lines and irrigation works in California. This collection is comprised of seven series: Series I: Correspondence, Series II: Documents, Series III: Finance, Series IV: News Clippings, Series V: Photographs, Series VI: Publications, Series VII: Wage Stabilization Board. See container list.