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

Western History/Genealogy News

March 2008

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

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

Archives Collection News

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.

Recent Grants

Architecture grant awarded: The State Historical Fund awarded a grant application to process the Arthur S. Axtens, Jules Jacques Benois Benedict, Theodore Davis Boal, Edwin A. Francis, Victor Hornbein, Roland L. Linder, Meredith B. Musick, Robert Sawers Roeschlaub and Edward D. White Jr. architecture collections. This will also include digitizing a small portion of the plans. Denver Public Library’s Western History Department received a grant of $67,429 for this project.

New Archives Finding Aids

Elizabeth "Baby Doe" Tabor Papers WH398

Perhaps the only person in the Western History Collection remembered with an opera is “Baby Doe” Tabor. “The Ballad of Baby Doe” premiered in 1956 at Colorado’s Central City Opera House; two years later Beverly Sills sang the title roll in New York City. Elizabeth (Baby Doe’s given name) fell in love with the powerful – and married – Horace Tabor at their first meeting. They wound up in a marriage that left many aghast, and were subsequently shunned in Denver’s society circles. The Elizabeth Bonduel (McCourt) Doe Tabor Papers include some items that came to us through historian and author, Caroline Bancroft. The collection contains notes of some of the “visions” she had in her later years as she followed her husband’s advice to “hang on to the 'Matchless' mine" in Leadville, where she froze to death in 1935.

Walter Eha Papers WH115

The Walter Eha Papers contain documents largely devoted to the growth of the Denver Water Department. Eha worked there for a number of years and later the Denver Water Department was a client of his advertising agency. He wrote histories of the many water projects that brought water to the metropolitan area from both sides of the Rocky Mountains. His papers also include other clients and some photographs of various water projects.

Swedish Medical Center Records WH958

The Swedish Medical Center Records trace its history from the creation, in 1905, through the growth of a free hospital for tuberculosis patients. Known initially as the Swedish National Sanatorium it sustained itself through contributions and fundraising. After several expansions and name changes it became known as the Swedish Medical Center in 1959 and has become the largest employer in Englewood, Colorado. The collection includes many photographs of the grounds and the staff. Genealogical information about the founder, Charles A. Bundsen, and his ancestors is also in the collection.

Hidden Treasures

Martin J. Wolf WH1961

Among the materials donated by Martin J. Wolf, former managing editor for Cervis Rocky Mountain Journal and retired Public Information Officer for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority are letters addressed to former Colorado Governor Steve McNichols. The letters are contained in two large folders Wolf labeled "Weirdo File 1" and "Weirdo File 2." Wolf apparently accumulated them while serving as an administrative assistant to the governor between 1958 and 1962. They make for interesting reading.

Recent Donations

The Western History and Genealogy Department owes much of its growth and success to the generosity of its donors. Over the years, families, individuals, businesses, and organizations have donated their papers, photographs, and heirlooms to the Library so that we can preserve and provide access to them. This 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 think of our donors as among our most dedicated benefactors.

John Madson Papers, 1972-1992

Naturalist John Madson (1923-1995) was an award-winning writer on topics such as prairies, wildlife, and conservation issues. He wrote for magazines including Audubon and National Geographic and authored five books: Stories from Under the Sky (1961), Out Home (1979), Where the Sky Began (1982), Up the River (1985), and Tallgrass Prairie (1993). The collection (8 boxes) includes Madson’s correspondence, scripts, articles, proofs, and research materials. His son, Chris Madson, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, donated the collection.

Hispanic League of Colorado Records, 1990-2000

Established in 1990, the Hispanic League of Colorado was a statewide coalition of Hispanic organizations working to improve conditions for Hispanics in business, education, and government, and to improve relations between Hispanics and the legislators who represented them. As of 2007, the League no longer exists. The Collection (1 box) includes: correspondence, fund raising materials, legal documents, handwritten notes, agendas, voting rights act material, and census information. Rosemary Rodriguez, who was president of the Hispanic League in the 1990s, donated the Collection.

Denver, Pikes Peak, and Estes Park Photographs, 1915

The photographs were taken during a 1915 vacation to Colorado. Sherry Freeman of Shawano, Wisconsin, donated them.

More Donations

Western History

Ross, James – one letter donated by Wes Brown
Empire Chief Snowfall – 10 photographs donated by Diane Landes
Noel, Tom – donated a partial box of his records
Hunt, Swanee – donated a box of her records
Abstracts of Title for BarBell Ranch – donated by Mooey Hammond
Durfee, J.N – one envelope of papers donated by Sandra Dallas
Old Spanish Trails Association – three folders of organizational records donated by Carol Corbett
Allard, Wayne – donated two boxes of records
Worden family – two boxes of genealogical records donated by Carol Schleich
Heishman, Ann Mary Miller – fifty photographs of Pikes Peak, Estes Park, Denver, Colorado, donated by great-granddaughter Sherry Freeman
Whitacre, Roger – donated two envelopes of slides

Conservation Collection

Bureau of Land Management – one box of records donated by Joyce Kelly
The Wilderness Society – two boxes of records donated by Ben Beech
Madson, John – seven boxes of his professional writing and records donated by his son Chris Madson

10th Mountain Division

10th Mountain Division Collection – a 2007 reunion article donated by Norman J. Ehrgott

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.

Western History Art Collection News

Masterpieces of Colorado: A Rich Legacy of Landscape Painting

February 22 - May 23, 2008
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Library, Vida Ellison Gallery - Level 7
An exhibition featuring the work of prominent Colorado artists from the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries, as well as that by celebrated contemporary painters. Curator Rose Glaser Fredrick has worked with Foothills Art Center to organize this major exhibition showcasing more than sixty works, starting with Thomas Moran and Helen Henderson Chain, among others, and then jumping forward to work by sixteen contemporary painters that include Chuck Forsman, Karen Kitchel and Daniel Sprick.

Western History Art Collection

Horses at Night, Frank Mechau, 1934, oil/board, 62 x 144 inches

In 1935 when City Librarian Malcolm Wyer instituted the Western History Department at the Denver Public Library, he stated his goal was to collect “all things Western,” in order to provide varied historical resources to those interested in the study of the trans-Mississippi Western United States. This was his rationale for actively collecting artwork that depicted the West and its peoples, and he had the foresight to purchase it before it became too costly for a public Library’s budget.

The department’s art holdings now include original works by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, Thomas Moran, and Albert Bierstadt, among other major American artists. Wyer purchased the aquatints of Karl Bodmer, the lithographs of George Catlin, James Otto Lewis, and the fine prints of the McKenney-Hall Portrait Gallery of American Indians. They are among the art material that is frequently viewed by researchers and art lovers alike. The department’s Collection of regional artwork, both historical and contemporary, is also one of its major strengths.

Over the years, because of Wyer’s initial purchases, generous donations from our public, and on-going purchases from Western History special funds, the collection has grown to include over 1,500 pieces of original artwork and many thousands of fine, original prints. The Western History Art Collection now attracts researchers and fine art enthusiasts, and is an asset that is truly appreciated by the citizens of Denver and Colorado.

New Books in Western History Collection

We select books for the Western History Collection in order to reflect the dynamic and diverse nature of the West, to provide information on a wide variety of Western history topics, and to support our department's other collections, including manuscripts, photographs, art, and maps. The definition of the region, no small matter of controversy in the last several decades of scholarship, is understood in geographic terms as those contiguous states west of, or bisected by, the Mississippi River, and Alaska and Hawaii. Just as the geographic scope of the West has been controversial, the subject matter of Western history has developed beyond the traditional standards, and come to include all facets of the human experience within the region.

Four new works are included in this month's highlights of recent acquisitions, each of them dealing with remarkable, and sometimes controversial, works of artistic expression.

Jim Dow's Marking the Land: Jim Dow in North Dakota (Center for American Places, 2007) presents beautiful documentary photographs of the churches, halls, bars, and community buildings of North Dakota. Rather than simply portraying a landscape of decline in a state that saw its greatest population in the 1930s, Dow's camera captures the creativity of North Dakotans in shaping their built environment as both expressions of community and individuality. Included are photographs of the venerable Art Deco watering hole, Whitey's, located across the Red River in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, established in 1925, devastated by flooding in 1997, and now restored to its former grandeur.
Architecture on a truly monumental scale, including the castle of one of America's most remarkable barons, William Randolph Hearst, is featured in Mark A. Wilson's Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty (Gibbs Smith, 2007). Over a long career, Julia Morgan would see more than 700 of her designs realized, a prolific record of accomplishment greater in number than that of Frank Lloyd Wright. This gorgeous volume, heavily illustrated throughout, is a testament to Morgan's mastery of her craft.
Perhaps the ultimate outsiders in the world of visual arts, graffiti artists have received considerable recognition in recent years, including serious studies capturing their ephemeral works. Over the last several months, we have added works on graffiti in Western cities, most notably Steve Grody's Graffiti L.A.: Street Styles and Art (Abrams, 2006), a stunning work that reflects the author's near two-decade effort to document and analyze the distinct history of Los Angeles graffiti. Capturing not merely the work of artists, but also the local conventions, forms, and personal, social, and political dynamics of L.A. graffiti, Grody's work has been hailed as likely to stand for some time as the subject's definitive study.
More recently, we have added a work on the Glendale, California native known as SABER, an artist who has become one of the most notable, or perhaps notorious, of Southern California street artists. SABER: Mad Society (Gingko Press, 2007) examines the artist's street works, including a monstrous Los Angeles River piece hundreds of feet long, as well as his works in more traditional media.

New Books in the Genealogy Collection

Abrahamse, Allan F. The Huntoon Family in Colonial America. G929.20973 H926ab 2003
Gieg, Ella. Auswanderungen aus dem Odenwaldkreis. vol. 2; G929.343 G361au German,
Hansford, Elizabeth Joyce. Israel Chapman II and Parthena Pettibone. G929.2 C366han 1970
Harding, Glen F. A Record of the Ancestry, Life and Descendants of Amos Warner. G929.2 W244har 1972
Hedman, Kathryn Pierpoint. Pierpoint-Pierpont Family of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia. G929.2 P615hed 1973
Jackson, Nelloise. Two Agnes Citys, 1857-1871 [Lyon Co., Kansas]. G978.162 J136tw 1985
Johnson, J. Laughton. Victorians Sixty Degrees North. G929.2 E242joh 2007
Musil, Pat Sykes, Bill Meyer, and Zoe von Ende Lappin. Growing Up in a Country Store: Memories and History of Delta and Ino, Wisconsin. G977.513 M973gr 2006
The Ogle Genealogist [surname serial] vols. 21-22, 25-26. G929.2 O35ogL
Ward, Duren James Henderson. Ward-Munger Varnum, Martin Genealogy. G929.2 W215wd

Previous Newsletters

March 2007, April 2007, May/June 2007, July 2007, August 2007, September 2007, October 2007, December 2007, January 2008, February 2008

Aerial photo of Swedish Hospital, circa 1958, taken before it was enlarged and renamed the Swedish Medical Center.

Photo, taken in 1903, of the construction of Cheesman dam from the Walter R. Eha papers.

Coronado Before Hawikuh, Harold Wolfinbarger, n.d., oil/canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Cliff Dwellers, Allen True, ca. 1916, oil/canvas, 22 x 21.5 inches

St. Cajatan’s Church, Mitch Caster, n.d., pastel, 12 x 15 inches

Mining Town, Colorado, Muriel Sibell Wolle, 1942, litho crayon/paper, 9 x 10 inches

Church at Chimayo, New Mexico, Muriel Sibell Wolle, 1935, watercolor/paper, 18 x 23 inches

Mountain Town, Michael Sanderson, n.d., oil/board, 13.4 x 17.5 inches