Thomas Caldwell Adams photograph collection, 1920-1963

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Adams, Thomas C. (Thomas Caldwell), 1901-1965
Title
Thomas Caldwell Adams photograph collection
Dates
1920-1963 (inclusive)
Quantity
7 linear feet, (17 boxes)
Collection Number
P0043
Summary
The Thomas Caldwell Adams photograph collection contains photographs, including aerial photographs, of areas in Utah and other Western states. Included are photographs of dams and irrigation works, activities at the Great Salt Lake, and various public works projects.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Thomas Caldwell Adams was born in Salt Lake City on May 12, 1901. He was the only son of Thomas and Emily Caldwell Adams. His father, an attorney, died of typhoid fever on October 11, 1905 at the age of 45. Thomas attended school in Salt Lake City, including the LDS High School from 1915-1918. In the latter year he began studies in Civil Engineering at the University of Utah. His summers were spent working for various engineering firms engaged in drainage surveys around the state of Utah. He graduated from the University in 1922 and went to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for his graduate studies. He received his Ph. D. from there in 1926 and spent one year working on a special investigation for the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

From 1927 to 1941 he was a professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Utah. In 1934, he was made president of the Utah Society of Engineers, an indication of the high standing in which he was held by his colleagues. He spent 1934 and 1935 as the director of the Great Salt Lake Diking Investigations, which were done under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. In 1935 he was made a member of the Great Salt Lake Authority. Other professional organizations in which he held office during this time were the American Geophysical Union, the Utah Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Letters and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

His growing expertise in the field of hydrology was reflected by his position as Hydraulic Engineer for the National Resources Planning Board from March to September 1941. In October of 1941, Adams joined the Office of Production Management of the federal government, and was employed there until February of 1942, when he moved to another federal agency, the War Production Board. He stayed with the latter organization until the end of the war in 1945. In that year, he decided to leave both government and teaching and went into business for himself as a private consulting engineer until his death in 1965. During this time, in 1955, he was named president of the Utah Building and Construction Congress.

Besides his busy professional life, Dr. Adams had other interests, many of which centered around the Great Salt Lake. He was a founding member of the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club, and served as its Commodore for several years. He published papers about the lake, and was considered one of the state's foremost authorities on it. His interests also included the history of Saltair Resort, and he was an administrative officer of the Saltair Restoration Division of the Yacht Club. Adams strongly advocated the restoration of the resort. Other activities included serving as Executive Secretary of the Great Salt Lake Lands Association, acting as a leader in the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and membership in Kiwanis and the Timpanogas Club. He never married.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The photograph collection of Thomas Caldwell Adams reflects his long career as a professor of civil engineering at the University of Utah and later as a civil engineer in private practice. The collection contains photographs of many vicinities in the western United States, and the topics include dams, irrigation projects, earthquakes, floods, engineering projects of all kinds and miscellaneous files of photos of his family and friends, early airplanes, mines, the University of Utah, power projects, and national parks. The collection also reflects Adams' consuming interest in the Great Salt Lake. He is shown here viewing Kit Carson's cross on Fremont Island in the Great Salt Lake.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Collection is arranged alphabetically by topic.

Processing Note

Processed by Multimedia Archives staff.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Separated Materials

See also the Thomas Caldwell Adams home movie collection (A0491) in the Multimedia Division and the Thomas Caldwell Adams papers (MS 0043) in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Aerial PhotographsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box Folder
1 1
Idaho, West Yellowstone-Henry's Lake
1 2
Idaho, Big Spring, Idaho Area
1 3
Idaho, Marysville to Targhee Pass
1 4
Idaho, List River Valley, Mackay-Chilly
1 5
Idaho, Lost River Valley
1 6
Idaho, Arco to Darlington Vicinity
1 7
Nevada, Humboldt-Ruby Mtns
1 8
Nevada, Humboldt-Ruby Mtns
1 9
Nevada, Humboldt-Ruby Mtns
1 10
Nevada, Humboldt-Ruby Mtns
1 11
Nevada, Humboldt-Ruby Mtns
1 12
Utah, Blacksmith Fork
1 13
Utah, Blacksmith Fork
1 14
Utah, Broadroad Meadows
1 15
Utah, Huntsville and Pine Valley Reservoirs
1 16
Utah, Hyrum
1 17
Utah, Hyrum and vicinity
2 1
Utah, Little Cottonwood Canyon
2 2
Utah, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta
2 3
Utah, Manti and area east of
2 4
Utah, Manti and vicinity
2 5
Utah, Manti and vicinity
2 6
Utah, Manti and vicinity
2 7
Utah, Morgan and vicinity
2 8
Utah, Morgan and vicinity
2 9
Utah, Murray and vicinity
2 10
Utah, Paragorah and area east of
2 11-12
Utah, Paragorah and vicinity
2 13-14
Utah, Parawan and vicinity
3 1-7
Utah, North West SLC area

MiscellanyReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box Folder
4 1
Aviation
4 2
Dams in Arizona
4 3
Dams in Idaho
4 4-6
Dams in Nevada
4 7
Utah Dams
4 8
Miscellaneous Dams
4 9-11
Drainage and Irrigation in Arizona
4 13
Drainage and Irrigation in California
4 14
Drainage and Irrigation in Colorado
4 15
Drainage and Irrigation in Idaho
4 16
Drainage and Irrigation in Nebraska
4 17
Drainage and Irrigation in Nevada
4 18
Drainage and Irrigation in unidentified
4 19
Drainage and Irrigation in Utah (2 fds)
4 20
Drainage and Irrigation in California (2 fds)
4 21-26
Drainage and Irrigation in Utah
5 1-3
Drainage and Irrigation, Utah
5 4
Drainage and Irrigation, Wyoming
5 5
Drainage and Irrigation, Montana, Oregon and Texas
5 6
Drainage and Irrigation, Unidentified
5 7
Drainage and Irrigation, Unidentified
5 8
Earthquakes, California
5 9
Earthquakes, Utah
5 10
Family and Personal, T.C. Adams
5 11-12
Family and Personal
5 13
Floods and Flood control, Farmington, Utah
5 14
Great Salt Lake, Aerial view
5 15-18
Great Salt Lake, Boats and Harbors
5 19
Great Salt Lake, Boats, Hydropher
5 20
Great Salt Lake, Search for Standard Oil Airplane
5 21
Great Salt Lake, Historical Diking Project
5 22
Great Salt Lake, Lake Surveys
5 23
Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island
5 24
Great Salt Lake, Bird Island / Black rock
5 25
Great Salt Lake, Salt Flats, Dolphin and Egg Islands
6 1
Great Salt Lake, Fremont Island and Garfield Beach
6 2
Great Salt Lake, Gunnison Island and Lucin Cutoff
6 3
Great Salt Lake, Promontory Point
6 4
Great Salt Lake, Saltair
6 5
Great Salt Lake
6 6
Localities; Arizona, California
6 7
Localities; Colorado
6 8
Localities; Idaho, Montana
6 9
Localities; New Mexico, South Dakota
6 10
Localities; Utah, Bingham, Delta
6 11-15
Localities; Utah
6 16
Localities; Wyoming
6 17
Localities; Unidentified
6 18-20
Mining; U.S. Bureau of Mines
6 21
Mining; South Dakota
6 22-23
Mining; Utah
6 24
Power; Idaho
6 25
Power, Utah
6 26
University of Utah; Campus Views, Hyrdaulics Laboratory
6 27
University of Utah; Lab Work and Equipment
6 28
University of Utah; Faculty, Staff and Students (Civic Engineering)
6 29
University of Utah; Groups
6 30
Miscellaneous; Utah Bridges
6 31
Miscellaneous; Utah Clay Industry
6 32
Miscellaneous; Highways to Hydraulics
6 33
Miscellaneous; Industrial Plants and Maxum Hotel
6 34
Miscellaneous; Surveying
6 35
Miscellaneous; Unidentified
6 36
Miscellaneous; Summer School-Engineering Teachers & Steamer Promontory
6 37
Localities; Utah
7 1
Family and Personal
7 2
Arizona and California Earthquake
7 3
Aviation
7 4
Colorado; Black Canyon, Cripple Creek, Leadville
7 5
Colorado; Royal Gorge-localities
7 6
Dams; Echo Dam, East Canyon Mountain
7 7-8
Dams; Nevada and Hoover
7 9
Drainage and Irrigation; Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho
7 10
Salt Lake; Hydrographer I/II Boat House construction
7 11
Salt Lake; Antelope Island, Asphalt Wells misc
7 12
Salt Lake; Bird Island, Black Rock, Salt Flats
7 13
Salt Lake; Stansbury Island, Lucin Cutoff, Promentory
7 14
Salt Lake; Boating
7 15
Salt Lake; Surveying
7 16
Idaho and Montana
8 1
Nevada; Austin Metro, Eureka, Metropolis
8 2
Mining; Colorado, Nevada, Utah Bingham and Midvale
8 3
Power; Utah
8 4
Power; Utah and Idaho
8 5
Salt Lake City; Downtown 1935, 1950s
8 6
University of Utah
8 7
Utah; Zion National Park-Stewart Ranch
8 8
Wyoming-Yellowstone
8 9
Utah; Filmore, Mirror Lake
8 10
Utah; Ogden, St.George, Millard County
8 11
Great Salt Lake
8 12
Utah; Bear Lake, Bingham-Flood Control
8 13
Utah; Brighton and Delta
8 14
Miscellaneous; Highways, Bridges, Railroads
8 15
Unidentified
9
Written Material
This box contains written records on photographs, 35mm, 8mm motion pictures, motion pictures, and lantern slides. All records are originals, no copies have yet been made.

Glass Lantern SlidesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box
10
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G1:Landing Field, Wyoming
  • G2-G3:AshCreek Bridge, Utah
  • G4:Bear River, Highway Bridge
  • G5: Highway Bridge in Provo Canyon, Utah
  • G6: Royal Groge Suspension Bridge
  • G7: Snake River Bridge
  • G8-G10 Steel Highway Bridge
  • G11: Small suspension bridge and steel railroad bridge
  • G12: steel railroad overpass
  • G13: concrete railroad overpass
  • G14: concrete highway bridge
  • G15: filled spandrel highway arch bridge
  • G16: concrete highway bridge
  • G17: Hoover Dam, Nevada. Excavation for Hoover Dam from lower coffer dam
  • G18: Hoover Dam, Nevada. Excavation for Hoover Dam from canyon rim
  • G19: Hoover Dam, Nevada. view from upstream Hoover Dam site
  • G20: Laguna Dam and gates
  • G21: Piute diversion
  • G22-G23: Roosevelt Dam, Arizona
  • G24: Shoshone Dam
  • G25:Engineering board of review, Metropolitan Water District
  • G26:board of the Metropolitan Water District, Salt Lake City
  • G27: Water, Savage, Mead, Young, and ?
  • G28: Coolidge Dam, upstream
  • G29: Coolidge Dam, downstream
  • G30: concrete flume. Arizona, cross cut canal
11
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G31: Potassium Fertilized Alfalfa Field (Right) Yuma, Arizona
  • G32: Colorado River at Yuma , Arizona
  • G33: Colorado River at Yuma , Arizona
  • G34: Ancient Indian Irrigation Canal
  • G35: New River Recession, Imperial Valley
  • G36: Dragline, Imperial Valley
  • G37: Flow From B, Benjamin, Utah
  • G38: Benjamin Drainage D
  • G39: Land Reclaimed by D
  • G40: East Canyon Reservoir
  • G41: Rating Flume, Parley's Canyon
  • G42: Piute Canal
  • G43: Sevier River
  • G44: Sevier Canal
  • G45: Tile Line Layouts, Utah
  • G46: Alkalied Land Terminal
  • G47: Terminal Substation Tract Trees and Lawn
  • G48: Making Snow Survey
  • G49: Drops in Steep Canal
  • G50: Burnham Submerged Orifice
  • G51: Bogged Medow
  • G52: Alkalied Land, Grand Junction Indian School
  • G53: Seeped Bog
  • G54: Using a Plane Table
  • G55: Ladder Type Trencher
  • G56: Wheel of Trencher
  • G57: Trencher
  • G58: Backfillers
  • G59: Open Drain, Gravel to Silt
  • G60: Drainage canal built with walking dredge
12
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G61: Blasting open drains
  • G62: Irrigation Wheel
  • G63: Alfalfa Seed Harvest Delta
  • G64: Concrete Lined Canal
  • G65: Steel Flume Bridge
  • G66: Economy Dragline
  • G67: Laguna Sluice Gates
  • G68: Great Salt Lake
  • G69: Great Salt Lake
  • G70: Leon's Map of Great Salt Lake
  • G71: Great Salt Lake
  • G72: Great Salt Lake
  • G73: Great Salt Lake
  • G74: Great Salt Lake
  • G75: Great Salt Lake
  • G76: Great Salt Lake
  • G77: Great Salt Lake
  • G78: Great Salt Lake
  • G79: Great Salt Lake
  • G80: Great Salt Lake
  • G81: Great Salt Lake
  • G82: Great Salt Lake
  • G83: Great Salt Lake
  • G84: Concrete Arch, Roosevelt Highway
  • G85: Donner Lake, California
  • G86: Civic Center Denver, Colorado
  • G87: Black Canyon, Colorado Salida Line Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
  • G88: Eagle canyon, Colorado Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
  • G89: Spruce Tree House
  • G90: Shoshone Falls, Idaho
13
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G91: Butte, Montana
  • G92: Virginia City, Nevada
  • G93: Standing Rock, New Mexico
  • G94: Rick Near Shiprock, New Mexico
  • G95: Mexican Village
  • G96: Rock on New Mexico Indian Reservation
  • G97: Brighton Lakes, Utah
  • G98: Cache Valley, Utah
  • G99: Cove Fort, Utah
  • G100: Hurricane, Utah
  • G101: Salt Lake City, Utah
  • G102: Salt Lake City, Utah South Temple Street
  • G103: South Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah
  • G104: Silver Reef, Utah
  • G105: Mount Timpanoges, Utah
  • G106: West face of Wasatch Range, North of Mount Olympus
  • G107: Cottonwood Canyon Creek, Utah
  • G108: Cottonwood Canyon Creek, Utah
  • G109: West Wall, Little Zion, Utah
  • G110: West Wall, Little Zion, Utah
  • G111: Cedar Breaks, Utah
  • G112: Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • G113: Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • G114: Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • G115: Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • G116: Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • G117: Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • G118: Salt Creek Oil Field, Wyoming
  • G119: Fumerole, Norris
  • G120: Tower Falls
14
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G121: Yosemite Falls
  • G122: Yellowstone River
  • G123: Yellowstone Canyon
  • G124: Jupiter Terrace
  • G125: Lincoln Highway, Green River
  • G126: Fire Hole River
  • G127: Norris Basin
  • G128: Unknown Locality
  • G129: Unknown Locality
  • G130: Night view of Beehive Coke Ovens, Utah
  • G131: Utah Mining
  • G132: Utah Mining
  • G133: Utah Mining
  • G134: Utah Mining
  • G135: Utah Mining
  • G136: Utah mining
  • G137: Utah Mining
  • G138: Utah Mining
  • G139: Utah Mining
  • G140: Utah Mining
  • G141: Utah Mining
  • G142: Utah Mining
  • G143: Utah Mining
  • G144: Utah Mining
  • G145: Utah Mining
  • G146: Utah Mining
  • G147: Utah Mining
  • G148: Utah Mining
  • G149: Utah Mining
  • G150: Utah Mining
15
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G151: Castle Gate Tipple
  • G152: Dog Haulage Coal Mine
  • G153: Conway Loader Underground
  • G154: Permissible Storage Battery Mine Locomotive
  • G155: Mine Ventilation Station
  • G156: Chain Undercut Machine
  • G157: Loader in Coal Mine
  • G158: Tintic, Eureaka Peak
  • G159: Tintic Mining District Map
  • G160: Centennial Eureka Mine
  • G161: Utah Copper Mine (Bingham)
  • G162: Garfield Smelter
  • G163: Interior, Utah Copper Company Flotation Plant
  • G164: Murray Smelter
  • G165: Silver Reef
  • G166: Mining Districts Salt Lake Quadrangle
  • G167: Oil Well, Utah
  • G168: Multiteam Transport
  • G169: Car Dumper and Grizzly
  • G170: Donkey Transportation
  • G171: Flotation Plant , Utah
  • G172: Horse Power hauling
  • G173: Horse Power Hoisting
  • G174: Post Drill – Underground
  • G175: Mine Pumping Station
  • G176: Ladder Gold Dredge California
  • G177: Gold Mining Salmon River, Idaho
  • G178: Holmstake Mine, South Dakota
  • G179: East from Anaconda Hill, Montana
  • G180: Planning
16
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G181: Planning
  • G182: Planning
  • G183: Planning
  • G184: Planning
  • G185: Planning
  • G186: Planning
  • G187: Planning
  • G188: Planning
  • G189: Planning
  • G190: Planning
  • G191: Planning
  • G192: Planning
  • G193: Planning
  • G194: Planning
  • G195: Angle Towers, Utah Power and Light, 130,000 Volt Line
  • G196: Utah Power and Light 130,000 Volt Line
  • G197: 40,000 Volt Tower
  • G198: Cuttler Power Plant
  • G199: Soda Springs, Idaho. Power Plant
  • G200: Switch Board Small Automatic Power Plant
  • G201: O.S.L. Roadbed and Signals
  • G202: Modern Coupling
  • G203: Meteorological Station University of Utah Hydraulics Laboratory
  • G204: Mountain Timberland
  • G205: Brick Road
  • G206: Muddy Road
  • G207: Forged Travelers
  • G208: Govener, Small
  • G209: Power Generator
  • G210: Navigators Chart the Great Salt Lake
17
Glass Lantern Slides
  • G211: Garfield Landing, Great Salt Lake
  • G212: Garfield Landing, Great Salt Lake
  • G213: Garfield Landing, Great Salt Lake
  • G214: "The Promontory" on the Great Salt Lake
  • G215: "The Promontory" on the Great Salt Lake near Lucin cutoff
  • G216: "The Garfield" on the Great Salt Lake
  • G217: Railroad across the Great Salt Lake
  • G218: Saltair Pavilion
  • G219: Saltair Pavilion
  • G120: Saltair Pavilion
  • G121: Saltair Pavilion
  • G122: Saltair Pavilion

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Dams--West (U.S.)--Photographs
  • Irrigation--West (U.S.)--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • Arizona--Photographs
  • California--Photographs
  • Colorado--Photographs
  • Great Salt Lake Region (Utah)--Photographs
  • Idaho--Photographs
  • Nevada--Photographs
  • Saltair Resort (Utah)
  • Utah--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Aerial photographs--1940-1960
  • Black-and-white prints (photographs)
  • Photographic prints--1940-1960