Death Valley region photographs, 1905-1925

Overview of the Collection

Title
Death Valley region photographs
Dates
1905-1925 (inclusive)
1925 (bulk)
Quantity
1 box (11 photoprints), (.5 linear ft.)  :  gelatin silver, b&w;  ;  10.5 x 15 cm. or smaller.
Collection Number
UUS_P0126
Summary
The Death Valley Region Photograph Collection consists of eleven silver gelatin POP prints purchased from Amalgre Books of Bloomington, Indiana in April of 1997. The collection consists of images taken in the late 1920s in the Death Valley area of Nevada and California including the ghost towns of Rhyolite, Aurora, and Calico. "Shorty" Harris, or an associate, took some of the images.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions
Restrictions

Open to public research.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Death Valley Region Photograph Collection consists of eleven silver gelatin POP prints purchased from Amalgre Books of Bloomington, Indiana in April of 1997. The collection consists of images taken in the late 1920s in the Death Valley area of Nevada and California including the ghost towns of Rhyolite, Aurora, and Calico. "Shorty" Harris, or an associate, took some of the images.

Rhyolite, Nevada was founded in 1904 after Shorty Harris and Ed Cross discovered Rhyolite Quartz at the Bullfrog mine. By 1906 the town had two railroad lines and a population of 10,000. The mines, however, did not produce as expected and by the early 1910s Rhyolite was abandoned.

Aurora, Nevada was a silver mining boom town founded in 1860. The heyday of Aurora ran throughout the 1860s (Mark Twain briefly lived there), but it slowly declined after 1870. It went through a rebirth in 1912 when a new stamp mill and cyanide plant were built at the mines. In 1917, however, the mill closed down and by the early 1920s Aurora was abandoned.

Calico, California was initially founded as a silver mining town in 1882 but by 1890 the cost of recovering the silver became prohibitive. The town, however, continued to exist until 1907 due to the production of Borax.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Utah State University Libraries, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Permission to publish material from the Death Valley region photographs must be obtained from the Special Collections Photograph Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Death Valley region photographs, 1905-1925. (P0126). Utah State University. Special Collections & Archives Department.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized numerical by photo number.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Amalgre Books, Bloomington, Indiana, in April of 1997.

Processing Note

Register completed by Peter Schmidt, May 1997, and revised by Daniel Davis, February 20, 2002.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Automobiles--Pictorial works.
  • Bars (Drinking establishments)--Nevada--Aurora--Pictorial works.
  • Ghost towns--Nevada--Aurora--Pictorial works.
  • Ghost towns--Nevada--Rhyolite--Pictorial works.
  • Hearses (Vehicles)--Pictorial works.
  • Hotels--Nevada--Aurora--Pictorial works.
  • Vernacular architecture--Nevada--Aurora--Pictorial works.

Personal Names

  • Carder, William E., 1831-1864.
  • Harris, Shorty, 1857-1934.

Geographical Names

  • Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.)--Pictorial works.