Archives West Finding Aid

The Ray Yourdon photograph collection: background family history

The Marriott Library’s Digital Library includes the Ray Yourdon photograph collection. When Mr. Yourdon donated the black-and-white photographs to the library in the 1990s, he did not provide much detail on their contents: who is shown in the photos, when or where they were taken, etc. The finding aid created in 2001 and now available at Archives West ( http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv891783 ) made great effort to describe the photographs (for example: “A man is laying down resting propped up against a blanket and a young girl is sitting on top of the blanket posing for the camera. There is a broken fence and trees in the background”), but the fundamental metadata (who, where, when, etc.) was not to be found. The basic description for the collection reads, “Ray Yourdon was a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, but grew up in Colorado. The collection consists of images of western Colorado, including the gilsonite mining areas of Watson and Dragon, Utah and the area around Grand Junction, Colorado; gilsonite mines; farm scenes in Western Colorado; family photographs; travel photos from Colorado, California, and Wyoming, and miscellaneous unidentified images.”

When I took up the task of providing metadata for the digitized version of the collection, I sought information on the donor and his family. The FamilySearch Family Tree provided genealogical details once I determined that Ray’s full name was Floyd Raymond Yourdon. He was born on 16 September 1922 at Fruita, Colorado, the younger son of Isaac Benjamin (“Ike”) Yourdon and his wife, Mabel Elizabeth (Freeman) Yourdon. His older brother was Marvin Hollingsworth Yourdon, born 25 April 1920 at Fruita. The U.S. federal census of 1930 locates the family at Dragon, Utah, a mining camp connected to the gilsonite mines of southern Uintah County, Utah, while the 1940 census found the parents at Dragon, while the sons were boarding with Paul and Margaret Cutler in Fruita. Ike Yourdon’s occupation was as a truck driver, the employer being “mines” in 1930, and “American Asphalt” in 1940. This is a reference to the American Asphalt Association, a gilsonite mining company whose name appears on the side of trucks shown in several of the photographs.

A breakthrough on the description of these photographs came when I discovered another set of the same photographs already online as an album in the Flickr account of Ed Yourdon, with the title: “1930s – Ray Yourdon as a young man.” Ed, a retired software consultant in New York City, identified Ray Yourdon as his step-father, and included this general background with each of the photos: To the best of my knowledge, most of the photos in this Flickr album were taken by my grandmother, Mabel Yourdon, during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Most of them depict scenes of everyday life in mining camps and small towns near the Utah-Colorado border. Some of them show hunting, fishing, and camping trips in unspecified parts of the American west. It appears that a few of them were taken in southern California, when Mabel and her husband Ike traveled out there to visit relatives.

I have no idea what kind of camera Mabel used for these photos, nor what kind of film. There probably wasn’t that much variety available in the 1920s, and she was not a “professional” photographer. So it may have been a Brownie and whatever B/W film Kodak was selling at the time.

My stepfather, Ray Yourdon, was born in 1922; and his older brother, Marvin, was born two years before that. You’ll see photos of Ray and Marvin when they were young boys, when they were in high school, and when they went off to join the Navy and the Marines to fight in World War II.

Somewhere around 2005, I asked Ray if he could tell me the details of some of the photos; where possible, I have included those details in the notes for the photos. Some of the photos obviously evoked pleasant memories, and I heard stories about minor day-to-day events in his life that I had never heard before. But we rarely got through more than a few pictures before he ran out of energy; and so many of the photos have no explanation at all.

On the basis of Ed Yourdon’s report, this collection, named for its donor, might more accurately be called the “Mabel Yourdon photograph collection.” While a few photographs appear to date from the early 20th century, Mabel receives the credit for creating the vast majority of them. Even the occasional photo that includes her were probably taken with her camera at her request. Consequently, the subject headings are constructed with reference to Mabel.

The description for a given photo often included the refrain, “I really don't know anything about this photo -- no idea when it was taken, or where ...” Still, enough of Ed Yourdon’s notes had enough information to be useful in describing the photo, and sometimes helped with other photos in the set. Either Ed or Ray could usually identify the two brothers and their parents, and occasionally other close relatives. Many of the people shown remain unidentified and may be either relatives or close friends. A few of those identified are found in the 1940 census as co-workers of Ike Yourdon residing at Dragon, Utah.

Another source of information on the family comes from newspapers now digitized by the Utah Digital Newspapers project. The Vernal Express had frequent mention of the family, including their comings and goings. Here are many of them, along with one item from the Provo paper: Dec. 16, 1937, p. 4: “Dragon: … Mrs Yourdon came up from Fruita Monday evening to spend a few days in her home here.” Feb. 24, 1938, p. 4: Dragon: … Mr. Yourdon went to Fruita Saturday to visit for a few days with his family. Mrs Yourdon has been suffering with arthritis for some time. April 7, 1938, p. 4: Dragon: … Mr and Mrs Dorr Finicum entertained the unattached men of the community at a dinner on Thursday evening. Those present were [among others listed] Ike Yourdon…” July 7, 1938, p. 7: Mr and Mrs Yourdon and boys, Mr and Mrs Everett Bascom and daughter, Mr Gentry and son Charles will spend the Fourth at McAndrews Lake. [That lake, also known as Baxter Reservoir is along the road between Atchee, CO, and Dragon, Utah. Evert Bascom was another truck driver for American Asphalt.] July 28, 1938, p. 5: Marvin Yourdon accompanied Mrs Lulu Hill to Fruita and will remain over there with his uncle John Yourdon for the summer. Mr and Mrs Ike Yourdon and son Floyd spent the week end at Lake McAndrews. August 18, 1938, p. 14: “Dragon: … Mrs Ike Yourdon got up a surprise dinner party for Miss Pansy Havens at the Havens home Monday evening. About thirty were invited to enjoy the occasion.” Sept. 29, 1938, p. 4: “Mrs Ike Yourdon drove over Sunday from Fruita to spend the week here with Mr Yourdon.” March 14, 1940, p. 4: “Mrs W. P. Price, Mr. H. M. Phillips and son Homer, Mr and Mrs Ike Yourdon, Mr and Mrs Everett Ilk and Miss Pansy Havens of the Independent Mine were Vernal visitors Saturday.” [Whether the reference to the Independent Mine applies to all of these people, including the Yourdons, or just to the last named person, is unclear.] Provo Daily Herald, April 1, 1941, p. 4: 19 youths sign up with U.S. Navy. The March recruits included “F. R. Yourdon, Jensen.” [That would be Floyd Raymond, i.e., Ray] July 10, 1941, p. 4: “36 youths Register for New Draft.” [Among those listed: Marvin Hollingsworth Yourdon of Vernal.] March 18, 1943, p. 1: “Mrs Mable Yourdon is soliciting collections from the Bonanza Mines…” for the Red Cross War Fund drive. Jan. 13, 1944, p. 1: “Uintah County Men Leave for Service in U.S. Armed Forces.” Those listed Included Marvin Yourdon. Jan. 20, 1944, p. 1: “Four more Uintah men accepted by Marines. When they asked to be inducted into the Marine Corps at Salt Lake City in January Selective Service draft, [four men including] Marvin H. Yourdon were found qualified. … Pvt. Yourdon is the son of Mr. and Mrs Isaac B. Yourdon of Jensen. He attended the Union High School where he won honors in athletics. He has been employed by the American Asphalt Association as a hoist operator. Pvts. Markley and Yourdon are on a fourteen day furlough prior to reporting to San Diego for Basic training with the Corps.” Sept. 7, 1944, p. 1: “With the men in the Armed Forces. … Marine Private Marvin Hollingsworth Yourdon, son of Mr. and Mrs Issic B Yourdon, of Jensen has been graduated from the mortar gunnery school at Camp Pendleton.” Sept. 17, 1953, p. 4: “Ethel Greenhow recites vows with Marvin Yourdon.” Now making Vernal their residence are Mr and Mrs Marvin Yourdon who became newlyweds in a lovely home ceremony at the home of the bride’s parents, September 3. (Also notes groom’s parents were of Fruita, Colo., and the groom “is Deputy Sheriff” in Vernal.) June 1, 1961, p. 8: Funeral rites will be held Friday at 10 a m in the Kingsbury Congregational Church for Isaac Benjamin Yourdon, 63, of Jensen, who died Monday evening in Uintah County Hospital of silicoses and a heart ailment. … Born … marrie Mabel Elizabeth Freeman, July 30, 1919, in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was a mechanic and was employed by the gilsonite company for 37 years. He was employed by G.S. Ziegler Co., Little Bonanza as a maintenance foreman at the time of his death.” Survivors included sons Marvin in Jensen and Raymond in SLC; six grandchildren; two brothers and one sister. Jan. 24, 1990, p. 4: Obituary for Mabel Elizabeth Yourdon, 88; died Jan. 16 at Uintah Care Center. Born in Silverton, Colo.; married Isaac… Survived by Marvin of Fruita, Raymond of SLC… sisters Noka Ennis of Lakewood, CA; Edith Huntman of Long Beach; and brother Frank Freeman of Lemon Grove, CA. Jan. 27, 1999, p. 4: Obituary for Marvin, who died 23 Jan. 1999. “Marvin was a veteran of Wold War II, serving in the U.S. Marines, serving for four years and receiving the Purple Heart. … He was in law enforecement in Grand Junction, Colo., and later worked for the Uintah County Sheriff’s Department. He also worked for Bonanza Gilsonite. … He graduated from Fruita High School. In 1966 he moved to Fruita, and in 1993 he moved back to Vernal to retire.” Survived by wife Ethel of Vernal; son Doug, Elko; daughters both of Caney, Kansas… brother Raymond, SLC.

These news items shed light on many of the photographs, if only partially at times. The Yourdon family divided their time between Fruita, Colorado, and various points in Uintah County, Utah, the gilsonite mine camps of Dragon, Watson, and Bonanza while Isaac (“Ike”) Yourdon was employed by the gilsonite mine. He would sometimes be there alone [“unattached,” as the April 1938 item calls him], while his wife and sons were in Fruita. Sometimes the parents would be in Utah while the boys boarded with a Fruita family while attending high school. After 1940 they had a farm near Jensen, and they were involved in the civic life of nearby Vernal. But Ike’s obituary says that he was employed by “the gilsonite company” for 37 years, and this included the years through the 1940s and 1950s. He was employed in maintenance at “Little Bonanza” at the time of his death. Ed Yourdon mentioned that Ike repaired trucks at a building in Little Bonanza that shows up in several photos, suggesting that these photos come from the 1950s. Some corporate history is informative: The American Asphalt Association [whose name appears on some of the trucks seen in the photos] was formed in 1902 and dissolved in 1953, when its properties were sold to American Gilsonite and Gordon S. Ziegler and Associates. So Ike Yourdon didn’t change employers so much as his employer was bought by another. The 37 years back from 1961 takes us to about 1924. Also, “The railway was abandoned in 1937 in favor of truck transportation.” Therefore, many of the photos showing trucks loaded with sacks of gilsonite probably date from 1937 to 1953.

Numerous photos in the collection show the Yourdons, along with other unidentified people, camping or otherwise recreating in various natural settings. The news item from July 7, 1938, indicates that they often took these outings in the company of friends. There is often no identification as to where these outings took place and could range anywhere from the local mountains of Colorado to California and elsewhere in the Western states. Occasional identified scenes demonstrate how widely they traveled at times: Jerome, Arizona, Ouray, Colorado; Yellowstone; Thousand Springs, Idaho; Sequoia National Park, California. Sometimes son Marvin is present, and his appearance may indicate the approximate time period, whether in the early 1940s to the 1950s.

There are even a few photos showing Ed Yourdon himself as a young child. According to Ed’s autobiographical statement in a different Flickr album, his mother, Marion, a divorcee, was working in Washington, D.C., at the end of World War II, and met Ray when he was stationed there. They married in Denver after the war. The photos with him were “taken during the period after my family had moved from Washington out to Denver, where Ray attended college on the GI Bill. Apparently we visited Ray's parents sometime during that first summer; they had a farm in a very small town called Jensen -- east of Vernal, and near the Green River.”

Numerous details remain to be identified about these photographs. If the viewer of this collection can identify people and places shown in a given photograph, the Marriott Library would like to know so that we can add this information.

Notes provided by Ken Rockwell, in cataloging department