View XML QR Code

Charles J. Belden photographs and negatives, 1908-ca. 1940

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Belden, Charles J., 1887-1966
Title
Charles J. Belden photographs and negatives
Dates
1908-ca. 1940 (inclusive)
Quantity
9.59 cubic feet. (27 boxes)
Collection Number
00598
Summary
Collection consists of photographs and negatives taken by Charles J. Belden, many on the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse, Wyoming.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

Charles Josiah Belden (1887-1966) was born into a wealthy California family. His grandfather, Josiah Belden, was an early pioneer in California who made millions in San Francisco real estate. Charles was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He bought a camera to record a tour of Europe he and his friend Eugene Phelps made in 1909. The focus of the trip was the journey to Russia. Belden’s 1908 Packard was the first automobile to make such a trip in the country. After the tour, Belden joined Phelps at his family’s ranch in Wyoming. In 1912, Belden married Eugene’s sister Frances after working as a cowboy for a number of years. Charles and Frances had three children, Annice, Margot, and Mary Elizabeth, who died while still a toddler. In 1922 Louis Phelps died, leaving the Pitchfork Ranch to Charles and Eugene. The two, however, did a poor job of managing the ranch. Charles was more interested in photography and Eugene in tinkering with farm machinery. In 1940, Charles and Frances divorced. He moved to Florida with his second wife, Verna Steele Belden. There he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1966.

Belden was known for his beaver Stetson hats. Stetson actually named a model after him, "The Belden." Airplanes became a fascination for Belden. In the late 1920s, Belden was involved in raising antelope and sending them by airplane to zoos around the world, including some to Germany on the Hindenburg blimp. Belden helped to pioneer the process of planting fish from the air and filmed the experience for future reference. He also helped the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission conduct a census using aerial photographs to count large herds in 1940. Made famous because of his articles and photographs, Belden wrote about ranch life, the dude ranch, and his one of a kind bighorn and domestic sheep hybrid.

Return to Top

Content Description

The Charles J. Belden Collection consists of approximately 3,000 original negatives. Most of the images were taking in the 1920s and 1930s on the legendary Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse, Wyoming. Located at the base of the Absaroka Mountains, the 250,000-acre ranch provided fertile ground for Belden’s photography. By filming cowboys and cattle against the dramatic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, he created some of the classic images of the American West. Belden used these photographs to publicize the Pitchfork Dude Ranch and to illustrate articles he wrote about cowboy life. Belden, however, was a versatile photographer and the collection contains a variety of images. These photographs depict everyday life on the Pitchfork Ranch, a trip to Europe in 1909, Yellowstone National Park, raising antelope, dude ranching, and trips to the Southwest and Latin America. His photography can be found in National Geographic Magazine and the Dude Rancher’s Association’s magazine the Dude Rancher.

Also found in the collection are photographs of Belden’s many travels including trips to Holland, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Panama, as well as Yellowstone National Park and the Southwestern United States. Belden’s family appears not only in the travel prints, but also in portraits and candid shots.

Each print is titled and numbered by the American Heritage Center. The negatives correspond with the numbers on the prints. Most of the negatives are glass plate, although many soft negative copies and several positives are included. Prints with the same title description may or may not be identical. A note has been made where only a print or a negative exists of an image.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Charles J. Belden photographs and negatives, Collection Number 00598, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of this entire collection are available at https://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~23~23.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Related Materials

Another collection of Belden photographs can be found at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming.

Acquisition Information

The Belden collection was received from the Belden family (Francis L. Turnell, Kathleen Abarr, Robert L. Abarr, and Margot S. Belden) in 1987.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Renee LaFleur in 2000. The collection was reprocessed by Ben Goldman in July 2010.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Dude ranchers -- Wyoming
  • Photography -- Panama
  • Ranches -- Wyoming
  • Cowboys -- Wyoming
  • Photography -- Wyoming.
  • Photography of animals --Wyoming
  • Photography of livestock --Wyoming
  • Photography of mountains --Wyoming

Personal Names

  • Belden, Frances
  • Belden, Margot
  • Sommers, Annice

Geographical Names

  • Panama -- History, 1903-1946
  • Panama Canal (Panama)
  • Pitchfork Ranch (Wyo.)
  • Wyoming -- History ,1919-1945.
  • Wyoming -- History, 1890-1918.
  • Wyoming -- History, 1946-
  • Yellowstone National Park

Occupations

  • Photographers

Processed by Renee LaFleur
2006; 2010

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...