Jim and Dorothy Shafer home movie collection, 1940-1963
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Shafer, Dorothy; Shafer, James "Jim" H.
- Title
- Jim and Dorothy Shafer home movie collection
- Dates
- 1940-1963 (inclusive)19401963
- Quantity
- 14 8mm film
- Collection Number
- A0419
- Summary
- The Jim and Dorothy Shafer home movie collection consists of film recordings of family gatherings, traveling, skiing, and other outdoor recreation. Click here to view digitized materials from the collection or visit ArchivesSpace for a container level list of digitized materials.
- 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
-
Audio-visual materials can be fragile and require specialized equipment to play back. For this reason, access to audio-visual materials is provided through digital copies, and it might take longer to provide access to items that are not yet digitized. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.
- Languages
- English
Biographical Note
Jim and Dorothy both grew up in Pocatello, Idaho. In 1938 they married and moved to Salt Lake City where Jim was a partner and operations manager for Garrett Freight Lines. Within the first year of their marriage, they took up skiing and attended the Grand Opening of Alta Ski Resort in January of 1939.
Over the next half century, Jim and Dorothy spent winters skiing at Alta and in many circles were considered pioneers of the sport. They loved the outdoors and much of their waking hours were spent skiing, boating, hiking, fishing, and hosting parties for their active outdoor friends and family. Their children, Susan Shafer Rowland and Jim Shafer, grew up on the mountain and both skied for the University of Utah.
Dorothy, known at Alta as "Tomato", and Jim, known as "Big Jim", introduced skiing to countless families in the Salt Lake Valley and helped pioneer family skiing. They promoted and supported ski racing in the intermountain area.
For over 20 years, Jim and Dorothy were members of the Salt Lake City Ski Club. Jim served as president and oversaw the gatekeeping and timing systems at countless intermountain ski races while Dorothy oversaw the registrations, handing out numbers, and posting race times on the official boards.
In those early days at Alta, Jim and Dorothy were found every winter weekend skiing with well-known friends like Bill and Carolyn Harris, Chick and Maxine Morton, Dick Durrance, Jack Reddish and Suzy and Billy Rytting. They relished those friendships, being outdoors, and skiing the powder.
A ski day at Alta always featured a picnic lunch with many friends at the old Watson Shelter with the highlight of one of Dorothy's tomato soup cakes. Drinks and dinner at the Alta Lodge followed.
Jim and Dorothy skied well into their 80's until Jim's knees finally gave out. Despite their passing, their love of skiing and the outdoors inspired countless families to follow in their footsteps and embrace a lifestyle centered on skiing.
Biographical note provided by the Shafer family.
Content Description
The Jim and Dorothy Shafer home movie collection consists of 8mm films ranging from the 1940s to the 1960s with recordings of family gatherings and outings, vacations, skiing, and other outdoor recreation. Includes footage in Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon, some national parks and monuments such as Arches, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Yellowstone, Timpanogos, and Grand Canyon, and outdoor activities such as skiing, swimming, horseback riding, archery, camping, hiking, and fishing.
Use of the Collection
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.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Item Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative Information
Arrangement
Collection arranged chronologically.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Suzanne Shafer Rowland and Jim A. Shafer in 2018 and 2023.
Processing Note
Processed by Special Collections staff.
Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.
Related Materials
Forms part of the Ski and Snow Sports Archives (S.J. Quinney Outdoor Recreation Archives).
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Description: Skiing at Alta, Utah; Mount Superior, Utah; Watson Shelter, Alta, Utah
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal title: "Skiing - Alta, Mount Superior, Watson Shelter, 1940 Archival Object."
Dates: 1940Container: Reel 1 -
Description: Alpine Rose Lodge, Brighton, Utah; Trail Creek Lodge, Sun Valley, Idaho
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Alpine Rose Lodge, Brighton and Sun Valley, Trail Creek Lodge".
Dates: 1942Container: Reel 2 -
Description: Skiing at Aspen, Colorado and Sun Valley, Idaho
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Skiing - Aspen and Sun Valley."
Dates: 1950Container: Reel 3 -
Description: Family with baby and children at leisure
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Children".
Dates: 1947-1950Container: Reel 4 -
Description: Children during holidays and recreating
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundIncludes footage of Christmas, Halloween, kite flying, sledding, birthday party, rose bushes, dogs, snow, lawn mower, and Thanksgiving.
Original film label: "Children Part II".
Dates: 1950Container: Reel 5 -
Description: Vacationing, sites in Oregon and Utah, farm
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Vacation, Portland - Farm". Includes footage of Bryce Canyon, horseback riding, Brighton store and chair lift, camping, fireworks, cooking outside, playing on a farm, Horsetail Falls (Mount Hood), Multnomah Falls (Oregon), Wahkeena Falls, and beach.
Dates: 1950Container: Reel 6 -
Description: Salt Lake City and environs
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Local". Includes footage of the Salt Lake City Airport, downtown Salt Lake, This Is The Place Monument, a parade, Lagoon, a copper mine, deer, hiking, camping, fishing, archery, costumes, dancing, Mesa Verde National Park, and Double Arch at Arches National Park.
Dates: 1952Container: Reel 7 -
Description: Vacations at Hidden Lake, Elk Lake, Las Vegas
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Vacations - Hidden Lake, Elk Lake, Vegas". Includes footage of fishing (17 minutes), Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Squaretop Mountain (Wyoming), swimming, beach and boats, and a submarine diving bell.
Dates: 1950-1955Container: Reel 8 -
Description: San Francisco, Farmington trip, cherry blossom, Timpanogos climb, Dance, Allen family, Colorado Springs, Yellowstone
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Frisco, Farmington trip, cherry blossom, Timpanogos climb, Dance, Allen family, Colorado Springs, Yellowstone". Includes footage of the Donner Pass, San Francisco, Capitol building, grilling food, airplane, mountain top, Garrett Freightlines Inc, Lurline ship, beach, cherry blossoms, hiking, Halloween, camping, Kenworth trucks, swimming, horseback riding, waterfalls, bears, and Old Faithful (Yellowstone). Date was determined by film edge code.
Dates: 1953Container: Reel 9 -
Description: Sue, Lufon Germany, Jerry, Grand Canyon, Lee's Ferry, return from Grand Canyon, Alta
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundIncludes footage of swimming, horseback riding, Rae Lynn arriving home, dancing performance, water skiing, camping and hiking, SLC Airport with Lufthansa Boeing 707, Stardust Las Vegas, mountain range, and a cabin.
Dates: 1954Container: Reel 10 -
Description: Monument Valley, Tahoe, Parley's Canyon, Dale family, Baseball (Jim), Craig (date), Mary Lane, Jobs Davon, Bottom Grand, Junior High Sue, High Senior Jim
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundIncludes footage of Monument Valley, kayaks on the lake, plane landing on water, Dam with hydro power station, mowing grass, pink cadillac, junior baseball game, swimming, hiking in the mountains, water skiing, Utah Park Company bus, boy scouts camping, dog and puppies, school graduation. Date determined by film edge code.
Dates: 1955Container: Reel 11 -
Description: San Francisco, Jackson, Elk, Bottom Grand, Motor Tony, Sue cousin, Lake Powell, Jim
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Frisco, Jackson, Elk, Bottom Grand, Motor Tony, Sue cousin, Lake Powell, Jim". Includes footage of the SLC Airport, San Francisco, a cabin, Christmas, winter hiking, horseback riding, Grand Canyon, swimming, skiing, National Junior Ski Championship 1965, Mount Bachelor (Oregon), graduation party, water skiing, fishing, arches near water (possibly Rainbow Bridge), and a soccer game.
Dates: 1963Container: Reel 12 -
Description: Sue life II Song Fest, Ski Team
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundIncludes footage of skiing, San Francisco, cruise ship, Hawaii, hula dancing, a cemetery, a mountain range, beach, zoo, and graduation from the University of Utah.
Dates: 1963Container: Reel 13 -
Description: Jim racing; Park City, Utah; Sun Valley, Idaho; Brighton, Utah; Jackson, Wyoming; Alta, Utah: Bend, Oregon
8mm (photographic film size)color, no soundOriginal film label: "Jim racing, Park City, Sun Valley, Brighton, Jackson, Alta, Bend (Oregon)".
Dates: 1963Container: Reel 14
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Family life
- Outdoor recreation
- Skis and skiing
Form or Genre Terms
- Moving images
- home movies
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Shafer, Dorothy (fmo)
- Shafer, James "Jim" H. (fmo)
