Baker and Johnston’s Native American Portraits

Posted on December 3, 2010 by ahcadmin
Undated image of Codsiogo, Shoshone

The American Heritage Center has digitized the entirety of the Baker and Johnston photograph collection. 

The Baker and Johnston Photographic Studio operated in Evanston, Wyoming, in the late 1800’s by Charles S. Baker and Eli Johnston. 

They photographed a variety of subjects but are best known for their series of portraits of Native American leaders, primarily from the Shoshone, Arapahoe, and Apache tribes. 

The collection contains the original glass plate negatives as well as copy prints. Portraits include Chief Washakie and his family, Oiti, Codsiogo, Sharp Nose, and Geronimo.

Click here to view an inventory for the collection and link to the digitized images! For a curated selection highlighting significant images in the collection, explore our Virmuze exhibit “Collection Spotlight: Baker and Johnston Photographs.”

Supporting Wyoming’s Indian Education for All

The Baker and Johnston Collection and the AHC’s K-5 Teaching Resources – Indigenous Tribes of Wyoming exhibit, along with the Center’s extensive archival holdings, serve as valuable resources for educators implementing Wyoming’s Indian Education for All mandate.

These primary source materials—including photographs, documents, manuscripts, and more related to Wyoming’s Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes—are available through digitized resources, online exhibits, and with assistance from Reference Department staff to help teachers educate students about the cultural heritage, history, and contributions of Wyoming’s tribal nations while supporting Wyoming Social Studies Standards.

For more information about using the Center’s resources, contact the AHC’s Reference Department at ahcref@uwyo.edu.

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Listen to History: Wyoming Pioneers’ Oral Histories Available Online

Posted on October 12, 2010 by ahcadmin

The collection contains interviews with people who were early residents of Wyoming. Interviews were conducted between 1947 and 1955 by employees of the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.  Topics include life in Laramie, Hanna, Douglas, and other towns; politics and government; ranching; Camp Fire Girls; crime; Yellowstone Park; Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show; University of Wyoming; Tom Horn; a World War II war bride; mining; and the Johnson County War.  The collection also includes some interviews with American Indians from Fort Washakie and citizens of the Oglalla Nation.

Recordings of many of the interviews are linked to the collection inventory here.

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Time Traveling with Zigzag Journeys: Louise A. Jackson’s Western Children’s Books

Posted on September 21, 2010 by ahcadmin

The Louise A. Jackson Juvenile Western Book Collection contains one hundred and two Western children’s books from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as eight reference books on juvenile literature. These books represent early children’s book series and boys’ and girls’ adventure books. A sampling of the books represented in the collection include: Chicken Little Jane, Honey Bunch: Her First Trip West, Zigzag Journeys in the Occident, The Bobbsey Twins in the Great West, and The Boy Scouts in the Rockies. Entries for these titles, and the others in the collection, are available in the University Libraries’ online catalog and in federated databases like WorldCat.

Studying children’s literature focused on the American West can help unravel the cultural and historical tapestry of the region. These narratives illuminate how young minds’ perceptions of adventure, resilience, and cultural identity were shaped. Analyzing these tales provides a nuanced understanding of how the West was portrayed for younger audiences, offering insights into societal ideals, historical events, and the complex interplay of diverse perspectives. By acknowledging these nuances, the study contributes to a more comprehensive exploration of the American West’s multifaceted narrative, fostering an appreciation for its diverse heritage while encouraging a critical examination of historical contexts.

The collection of books was generously donated by former University of Wyoming professor and children’s writer Louise Jackson and was supplemented by a donation from retired University of Wyoming professor Barbara Chatton. Dr. Jackson has also committed to supporting the growth, curation, and research use of the collection through a significant bequest.

Toppan and its books are accessible to undergraduates and members of the public as well as to established scholars. If you would like to make use of any of the books from the collection, please make an appointment with the rare books curator, Mary Beth Brown, at mary.brown@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2565.

Posted in American West, Children's literature, newly cataloged collections, rare books | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

American Heritage Center Digitizes Wind River Missionary Records

Posted on August 30, 2010 by ahcadmin

The AHC has digitized and made accessible online more than 1,300 items from the papers of John Roberts.

Reverend John Roberts was an Episcopalian missionary who worked among the Arapaho and Shoshone peoples on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Digitized image of John Roberts from Box 3 of his papers at the American Heritage Center

The collection is comprised of Arapaho and Shoshone translations of Christian and Episcopalian texts, Roberts’s personal papers, and photographs.

  • Pupils list of mission school, 1901 from Roberts’ papers.

The digitized collection is accessible through the online inventory.

Supporting Wyoming’s Indian Education for All

The AHC’s extensive archival holdings and its K-5 Teaching Resources – Indigenous Tribes of Wyoming exhibit serve as valuable resources for educators implementing Wyoming’s Indian Education for All mandate.

These primary source materials—including photographs, documents, manuscripts, and more related to Wyoming’s Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes—are available through digitized resources, online exhibits, and with assistance from Reference Department staff to help teachers educate students about the cultural heritage, history, and contributions of Wyoming’s tribal nations while supporting Wyoming Social Studies Standards.

For more information about the Center’s resources, contact the AHC’s Reference Department at ahcref@uwyo.edu.

Posted in American Indian history, Arapaho, Digital collections, resources, Shoshone, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment