The ONWARD Project

The ONWARD Project: Collections

Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition Collection Guide

Each RBMVE-related collection and its contents have been outlined in the “Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition Collection Guide.

Andrew Christenson RBMVE Research Collection

Andrew Christenson (Archaeologist, Curator of the Smoki Museum, and RBMVE Historian) has compiled an extensive amount of RBVME material resulting from exhibit research, a book, and a historical archaeology project verifying locations of the archaeological sites recorded by the original expedition.

Ray Garner Descendant Family Collection, The ONWARD Project Archive

Ray Garner was a photographer and filmmaker from Brooklyn, NY who participated in the 1937 RBMVE. The RBMVE was Garner’s first major step in realizing his goal of becoming a professional documentary filmmaker.

Edward Pierrepont Beckwith Collection, The Explorer’s Club

Edward Pierrepont Beckwith was a photographer who participated in the RBMVE in 1937. Beckwith took aerial photographs, as well as photographs on the ground. Beckwith went on many well-known expeditions all over the world, worked for General Electric, and was a member of The Explorer’s Club.
Index

Latest in Collections:

Amy Andrews 99s Member File, 99s Museum

The Amy Andrews material comes from the 99’s membership archive, reflecting Andrews’ involvement with the 99s organization and also some of her activities as a pilot more generally.

Pratt Museum of Natural History Records, Amherst College Library, Archives and Special Collections

Frederick Brewster Loomis was an archaeologist, paleontologist, and geologist for the 1934-1936 RBMVE field seasons. Loomis was affiliated with Amherst College during this time, and much of the Pratt Museum’s collections resulted from Loomis’ expeditions and fieldwork.

Wetherill Papers and Misc. Correspondence, Arizona State Museum

Papers related to the activities of John Wetherill.

Wetherill Photograph Collection, Arizona State Museum

The Wetherills were a family of traders and ranchers in the Four Corners area. Out of a trading post in Kayenta, AZ, John and Louisa Wetherill, their son, Ben, and their nephew, Milton, were instrumental in helping the RBMVE run by providing provisions, pack animal and equipment, sharing their property as a staging area, hosting guests of the Expedition, and using their connections with the local Navajo and San Juan Paiute community to recruit packers, guides, and translators.

RBMVE Library Resources, Autry Museum of the American West Library and Archive

Archaeologist, Charles Amsden, participated in the 1936 and 1937 RBMVE on behalf of the Southwest Museum.

Herbert E. Gregory Papers, Bishop Museum

Herbert Gregory participated in RBMVE as a Geologist in 1934 and also as an Advisory Board member.

Oral History Interview with Lloyd W. Lowrey, California State Archives

Lloyd W. Lowrey, Sr. was a high school teacher and principal, who joined the 1933 Expedition as a geology and paleontology crew member.

Frank Ray Morris Papers, Henry Madden Library, CSU Fresno

Frank Ray Morris in the RBMVE in 1937 as Superintendent of Construction. He attended the RBMVE with his son, Bruce Morris, who assisted the archaeologists. At the time of the RBMVE, Frank Morris taught at Cal State Fresno in the Mathematics Department.

Ansel Hall Collection, Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College

This collection contains photographs from Ansel Hall’s professional endeavors during his career in the National Park Service, and his side projects of directing adventure camps and scientific expeditions, including the Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition.

Material Related to the Ansel Hall Collection, Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College

Ansel Franklin Hall was the Director of the RBMVE. Aside from his work with RBMVE and other programs, Hall was the Chief of the Field Division of Education for National Park Service, eventually leaving this role to run a family concessions business at Mesa Verde National Park.