The Ryder Ridgway Collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, research files, printed matter, and family papers showing Graham County and Mormon history from 1799 to 1980.
Identification:
MSS-68
Language:
Material in English
Repository:
Arizona State University Library. Greater Arizona Collection P.O. Box 871006 Tempe, AZ 85287-1006 Phone: (480) 965-4932 E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist!
Biographical Note
William Ryder Ridgway, author and historian, was born to David Lawrence and Ella Young Ridgway in Safford, Arizona on May 11, 1909. He graduated from Safford High School in 1927 and was employed at the Young and Ridgway Store at Safford. Later he worked as an inspector at the Arizona Agricultural Inspection Station at San Jose on Arizona 70.
Ridgway was an avid historian and collector of historical records showing Graham County and Mormon history. He was a regular columnist in the Eastern Arizona Courier and contributed a number of articles to Arizona Highways Magazine, particularly the September 1968 issue. Ridgway was also a lecturer in history at Eastern Arizona College at Thatcher. He was a member of the Graham County Historical Society and the Church of Safford. Ryder Ridgway died in Safford on May 21, 1985.
Scope and Content Note
The Ryder Ridgway Collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, research files, printed matter, and family papers showing Graham County and Mormon history from 1799 to 1980. The majority of the collection consists of personal papers and government and business records that Ridgway collected documenting Graham County history from 1890 to 1960. The collection has been divided into two series.
Series I: Ridgway Papers extends from 1890 to 1976 and consists of Ridgway's personal papers. The series has been divided into two subseries. Sub-Series A: Correspondence houses primarily letters exchanged with W. Roy Pace, a fellow researcher interested in eastern Arizona history. The letters discuss details of family and regional history in Graham County. Sub-Series B: Manuscripts/Scrapbooks generally concerns historical events and individuals in Graham County.
Series II: Ridgway Collections extends from 1799 to 1980 and consists of materials that Ridgway collected or received regarding Graham County history. This series is divided into five subseries.
Sub-Series A: Personal and Family Papers houses materials that Ridgway received from individuals who were stimulated by his writings in the Eastern Arizona Courier. As a result, this series contains records of a number of Graham County families as well as genealogical and historical manuscripts and "reminiscences" written by a number of Mormon residents.
Sub-Series B: Mining Records includes materials showing the Alabama Mine, Carlisle Mine, Duncan Mining and Milling Company, Phelps Dodge Corporation, and the Terreroca Mining Company of Steepler, New Mexico.
Sub-Series C: Graham County History includes histories of the towns of Hubbard and Matthewsville, maps and drawings of Fort Grant and Fort Thomas, and transcriptions of news articles and research notes on county history.
Sub-Series D: Mormon/Arizona History includes transcripts of James H. McClintock's radio program Forward, Arizona, biographical information on Mormons William Jordan Flake, Joseph Neal Haywood, and John D. Lee, and maps of the 1885 survey of the East Salt and Gila River Meridian.
Sub-Series E: Ephemera includes pamphlets and brochures on a variety of topics similar to those represented in the series above. The materials are indexed by author in the card file located in Box 11A.
Arrangement
This collection consists of fourteen boxes divided into two series:
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Copyright
Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.
The Ryder Ridgway Photograph Collection (CP SPC RR) contains 800 photographs, lantern slides, oversized images, and panoramas. Themes include the economic and social development of Southeastern Arizona, which is primarily comprised of the Thatcher and Safford area in Graham County but also includes Bisbee, Morenci, Clifton, and Superior.
Separated Materials
A number of publications have been removed from the Ridgway Ephemera series. Ephemera relating to Arizona or the Southwest was removed and individually indexed. It is accessible through the ASU Special Materials Index.
[Identification of item], Ryder Ridgway Collection, MSS-68, Arizona State University Library.
Provenance
The Ryder Ridgway Collection was received in at least thirteen accessions from 1968 to 1991. Nine accessions were received from Ryder Ridgway between 1968 and 1974 (ACC# 1968-00067, 1972-00067, and 1974-00067). Four accessions were received from Mrs. Ryder Ridgway from 1987 to 1991 (ACC# 1987-00111, 1989-00180, 1990-00381, and 1991-00468).
Processing Note
Materials received directly from Ridgway were originally processed as MSS-68. Materials received from Mrs. Ridgway were added to the collection in 1994 and the collection was rearranged to reflect the entirety of the Ridgway papers. A conversion sheet identifying the current location of materials cited by the old box and folder numbers is available from the University Archivist.
Ephemera not related to Arizona and the Southwest has not been retained. A complete card index to the original ephemera collection is available in Box 11A of this collection.
US Postal Service: General Scheme of Arizona,
1923-1948
12
2
US Postal Service: General Scheme of Arizona,
1951-1957
12
3
Notebook of Sketches, Maps and Outlines of Arizona Post Offices,
Undated
Box
16
Safford Centennial Banner,
1974 (Removed to Map Case)
16
Safford Centennial Poster,
1974 (Removed to Oversized Storage)
Box
Folder
21
1-3
Post Cards
Box
Folder
24
1
Post Cards
The three-digit number associated with each post card is the image number assigned when it was housed with CP RR: Ryder Ridgway Photographs. Patrons should submit requests for these materials using the applicable box and folder numbers rather than the image number.
Sketch of a cowboy with "Arizona" on his arm outdistancing another horseman.
359-364
New Cornelia Copper Company Plant in Ajo; the Old Dominion Copper Company Concentrator and Smelter in Globe; the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company Concentrator and the International Smelter in Miami; and the Arizona Eastern Railroad Depot in Globe,
circa 1920
369-373
Escalante Hotel (a Harvey House) and Railroad Station, Ash Fork, Arizona (circa 1915); the Santa Fe Railroad Bridge Across the Colorado River at Topock, showing Needles, California in the Background (circa 1915); the Tucson, Cornelia, and Gila Bend Rail Depot in Ajo, (circa 1915); the Rail Depot in Tucson, (circa 1910); and the Auto Bridge over the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry (circa 1930),
circa 1910-1930
Box
Folder
24
2
Post Cards
381-382
Rose Tree Inn in Tombstone (circa 1915); San Marcos Hotel in Chandler,
circa 1915
390-396
Roosevelt Dam, Coolidge Dam, Boulder Dam, the Arizona Canal, Canyon Lake, Granite Reef Dam, and the Bill Williams Reservoir,
1908-circa 1960
401-403
High School at Humboldt, Arizona (circa 1930); the Main Building at University of Arizona, Tucson (circa 1917); and the Round Up Motel, Tucson (circa 1949),
circa 1917-1949
404 A-D
Santa Rita Hotel, Old Pueblo Club, Rodgers Hospital, Pioneer Hotel, and Street Scenes; Tucson, Arizona,
Undated
399*
Library and Park at the University of Arizona; Tucson, Arizona,
1908
Box
Folder
24
3
Post Cards
405 A-K
Houses, Post Office, State Hospital, City Hall, County Courthouse, East Lake Park, Hotel Luhrs, and Churches; Phoenix,
Undated
406 A-E*
Bucky O'Neill Monument, Courthouse, Mercy Hospital, Hassayampa Hotel, Sills Service Station, and Apache Lodge; Prescott, Arizona,
Undated
407 A-B*
Mission San Xavier del Bac; Tucson, Arizona,
circa 1910
409 A-D
Curley School. Ajo, Arizona,
circa 1920
Box
Folder
24
4
Post Cards
410 A-B
Elks Hall and Palm Boulevard. Yuma, Arizona,
circa 1920
411 A-B
Postcards of the Cavern Cafe and a Bird's-Eye View of the City. Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
412 A-B
Postcards of Cold Beer in Barrels at Agua Prieta (circa 1930); the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches in Douglas; and a Soldier and Woman Shaking Hands at a United States-Mexico Border Marker,
circa 1910, 1930
415
Casa Grande Pueblo,
1902, 1930
552
Pueblo. Laguna, New Mexico,
1902
Corporate Name(s)
Detroit Photographic Co. (Publisher)
553-557
Hopi Pueblos, Children, and Weavers,
circa 1906
Corporate Name(s)
Detroit Photographic Co. (Publisher)
558-562
Postcards of Navajo Warriors on Horseback and Blanket Weavers,
circa 1908
563 A-B
Apache Indians,
circa 1906
Box
Folder
24
5
Post Cards
564-571
Havasupai and Pima Indians,
circa 1909
578
Bird's-Eye View of Crawford Avenue. Nogales, Arizona,
circa 1918
580-583
Wise, Bowman, and Titcomb Residences and the Montezuma Hotel. Nogales, Arizona,
circa 1918
585-586
Morley Street and the Southern Pacific Depot. Nogales, Arizona,
circa 1920
593-600
Grand Canyon,
circa 1915
Many of these images were published by Fred Harvey.
Personal Name(s)
Harvey, Fred (Publisher)
599
East from Hopi Rowe Point, Grand Cayon National Park, Arizona,
circa 1915
600
Looking East from Grand View Point, Grand Canyon, Arizona,
Undated
Box
Folder
24
6
Post Cards
604
Entrance to Bright Angel Lodge, Grand Canyon National Park,
circa 1940
605
Hotel El Tovar Grand Canyon, Arizona, c.1907, circa 1907
606
Train on the Bridge over Canyon Diablo, Arizona,
circa 1918
607-609
Petrified Forest National Monument,
circa 1910
610
Needles Mountains from the Colorado River,
circa 1920
611-613
San Francisco Peaks,
circa 1910
612-620
Tonto Creek; Oak Creek Canyon; Maple Gulch near Prescott; Middle Fork Canyon of the Gila River; Monument Well; and Lowell Observatory,
circa 1915-circa 1960
621
Cliff Dwellings at Tonto National Monument,
circa 1916
Photo by H. C. Tibbitts from the series Apache Trail: The Wonder Trip Through Oldest America (CP SPC 44:75).
622
Interior of Hotel San Marcos; Chandler, Arizona,
circa 1940
Box
Folder
24
7
Post Cards
623
Sierra Ancha Mountains with Roosevelt, Arizona in the Foreground,
circa 1908
624-625
State Capitol; Phoenix, Arizona,
circa 1906
626
Desert Sky Hotel on Van Buren; Phoenix, Arizona,
circa 1950
627
Tempe Normal School Auditorium and Gymnasium; Tempe, Arizona,
circa 1916
628-630
Congress Street, an Aerial, and Old Tucson; Tucson, Arizona,
circa 1918-circa 1967
631-634
Roosevelt Dam,
circa 1918-1920
635
General View of the Panama, California Exposition from the Arizona Gardens; San Diego, California,
1915
636
Salt River Canyon between Showlow and Globe,
circa 1955
637
Praying Monk Rock Formation on Camelback Mountain; Phoenix, Arizona,
circa 1955
638
Superstition Mountains,
circa 1927
639
"The Desert, Arizona" by B. M. Dressler,
circa 1910
Personal Name(s)
Peyton, Bertha Menzler, 1871-1947 (Author)
641-644
Desert; Clusters of Dates; Citrus Fruit and Groves; and Cacti,
circa 1910
643
Giant Cactus, Arizona,
Undated
Box
Folder
24
8
Post Cards
645-649
Desert; Clusters of Dates; Citrus Fruit and Groves; and Cacti,
circa 1910
651-654
Ostrich Farms; Arizona,
circa 1900-circa 1920
656
Burros, s.l.,
circa 1900
675
San Ildefonso Indians Making and Smoothing Pottery,
circa 1910
677-678
New Mexico Pueblo Indians,
circa 1910
679-683
Mexicans in the Market Square, Tijuana; Ploughing; Burros Carrying Water; and Dwellings; Mexico,
circa 1910
696
Public School Building; Morenci, Arizona,
circa 1905
710
Morenci Motel; Morenci, Arizona,
circa 1905
718
Copper Head, Coronado Railroad; Clifton, Arizona,
circa 1960
The Copper Head was the first locomotive used in the area.
720
Resident and Business Section on the East Side of Clifton,
circa 1900
