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Editha L. Watson collection, 1900s-1978

MS-218

Biographical Note

Editha Latta Watson (14 June 1892 – 27 January 1975) was born in Denver, Colorado to attorney and newspaper publisher, Robert H. Latta, and his wife Sara. Watson’s parents encouraged her to write at a young age and her first known publication was at age 9. It is possible that during the first half of her life she went by the pseudonym Eleanor C. Kay, a pen name that appears on several of her manuscripts.

Watson attended the University of Colorado-Boulder (UCB), presumably to study anthropology. It was at UCB that she met Harry W. Watson, a merchant from Pinos Altos, New Mexico. She quit school and the couple married on 28 December 1912. They had three children: William Robert, Sarah, and Jean [Eckard]. The marriage ended in divorce in 1923 and Watson returned to UCB and earned her bachelor of science; she was not allowed to see her children again until they were adults. After she graduated, Watson was made editor of her father’s newspapers, the Colorado Graphic and the Barnum Graphic, from 1927-1945 when she sold the papers.

After she left the newspaper business, Watson was encouraged by Anthropologist Dr. Ruth Underhill to go into the Indian Service. She left Denver to become an information specialist with the central office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Chicago. She worked for the BIA for 9 years in Phoenix, Tuba City, and Window Rock. In 1955, Watson took a position as an area consultant with the Save the Children Federation for the next 3 ½ years until she reached age 65. From 1957-1958, Watson worked at Ft. Defiance as chief medical clerk, and from 1959-1960 she worked as an administrative assistant for the Cornell University Health Project. After the Project, Watson went back to Window Rock and worked as a research associate for the newly-created Research Section of the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department. During the next decade she also worked as an editor for the Navajo Tribal Land Claim and librarian of the Tribe.

Watson retired in 1971 but continued to do freelance work for the Navajo Tribe until her death. In 1974, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Navajo Humane Philosophies by the Navajo Community College. Watson was working on a book on Navajo Sacred Places - a project that was started by Richard Van Valkenburgh between 1933 and 1955 then taken over and expanded by Clyde Kluckhohn and Dr. Prufer - when her health began failing. She asked Stephen C. Jett, a professor of Geography for the University of California, to edit and finish the book for her. The manuscript was never completed. Throughout her life Watson was an active member in countless archeological and women’s societies. She passed away in Gallup, NM in 1975.

Scope and Content

This collection contains records created by Watson largely during her time in the Southwest. The bulk of the materials are writings and research notes created by Watson, many of which were formally published in a variety of journals. The predominant focus of Watson's writing and research was the Navajo people, the Navajo reservation, and a multitude of aspects of Navajo culture. Included in these records are Watson's work on Navajo Sacred Places and some of Stephen Jett's subsequent drafts. Watson also wrote extensively on other cultural groups in the Southwest and beyond, as well as topics related to the old west.

Another significant bulk of material in this collection relates to Watson's involvement with the Navajo Land Claims office; she was charged with editing and indexing a substantial land claim against the federal government in the 1950s and 1960s. Included in this collection are extensive research notes and photographs used for the land claim. Other professional involvements of Watson's are reflected in her employment with the Navajo Tribe, including correspondence and paperwork related to her work in the Navajo health community, the Navajo Tribal Parks & Recreation department (information leaflets and bulletins), and the Navajo Tribal government (election mail outs, council meeting minutes, tribal museum information).

Also included are extensive correspondence files related to Watson's personal and professional life, as well as biographical information on Watson herself.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished and published manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Related Material

See MS-246, the David L. DeHarport collection, for more information on the Navajo Land Claim.

See MS-309, the Sallie Pierce-Harris collection, for more information on Richard Van Valkenburgh.

Controlled Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Editha L. Watson collection, MS-218 [Box Number]. Museum of Northern Arizona. Flagstaff, Arizona.

Acquisition Information

Editha L. Watson donated a small selection of material to the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1964 (accession #MS-51), while the bulk was donated in 1976 by Watson's daughter, Mrs. Jean Eckard (accession #MS-218), one year after Watson's death.

Processing Information

Processed in December of 2010.

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