Bookmark this page or copy and paste URL to Email message Georgie White Clark collection 1931-1992NAU.MS.270 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overview of the Collection | |
| Creator: | Clark, Georgie White |
| Title: | Georgie White Clark collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1931-1992 |
| Quantity: | 3.25 Linear feet textual materials, 55 Photographic prints, 6 folders of photographic prints, 1 Photo albums, 4 Audiocassettes, 5 VHS videotapes, 3 Floppy disks |
| Abstract: | The Georgie White Clark collection pertains to Clark's life as a river runner, with a specific emphasis on the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, and Clark's whitewater rafting company, Georgie's Royal River Rats. It includes articles, correspondence, reminiscences, and photographs (mostly originally housed in scrapbooks) documenting Clark's adventures on rivers from Alaska to Mexico, as well as an 1991 oral history interview with Clark. |
| Identification: | NAU.MS.270 NAU.PH.91.13 NAU.OH.91.47 |
| Language: | Material in English. |
| Repository: |
Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Northern Arizona University Box 6022 Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6022 Phone: 928 523-5551 Fax: 928 523-3770 Email: special.collections@nau.edu |
Biographical Note
Georgie White Clark was born Georgia DeRoss in Guyman, Oklahoma on November 13, 1910. She was raised by her mother, along with her brother Paul and sister Marie. According to Clark, she grew up in Chicago and spent her spare childhood hours swimming in Lake Michigan (Her birth certificate lists her name as Bessie DeRoss. She actually lived in Oklahoma and Colorado). At age 17, she married Harold Clark and in 1929 gave birth to her only child, Sommona Rose Clark. The Clarks then moved to New York City, where Georgie found work as a comptometer operator for Radio City. She became fascinated with bicycling in Central Park. On August 2, 1936, Georgie and Harold set out for California on two racing bikes. They settled in Los Angeles. Georgie White Clark's mother, sister, brother, and daughter joined them soon thereafter.
Georgie and Harold Clark divorced in Chicago in 1941. She married James (Whitey) White in 1942. During World War II, Clark learned to fly in Quartzsite, Arizona and joined the Ferry Command. She completed her pilot training just as the government deactivated the Ferry Command. In June of 1944, a drunk driver struck and killed 15-year-old Sommona Rose as she and her mother bicycled towards Santa Barbara. Clark was deeply impacted by the death of her daughter.
Clark saw the Colorado River in 1944 on a hiking trip with fellow Sierra Club member and explorer Harry Aleson. In 1945 and 1946, she and Aleson swam 185 miles of the lower river in their life preservers because they could not afford a raft. Next, Clark scraped some money together and purchased a surplus seven-man raft. She used it to run the river for several years. In 1954, she lashed 3 10-man boats together (now known as a G-rig after Georgie, or a triple-rig) which enabled her to run the rapids rather than portaging. She took a group of 28 down the Colorado in 1955. Clark then improved the G-boat by cutting the bottoms out of the boats and adding an inflated oval "sausage" and a Johnson motor. The rafting company she founded, Georgie's Royal River Rats, became a permanent part of the river. In addition to the Colorado River, Clark explored the San Juan, the Rogue (Oregon), the Virgin (Utah), the Salmon, the Snake, the Chitina and Copper (Alaska), the Columbia, the Fraser (British Columbia), the South Nahanni (Northwest Territories), the Upper Balsas, the Grijalva, the Rio Yaqui, the Rio Grande de Santiago (Mexico), and the Rio Napa, Rio Maranon, and the Pongo do Maseriche (South America). Her interests outside of river running included assisting minister Shine Smith with his annual Christmas Party, distributing food to the Navajo Nation and advocating the humane treatment of animals.
Georgie White Clark and James White divorced in 1971.
In the last years of her life, Clark suffered from cancer. She died on May 12, 1992 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Information provided in this biographical history note is based on Georgie Clark: Thirty Years of River Running by Georgie White Clark (1977), Adventures of Georgie White: TV's "Woman of the Rivers" by Rose Marie DeRoss (1958), and a 1991 oral history interview with Georgie White Clark conducted by Karen Underhill (NAU.OH.91.47).
Scope and Content
The Georgie White Clark collection contains newspaper and magazine articles, correspondence, ephemera, trip logs, and photographs documenting Clark's adventures rafting rivers from Alaska to Mexico, as well as her Colorado River rafting company, Georgie's Royal River Rats, as well as a 1991 oral history interview with Clark conducted by Karen Underhill.
Most of the manuscript material in the collection (NAU.MS.270) was originally contained in 17 scrapbooks created by Clark, which were disassembled and photocopied on acid-free paper for preservation purposes. (The original order has been maintained; photographs were separated.) These scrapbooks document Clark's river running career from her first swim down the Colorado in 1945 to her commercial trips in the 1970s. The material in the books indicates what Clark felt was important to save and illustrates the devotion her "river rats" developed for her on her trips. Other materials include Clark's incoming and outgoing correspondence, journals, legal documents, interview transcripts, newspaper and magazine articles, greeting cards, and topographical and profile maps.
Photographic materials (NAU.PH.91.13) include black-and-white and color images removed from Clark's scrapbooks and arranged by original scrapbook and page number. The bulk of the photographs depict running the Colorado River, the river rat initiation, and Clark's friends. Also included are publicity shots of Clark taking trips on the Colorado, Copper and Balsas Rivers and shots of Georgie White Clark making appearances at various club meetings, boat shows, and on television. Additional photographs, originally found loose in the collection, include shots of Clark's 1938 wedding to James White, Clark training for the Ferry Command in Texas, Clark and Harry Aleson on their 1946 trip down the Colorado, Clark running the Colorado and Copper rivers, Clark and Barry Goldwater, Rainbow Bridge, and Sambo (Clark's dog), who accompanied her on all Colorado River trips for over ten years, as well as an album of color photographs taken by Frank Sojka of Glen Canyon in 1962, and exhibit photographs of running the Colorado River that Clark used to promote her trips at boat shows.
Arrangement
Sam Meier organized materials in the Georgie White Clark papers into 3 format-based groupings in 2023, based on their previous physical organization by SCA staff between 1991 and 1995:NAU.PH.91.13 - Photographs, circa 1938-1976
NAU.OH.91.47 - Oral history interviews and video recordings, circa 1990-1991
Restrictions
Conditions Governing Access
SCA staff including Hope Deaver and Melissa Lawton reviewed footage from the VHS videotape labeled "Georgie White - copyrighted NBC + Don Briggs" (NAU.OH.97.41.3) in January 2025. The tape includes an excerpt of a broadcast interview by an NBC affiliate, as well as a video of unknown origin and copyright status, possibly put together by Don Briggs in celebration of Georgie White Clark's birthday. Since this material is or may still be protected by copyright, SCA staff cannot provide online access via the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections.
Please contact Special Collections and Archives to request access or learn more about this item.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for Northern Arizona University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Related Material
Friends of Georgie White Clark collection (NAU.MS.539)
L.C.B. McCullough papers (NAU.MS.53, NAU.PH.92.12, NAU.MS.53.map.1276)
Lee McCurry papers (NAU.MS.534, NAU.PH.92.17, NAU.MI.92.17)
Ivan Summers collection (NAU.MI.2004.2, NAU.AU.2004.2, NAU.PH.2004.2)
Richard E. Westwood collection (NAU.MS.298)
Grand Canyon River Guides collection (NAU.MS.247, NAU.OH.53, NAU.PH.98.4, NAU.MI.2006.3)
Archival materials documenting Georgie White Clark's life donated to Special Collections and Archives by friends of Georgie White Clark, previously Series 2: Friends of Georgie in the Georgie Clark collection (NAU.MS.270), are now found in the Friends of Georgie White Clark collection (NAU.MS.539).
Archival materials documenting Georgie White Clark's life donated to Special Collections and Archives by L.C.B. McCullough, previously Series 2, Subseries 9 in the Georgie Clark collection, are now found in the L.C.B. McCullough papers (NAU.MS.53, NAU.PH.92.12, NAU.MS.53.map.1276).
Archival materials documenting Georgie White Clark's life donated to Special Collections and Archives by Lee McCurry, previously Series 2, Subseries 10 in the Georgie Clark collection, are now found in the Lee McCurry papers (NAU.MS.534, NAU.PH.92.17, NAU.MI.92.17).
Please contact Special Collections and Archives staff with any questions about separated materials.
Controlled Access Terms
Geographic Name(s)
Subject(s)
Technical Access Restrictions
Audiocassettes and VHS videotapes are considered obsolete, near-obsolete, or fragile formats and cannot safely be played back in the Miriam Lemont Reading Room. Please contact Special Collections and Archives to learn more or to request the digitization of these materials. Please note that SCA is not able to digitize all audiovisual material formats on request.
Administrative Information
Digital Material Available
SCA staff digitized selected photographs and oral history interview materials from the Georgie White Clark collection in 2011 and 2012 for online access via the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. Search for "Georgie Clark," "NAU.PH.91.13", or "NAU.OH.91.47" to locate digitized material.
Click here to view digitized photographs from the Georgie White Clark collection.
Item-level links to digitized oral history interview materials are provided below.
Preferred Citation
[Title or brief description of item or file.] Georgie White Clark collection [manuscripts], NAU.MS.270, Box [ ], Folder [ ]. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives. Flagstaff, Arizona.
[Title or brief description of item or file.] Georgie White Clark collection [photographs], NAU.PH.91.13.[ ], Box [ ], Folder [ ]. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives. Flagstaff, Arizona.
[Title or brief description of item or file.] Georgie White Clark collection [oral histories], NAU.OH.91.47.[ ]. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives. Flagstaff, Arizona.
Acquisition Information
Cline Library purchased the bulk of the materials now found in the Georgie White Clark collection from Five Quail Books in 1998.
Georgie White Clark donated an oral history interview (conducted by Karen Underhill) in 1991.
Processing Information
Karen Underhill processed manuscript materials (NAU.MS.270) in the Georgie White Clark collection in 1991. Some photographic materials were separated by Underhill at this time.
Photographic materials which were removed were assigned call numbers beginning with NAU.PH.91.13 by Diane Boyer Grua in 1995. Other photographic materials remained in the manuscript portion of the collection and have not been assigned individual item-level call numbers as of September 2023.
Karen Underhill conducted an oral history interview with Georgie White Clark in 1991, which SCA staff made available online circa the 2000s. However, this interview was not included in the Georgie White Clark collection until it was reprocessed in 2023 by Sam Meier.
In 1994, Chris Johnson and Sally E. Davidson-Chadwick added materials donated by friends of Georgie White Clark's to the Georgie White Clark collection. They assigned unique photograph call numbers to each group of photographic materials, but integrated all manuscript materials (from various donors) into NAU.MS.270 and audiovisual materials (donated by Lee McCurry) into NAU.MI.91.13 and NAU.VT.91.13, respectively.
In May 2022, Sam Meier removed material loaned to SCA by Ivan Summers, previously located in Subseries 10, Box 4, Folder 136, Ivan Summers - Maps, "River Rats Newsletter" and list of names, 1928-1979, after SCA determined that the material had not been formally donated to Special Collections and Archives.
Meier re-processed the Georgie White Clark collection in fall 2023. She removed material of different provenance originally included in the collection in 1994, namely material donated by friends of Georgie White Clark, now found in the Friends of Georgie White Clark collection, the L.C.B McCullough papers, and the Lee McCurry papers. Please see the Separated Materials note for more information.
Container List
| NAU.MS.270 Manuscripts 1931-1992 3.25 linear feet textual material and ephemera | |||||||||||
| Scope & Contents | |||||||||||
| The manuscript portion of the Georgie White Clark collection (NAU.MS.207) includes materials originating from scrapbooks assembled by Clark and others, correspondence, journals, newspaper and magazine clippings, and maps created or kept by Georgie White Clark. Scrapbooks generally contain newspaper and magazine clippings, trip schedules, River Rat songs, passenger journals, promotional material, and ephemera related to Georgie White's Royal River Rats. (Photographs were removed from the scrapbooks and are now found in the Photographs portion of the collection, NAU.PH.91.13.) Journals document river trips, with entries written by Clark and by others. | |||||||||||
| Arrangement | |||||||||||
| Karen Underhill organized manuscript materials in the Georgie White Clark collection into 5 series based on record type in 1991: | |||||||||||
|
Series 1: Scrapbooks, 1942-1976
Series 2: Journals, 1931-1978
Series 3: Correspondence, 1956-1992
Series 4: Printed material, 1944-1992
Series 5: Topographical and profile maps, circa 1950
| |||||||||||
| Series 1: Scrapbooks 1942-1976 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Contents | |||||||||||
| Series one includes materials from seventeen original scrapbooks. The original pagination of each scrapbook has been maintained and noted in pencil on each document. | |||||||||||
| Each scrapbook is composed of an assortment of articles (newspapers and magazines such as time, Arizona Highways, Desert, and Sports Illustrated), trip schedules, river rat songs, Clark's logs (scrapbooks one, four, and five), passenger journals (scrapbooks one, three, six, seven, ten, eleven, twelve, and seventeen), correspondence and greeting cards, and promotional material including appearances on television shows such as "Bold Journey," "Call of the Wild," "Art Linkletter," "Vagabond,' and "Wonderful World of Women." | |||||||||||
| Some special items include a description of Clark's 1945 swim down the Colorado (scrapbook one), a 1050 Look article entitled "Six girls against the Colorado - pinups on the river" (scrapbook one), a personal 1964 letter from President Lyndon B. Johnson about dams on the Colorado (scrapbook nine, folder 18), copies of passenger letters to Stewart Udall urging him to take a trip on the river (scrapbook eleven, folder 24), and a note written by Georgie expressing her dissatisfaction with the National Park Service concession system (scrapbook sixteen, folder 38). Perhaps the most unique item is a 1957 birthday greeting which consists of 380 signatures on role of toilet paper (scrapbook thee, folder 8)! | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1-4 | Scrapbook one, 1942-1955. | |||||||||
| 1 | 5-6 | Scrapbook two, 1942-1959. | |||||||||
| 1 | 7-10 | Scrapbook three, 1956-1958 | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 11 | Scrapbook four, 1956-1959. | |||||||||
| 2 | 12-13 | Scrapbook five, 1959-1960. | |||||||||
| 2 | 14 | Scrapbook six, 1961. | |||||||||
| 2 | 15-16 | Scrapbook seven, 1962. | |||||||||
| 2 | 17 | Scrapbook eight, 1963. | |||||||||
| 2 | 18-19 | Scrapbook nine, 1964. | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 20, 22-23 | Scrapbook ten, 1965. | |||||||||
| 3 | 25-27 | Scrapbook eleven, 1964-1966. | |||||||||
| 3 | 28-29 | Scrapbook twelve, 1967. | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 31-32 | Scrapbook thirteen, 1968. | |||||||||
| 4 | 33-34 | Scrapbook fourteen, 1968-1969. | |||||||||
| 4 | 35-36 | Scrapbook fifteen, 1969-1970. | |||||||||
| 4 | 37 | Scrapbook sixteen, 1971-1972. | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 39-41 | Scrapbook seventeen, 1972-1976. | |||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | Scrapbook cover, 1959. | ||||||||||
| Series 2: Journals 1931-1978 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Contents | |||||||||||
| Series two consists of two folders of trip reminiscences written by Clark and others. Journals are arranged chronologically. | |||||||||||
| The trips described by Clark include: the 1945 swim, 1953 hike, Hell's Canyon, The Grijalva, the Rio Grande del Santiago, the Big Salmon, and the Copper and the Chitina rivers in Alaska. | |||||||||||
| The trips chronicled by passengers include: numerous adventures in the Grand Canyon, Sumidero Canyon of the Grijalva, the San Juan, and Glen Canyon. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 42 | Georgie White Clark's journals circa 1945-1964 | |||||||||
| 5 | 43 | Passenger journals 1931-1978 | |||||||||
| Series 3: Correspondence 1956-1992 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Contents | |||||||||||
| This series consists of seventeen folders of incoming and outgoing correspondence arranged chronologically. This series include annual trip schedules. | |||||||||||
| The bulk of the correspondence consists of birthday greetings and thank you cards and letters. Other topics of interest include: the donation of a river rat boat to the National Park Service, the 1971 installation of a bronze plaque in Moki Canyon which expresses esteem for Georgie, the publication of her book, and radio and television appearances. Former NPS ranger Dan Davis and photographer Josef Muench represent correspondents of note. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 44 | Correspondence, undated | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 45 | Correspondence, 1956. | |||||||||
| 6 | 46 | Correspondence, 1960. | |||||||||
| 6 | 47 | Correspondence, 1964. | |||||||||
| 6 | 48 | Correspondence, 1971. | |||||||||
| 6 | 49 | Correspondence, 1976. | |||||||||
| 6 | 50 | Correspondence, 1970. | |||||||||
| 6 | 51 | Correspondence, 1978. | |||||||||
| 6 | 52 | Correspondence, 1979. | |||||||||
| 6 | 53 | Correspondence, 1980. | |||||||||
| 6 | 54 | Correspondence, 1981. | |||||||||
| 6 | 55 | Correspondence, 1982. | |||||||||
| 6 | 56 | Correspondence, 1983. | |||||||||
| 6 | 57 | Correspondence, 1984. | |||||||||
| 6 | 57A | Correspondence 1988 | |||||||||
| 6 | 57B | Correspondence 1989 | |||||||||
| 6 | 58 | Correspondence, 1991. | |||||||||
| 6 | 59 | Correspondence, 1992. | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 8 | 60 | Correspondence (oversized) 1984 | |||||||||
| Series 4: Printed material 1944-1992 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Contents | |||||||||||
| The bulk of this series is made up of newspaper, magazine, and journal articles about Clark and the Colorado River, which have been photocopied on acid-free paper. Some of these articles are duplicates of those found in series one. Also included are promotional items, a copy of Dan Davis' "Escape routes from the Colorado River" and "Two weeks on the Colorado River with Georgie White." | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 61 | Undated printed material | |||||||||
| 6 | 62 | Printed material, 1944-1960. | |||||||||
| 6 | 63 | Printed material, 1961-1964. | |||||||||
| 6 | 64 | Printed material, 1965-1979. | |||||||||
| 6 | 65 | Printed material, 1968-1979. | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 66 | Printed material, 1980-1992. | |||||||||
| Series 5: Topographical and profile maps circa 1950 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Contents | |||||||||||
| This series consists of 18 maps filed by type of map and location in four folders. The maps all relate to the Colorado River and Grand Canyon and were apparently used regularly by Clark. The profile maps cover miles 1 to 228. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 67-68 | Topographical maps Grand Canyon. | |||||||||
| 7 | 69-70 | Profile maps Grand Canyon. | |||||||||
| NAU.PH.91.13 Photographs circa 1938-1976 55 individually numbered color and black-and-white prints, 6 folders of photographic prints, 1 photo album | |||||||||||
| Scope & Contents | |||||||||||
| The photographs portion of the Georgie White Clark collection (NAU.PH.91.13) contains black-and-white and color images removed from Clark's original scrapbooks and loosely organized by scrapbook number and page number. The bulk of the photographs from the scrapbooks (now found in folders 1-6) depict running the Colorado River, Georgie's Royal River Rats initiation, and Clark's friends. Also included are publicity shots of Clark taking trips on the Colorado, Copper and Balsas Rivers and shots of Georgie making appearances at various club meetings, boat shows, and on television. | |||||||||||
| Individually numbered photographs include 46 8x10 black-and-white and two color photographs found loose in the collection, arranged chronologically. These publication quality photos include shots of Clark's 1938 wedding to James White, Clark training for the Ferry Command in Texas, Clark and Harry Aleson on their 1946 trip down the Colorado, Clark running the Colorado and Copper rivers, Clark and Barry Goldwater, Rainbow Bridge, and Sambo (Clark's dog), who accompanied her on all Colorado River trips for over 10 years. | |||||||||||
| Finally, the collection includes an album of photographs taken by Frank Sojka of Glen Canyon in 1962. Oversize photographs include color photographs of running the Colorado that Clark used to promote her trips at boat shows and in exhibits, dating from the 1960s. | |||||||||||
| Processing Information | |||||||||||
| Karen Underhill separated photographic material from Georgie White Clark's scrapbooks, as well as loose photographic prints, in 1991, creating a photographs series (originally folders 71-81 in the manuscript portion, NAU.MS.270). | |||||||||||
| Diane Boyer Grua and Bob Lunday removed some photographic material from Underhill's folders and assigned individual item-level call numbers (NAU.PH.91.13.1-NAU.PH.91.13.55) to a selection of black-and-white and color prints in the Georgie White Clark collection in 1995. Grua also assigned individual item-level call numbers (NAU.PH.91.13.56-74) to prints found in the photo album assembled by Frank Sojka. | |||||||||||
| As of September 2023, most of the photographs originally found in Clark's scrapbooks (now found in folders 1-6) have not been assigned unique item-level call numbers by SCA staff. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| PH1 | 1 | Photos from scrapbooks 3-10 | |||||||||
| PH1 | 2 | Photos from scrapbook 11 | |||||||||
| PH1 | 3 | Photos from scrapbooks 11-12 | |||||||||
| PH1 | 4 | Photos from scrapbook 12 | |||||||||
| PH1 | 5 | Photos from scrapbooks 13-16 | |||||||||
| PH1 | 6 | Photos from scrapbook 17 | |||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | NAU.PH.91.13.56-74 Glen Canyon by Frank Sojka [album] May 1962 | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.1 Geo - Bike Club 2 org. - Hollywood 100 miles 1937 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.3 Geo - Sweetwater Texas 1944 - Ferry Command during training 1944 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.4 Geo - one of the planes - Ferry Command 1944 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.5 [Harry Aleson and Georgie Clark at end of Grand Canyon raft trip in 1947] William J. Belknap 1947 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.6 Showing hand hold-wrist lock to swim with through lower Grand Canyon 1946 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.7 [Portrait of Georgie Clark, seated, possibly from Bold Journey] 1956 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.8 Bold Journey No. 4 [Georgie Clark standing, holding bowl] 1956 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.9 Geo & dog [Sambo] - home - Marie's Book - page 106 2R 1956 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.10 Sambo takes a river trip, app 1960-1970, 10yrs - only pioneer dog I know off always with me for 10 yrs circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.11 [Georgie Clark at unknown cliff ruin] circa 1956-1958 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.17 Geo always took lots of film shooting rapids circa 1950 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.18 Nankoweap [Georgie Clark scouting rapid through binoculars] 1962 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.19 [Georgie Clark, seated in helmet] circa 1964 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.23 [Georgie Clark in boat] Weber pho circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.24 [Georgie Clark, standing, with hand on boat motor] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.25 [Georgie Clark's back, in swimsuit and white helmet] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.26 [Georgie Clark, standing in helmet and life jacket] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.27 [Georgie Clark and 2 men - one possibly is Fred Eiseman] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.28 Buster's right front paw 6-10-77 [with pawprint on verso] Pee Wee's dog 1yr. my pal June 10, 1977 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.29 Lunch - just above Soap rapid - Colorado River 1958 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.36 Group long ago circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.39 Old old picture app 1957 [Thrill righ and G-rig] 1957 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.41 Cataract 1955 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.42 Small boats 1958 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.43 Lara 1958 - Stackhouse, 1958 1958 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.45 3 small boats - rowed + power circa 1950 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.46 Horn Rapid - Marie's Book also in old Sport Ill. magazine Photograph, 19 x 24. circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.47 Big G-Rig from Life Pictures. Lava Falls, taken from helicopter of Life about 1960. Only one on river circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.49 To Georgie; From River Rats Helen & Francis Vore. Lava Falls Rapid May 1969 | ||||||||||
| PH1 | NAU.PH.91.13.50 [Unidentified person - possibly Stewart Udall - at Rainbow Bridge] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | NAU.PH.91.13.51 [Group of people rafting in boats labeled 'Georgie', likely the Colorado River] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | NAU.PH.91.13.52 [Group of people rafting in boats labeled 'Georgie', likely the Colorado River] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | NAU.PH.91.13.53 [Group of people rafting in boats labeled 'Georgie', likely the Colorado River] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | NAU.PH.91.13.54 [Group of people rafting in boats labeled 'Georgie', likely the Colorado River] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| PH-OVZ-1 | NAU.PH.91.13.55 [Group of people rafting in boats labeled 'Georgie', likely the Colorado River] circa 1960s | ||||||||||
| NAU.OH.91.47 Oral history interviews and video recordings, circa 1990-1991 5 VHS videotapes 3 Floppy disks 4 Audiocassettes 0.25 Linear feet textual materials | |||||||||||
| Scope & Contents | |||||||||||
| The oral history interview and video recordings group (NAU.OH.91.47) includes transcripts and audio (audiocassette) and video recordings (VHS tapes) of an oral history interview with Georgie White Clark conducted by Karen Underhill in November 1991, as well as a VHS videotape labeled "Georgie White - copyrighted NBC + Don Briggs" which contains an excerpt of an NBC broadcast interview with Clark as well as unidentified footage, possibly compiled by Don Briggs for Clark's 80th birthday in 1990. | |||||||||||
| Access Restrictions | |||||||||||
| SCA staff including Hope Deaver and Melissa Lawton reviewed footage from the VHS videotape labeled "Georgie White - copyrighted NBC + Don Briggs" (NAU.OH.97.41.3) in January 2025. The tape includes an excerpt of a broadcast interview by an NBC affiliate, as well as a video of unknown origin and copyright status, possibly put together by Don Briggs in celebration of Georgie White Clark's birthday. Since this material is or may still be protected by copyright, SCA staff cannot provide online access via the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. | |||||||||||
| Please contact Special Collections and Archives to request access or learn more about this item. | |||||||||||
| Digital Material Available | |||||||||||
| SCA staff digitized selected photographs and oral history interview materials from the Georgie White Clark collection in 2011 and 2012 for online access via the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. Search for "Georgie Clark," "NAU.PH.91.13", or "NAU.OH.91.47" to locate digitized material. | |||||||||||
| Click here to view digitized photographs from the Georgie White Clark collection. | |||||||||||
| Item-level links to digitized oral history interview materials are provided below. | |||||||||||
| Technical Access Restrictions | |||||||||||
| Audiocassettes and VHS videotapes are considered obsolete, near-obsolete, or fragile formats and cannot safely be played back in the Miriam Lemont Reading Room. Please contact Special Collections and Archives to learn more or to request the digitization of these materials. Please note that SCA is not able to digitize all audiovisual material formats on request. | |||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| OH1 | NAU.OH.91.47.1A-B Oral history interview with Georgie White Clark, conducted by Karen Underhill November 6-7, 1991 4 audiocassettes, 4 VHS videotapes, 2 3.5" floppy disks, 1 5" floppy disk, 4 folders textual material | ||||||||||
| Oral history interview with Georgie Clark [with transcript] (part 1) Oral history interview with Georgie Clark [with transcript] (part 2) | |||||||||||
| Scope & Contents | |||||||||||
| This oral history interview covers Clark's childhood, early memories, her 1936 bicycle trip, her husbands Harold Clark and James White and other significant romantic relationships, her daughter Sommona Rose and Sommona's death in 1944 at age 15, swimming the Colorado River with Harry Aleson in 1945 and at other times, her river rafting company Georgie's Royal River Rats, her use of motorized and oar boats, her boatmen (and "boatwomen), initiations and rituals for River Rats, her iconic leopard print outfits, safety issues associated with her approach to whitewater rafting, injuries and deaths which occured during her trips, the Glen Canyon Dam, and her thoughts on river rafting, the Colorado River, and Grand Canyon in general. | |||||||||||
| NAU.OH.91.47.3 | Georgie White - Copyrighted NBC + Don Briggs circa 1990 1 VHS videotapes | ||||||||||
| Access Restrictions | |||||||||||
| SCA staff including Hope Deaver and Melissa Lawton reviewed footage from the VHS videotape labeled "Georgie White - copyrighted NBC + Don Briggs" (NAU.OH.97.41.3) in January 2025. The tape includes an excerpt of a broadcast interview by an NBC affiliate, as well as a video of unknown origin and copyright status, possibly put together by Don Briggs in celebration of Georgie White Clark's birthday. Since this material is or may still be protected by copyright, SCA staff cannot provide online access via the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. | |||||||||||
| Please contact Special Collections and Archives to request access or learn more about this item. | |||||||||||