This album contains 93 photographic prints taken by Frank Churchill in February-March 1904 in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California. The album was later compiled and captioned by Clara Churchill. Some of the photographs were also later hand colored by Clara Churchill. The photographs were taken in K'apovi (Santa Clara) and Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan) Pueblos in New Mexico; Sacaton among the Akimel O'Odham (Pima) and Fort Mojave Indian Reservation in Arizona; and Chemehuevi, Riverside, and Redlands in California, during Frank Churchill's assignment as U.S. Indian Inspector to visit Indian day schools and boarding schools.
The photographs taken at the K'apovi (Santa Clara) and Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan) Pueblos in New Mexico include—Governor Francisco Naranjo, his wife and their home (where Mr. Churchill and Mr. Crandall stayed during their visit to Santa Clara); an elderly man showing beads to Mrs. Churchill; a young girl with a water jar; Antonio (no last name) and Joseph Eldodt (son of trader Sam Eldodt). The photographs taken in and around Sacaton, on the Gila River Indian Reservation include—Cacti and desert views; Brush shelters and houses; Inscription rocks; an Akimel O'odham (Pima) arrow maker and pottery maker; and an Akimel O'odham woman on the banks of the Gila River. Photographs taken in and around the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation in Arizona and California include—Views of Fort Mojave; Women selling beads in Needles (CA); Mary (bead maker) wife of Washerman Bill; Grain storage baskets made of arrow weed; Gold Roads Mine; Mr. Walker's Camp; Trading post (former military canteen); Girls at the U.S. Indian School; and a view of the Chemehuevi Camp in San Bernadino County (CA).
Photographs taken in and around Riverside, California, include—Views of the Sherman Institute (U.S. Indian School); School Superintendent Harwood Hall's residence; C.F. Lummis and Harwood Hall; Perris School, including Mr. Churchill and H. Hall; Orange groves with Mrs. Churchill and Mrs. Hall; Portraits of the Hall family including Lylah Hall (daughter); Rubidoux Hill; views of date palms, lemon trees and roses. Additional photographs from southern California include views from La Casa Loma and Smiley Heights in Redlands. Many of the California photographs do not have corresponding negatives in this collection. An additional two photographs are at the end of this album, most likely not taken by Frank or Clara Churchill. These are of the Crandall collection in Santa Fe and of a Taos man (date unknown).
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadbast materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Frank C. and Clara G. Churchill collection, NMAI.AC.058, National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
