Abstract
The Willis B. Smith Collection (1958) on Western Airlines consists of two news releases from Western Airlines about the company's history and two letters to Willis B. Smith. The collection describes the founding of Western Airlines and its early flights from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California. It also contains a color photograph of a Western Air DC-10 airliner in flight.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Willis B. Smith Collection (1958) on Western Airlines consists of two news releases from Western Airlines about the company's history and two letters to Willis B. Smith. The collection describes the founding of Western Airlines and its early flights from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California. It also contains a color photograph of a Western Air DC-10 airliner in flight.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical Note
Western Airlines operated between 1926 and 1987 when it merged with Delta Airlines. They began operation as Western Air Express on April 17, 1926, flying between Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, California via Las Vegas, Nevada as the first commercial air flight to carry United States mail. On May 23, 1926, Western Air Express started carrying passengers. In 1941, they changed their name to Western Airlines. Western Airlines and Delta Airlines merged on April 1, 1987.
Source:
Delta Flight Museum, Western Airlines History. https://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/family-tree/western-airlines. Last accessed 08 July 2015.
Preferred Citation
Willis B. Smith Collection on Western Airlines, 1958. MS-00123. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Permalink
Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1975 by Willis B. Smith; accession number 75-89-1.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff. In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Angela Moor revised and enhanced the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2018, Angela Moor described additional material in the collection.