Abstract
The Elbert Edwards Photograph Collection contains photographs of Nevada from 1852 to 1991. The collection has a wide variety of photographs, including: white pioneers and settlers; early Nevada towns; Nevada politicians; early Las Vegas landmarks; Boulder City schools; petroglyphs from Nevada's indigenous populations; Lost City and Lake Mead; railroads; the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam); Basic Magnesium Inc. in Henderson, Nevada; geographical features; the Edwards family; and photographs of Elbert Edwards's participation in the Las Vegas Education Association and the Rotary Club.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Elbert Edwards Photograph Collection contains photographs of Nevada from 1852 to 1991. The collection includes a wide variety of photographs: white pioneers and settlers arriving in Nevada in the late-nineteenth century; early towns such as Pioche, Caliente, Candelaria, and Panaca; Nevada politicians such as the governors from 1861 to 1973 and US Senator Pat McCarran; early Las Vegas landmarks such as Fremont Street, the court house, the Mormon Fort, Las Vegas High School, the Stewart Ranch, and the Kyle (Kiel or Taylor) Ranch; Boulder City schools; petroglyphs from Nevada's indigenous populations; Lost City and Lake Mead; railroad surveyors, depots, and housing; mines and miners; steamboats on the Colorado River; the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam); Basic Magnesium Inc. in Henderson, Nevada; geographical features like Moapa Valley, the Muddy River, Spring Valley, Valley of Fire, and Pahranagat Lake; the Edwards family; and photographs of Elbert Edwards's participation in several organizations, including the Las Vegas Education Association and the Rotary Club.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Some collection material has been digitized and is available online.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into eleven series:
Series I. Early Las Vegas, Nevada, 1876-1964;
Series II. Early Nevada, 1952-1968;
Series III. Hoover Dam, 1930-1965;
Series IV. Towns and cities, 1890-1972;
Series V. Mines and mills, 1881-1911;
Series VI. Railroad survey camps, 1903-1904;
Series VII. Native Americans and petroglyphs, 1965-1975;
Series VIII. People, 1861-1991;
Series IX. Powell Commemorative Ceremony, 1969;
Series X. Old Spanish Trail, 1970s-1980s;
Series XI. Miscellaneous, 1934-1976.
Biographical / Historical Note
Elbert Edwards was born in 1907 in Panaca, Nevada to pioneer Mormon settlers. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to accept a teaching position at the newly opened Las Vegas High School in 1929. Edwards taught seventh-grade social studies and also served as Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction before he became Superintendent of the Las Vegas School District. During his 37-year tenure, he also authored numerous publications on Nevada history, especially concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In addition to his school service, Edwards was president and executive secretary of the Nevada Scholastic League for eleven years, a member of the Rotary Club, and served on the Nevada Public Employees Retirement Board. Edwards was also a member of the original Boulder City Charter and the City Civil Service Commission. He also spent sixteen years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Nevada Historical Society. In 1977, the Elbert B. Edwards Elementary School was named in his honor. He died in 1989 at the age of 82.
Preferred Citation
Elbert Edwards Photograph Collection, 1852-1991. PH-00214. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1981 by Elbert Edwards, and additional donations were made in 1985 and 1991 by Mary Edwards; accession number 1981-124.
Processing Note
In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards.