Abstract
The Fred and Maurine Wilson Photograph Collection depicts the Wilson Family, events, and locations in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Southwestern United States from approximately 1860 to 1990. The photographs primarily depict early Las Vegas, including the Mormon Fort and Kiel Ranch; mines, towns, and railroads in Southern Nevada; the construction and planning of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam on the Colorado River; and the Wilson Family. The photographs also include prominent Las Vegas families such as the Park Family, aerial photographs of the city, landmarks on Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas, and desert landscapes.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Fred and Maurine Wilson Photograph Collection depicts the Wilson and Hubbard families, events, and locations in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Southwestern United States from approximately 1860 to 1990. The photographs primarily depict early Las Vegas, including the Mormon Fort and Kiel Ranch; mines, towns, and railroads in Southern Nevada; the construction and planning of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam on the Colorado River; and the Wilson Family. The photographs also include prominent Las Vegas families such as the Park Family, aerial photographs of the city, landmarks on Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas, and desert landscapes. The items described include black-and-white photographic prints, postcards, negatives, and slides; items listed are photographic prints unless otherwise specified.
Access Note
Collection is open for research with the exception of materials that are closed in accordance with Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 383.011-383.540. Restrictions are noted at the file level of this inventory. 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 and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged into five series:
Series I. Early Las Vegas, Nevada photographs, approximately 1870-1960;
Series II. Southern Nevada photographs, 1863-1960;
Series III. Hoover Dam and Colorado River photographs, approximately 1925-1960;
Series IV. Southwestern United States photographs, approximately 1900-1974;
Series V. Wilson Family photographs, approximately 1860-1990.
Biographical / Historical Note
Helen Maurine Hubbard Wilson (1898-1990) was born in Missouri, but moved to Colorado with her parents where she graduated high school and attended Colorado Women's College in Denver as a music major. In 1922, she married Fred Holmes Wilson (1898-1958), a native of Cañon City, Colorado who had served in the Naval Geologic Services during World War I. In 1925, the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Fred worked for the United States Postal Service and Maurine taught music and served as the organist for the First Methodist Church.
Soon after their arrival in Las Vegas, the Wilsons met and became close friends with Dr. William S. Park and his family. They shared a deep interest in the history, archaeology, and geology of southern Nevada, and the two families made many trips throughout the southwest and California. In 1929, Fred Wilson and William S. Park began to assemble a photographic and film history of early Las Vegas, documenting everything from baseball games to the first air mail delivery to Las Vegas. Their efforts were cut short when Fred Wilson's health began to decline in 1940. After that, Wilson devoted his time to historical research. Fred Wilson passed away in 1958 after a long illness.
Maurine Hubbard Wilson preserved the legacies of her husband and William S. Park, donating the bulk of their photographic and manuscript collections to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives over the course of the 1970s and 1980s. She died in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990.
Source:
"The Lost City," National Park Service, accessed April 18, 2019, https://www.nps.gov/lake/learn/the-lost-city.htm
Hopkins, A. D., "A Heritage in Home Movies," Nevadan, Las Vegas Review-Journal March 16, 1980, pp.30-31J.
Philips, Marjory, "Maurine Hubbard Wilson: a salute to the people who are building our Southern Nevada community," Nevada Manuscripts Program for the Bicentennial, 1976.
Preferred Citation
Fred and Maurine Wilson Photograph Collection, approximately 1860-1990. PH-00014. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in several installments from 1975 to 1980 by Fred and Maurine Wilson; accession numbers 75-289, 76-27, 77-6, 78-32, 78-118, 80-112.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff. In 2016, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards. In 2020, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Melise Leech revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.