Abstract
The James H. Down Jr. Photograph Collection (approximately 1915-1940) consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives, as well as color photographic slides and postcards. The images depict scenes in and around Las Vegas and Goodsprings, Nevada. Also included are Glenn Davis' photographs of the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), Black Canyon, the Colorado River, and Lake Mead. Most of the images portray the construction phases of the Hoover Dam.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The James H. Down Jr. Photograph Collection (approximately 1915-1940) consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives, as well as color photographic slides and postcards. The images depict scenes in and around Las Vegas and Goodsprings, Nevada. Also included are Glenn Davis' photographs of the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), Black Canyon, the Colorado River, and Lake Mead. Most of the images portray the construction phases of the Hoover Dam.
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 remain as they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
James H. Down Jr. was born on December 19, 1907 to James H. Down Sr. and Eva Lucille Young in Michigan. Down Jr. married Lucille McKenzie on August 31, 1931. He served as head of the Clark County Chamber of Commerce, and later as Justice of the Peace. He was also a member of the Las Vegas Housing Authority for thirty-four years. He died on January 21, 1981 in Las Vegas.
James H. Down Sr. was born on September 18, 1877 in Port Huron, Michigan to George Garner and Mary E. Garner. After his parents' deaths, Down Sr. was placed in an orphanage. In 1888, Walter A. Down took in Down Sr. and adopted him in 1890. In 1907, Down Sr. married Eva Lucille Young. They moved to Portland, Oregon in 1911, then to Los Angeles, California in 1913. In 1916, the Down family moved to Goodsprings, Nevada, and Down Sr. began working at George A. Fayle's general store. In 1924, the Down family relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Down Sr. opened an automobile dealership. Down Sr. served as Clark County, Nevada County Commissioner in 1933, then again in 1942. He died from a heart attack in 1946 in Las Vegas.
Sources:
"Commissioner Down." Clark County Parks & Recreation. Accessed on March 11, 2020. http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks/Documents/centennial/commissioners/commissioner-j-down.pdf#search=james%20h%2E%20down
Genealogy files about "James H. Down Sr." Accessed on March 11, 2020 on familysearch.org
Preferred Citation
James H. Down Jr. Photograph Collection, approximately 1915-1940. PH-00015 . Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1975 and 1979 by James H. Down Jr., Dorothy Down Lawrence, and Lucille McKenzie Down; accession number 1979-209-B.
Processing Note
In 2020, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Ryan DiPaolo wrote the finding aid and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.