Abstract
The James B. Wilson Jr. Photographs depict the lives of James B. Wilson Sr., James B. Wilson Jr., and George Twison "Tweed" Wilson and their business, the Sandstone Ranch in Southern Nevada. The collection consists of twenty-four images dated from 1868 to 1972. The images consist of ranching activities, land where the ranch was located, and members of the Wilson family. Many of the photographic prints have corresponding negatives. Negatives have been housed separately and can be found in box 02.
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Date
Extent
Scope and Contents Note
The James B. Wilson Jr. Photographs are comprised of black-and-white images of James B. Wilson Sr., James B. Wilson Jr., and George Twinson “Tweed” Wilson and their ranch from 1868 until 1972. In addition to materials focusing on day-to-day activities at the ranch, the photographs provide insight into the surrounding land, building structures at the ranch, and Wilson family members. The materials provide historical documentation of the usage of land now known as Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. The items described include photographic prints and negatives; some of the prints have corresponding negatives which are not listed separately. Items listed are photographic prints unless otherwise specified. Images listed specifically as negatives exist only in that format.
Access Note
The collection is open for research. Portions of this collection have been digitized and are 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 two series:
Series I. Wilson Ranch, 1868-1930;
Series II. People, 1898-1972
Biographical / Historical Note
James B. Wilson Sr. settled in Nevada after his release from military service at Fort Mojave in 1864. He opened a delivery business to transport goods to isolated mining camps outside of Las Vegas, Nevada with his friend George Anderson. Anderson married a Paiute woman from a nearby reservation who had a child from a previous relationship. Wilson fell in love with the same woman and convinced her to name her child James Jr. after him. She and Anderson had one child together, George Twison “Tweed” Anderson. Anderson's wife died giving birth to their son and Anderson died a few years later. James Wilson Sr. adopted the boys and they took his last name. In 1867, Wilson Sr. settled the Sandstone Ranch and began raising cattle. He died in 1906 and passed the ranch onto his adopted sons. James Jr. and Tweed kept the Sandstone Ranch until dire financial straits forced them to sell in 1929. Willard George Kiel bought the land from them, but allowed the Wilsons to live on the property in their old house. James Jr. died in 1943. Kiel sold the property in 1949 to Charles Lauck of the Lum and Abner comedy duo, who later sold it to Baroness Vera Krupp in 1955. Tweed Wilson lived at Sandstone Ranch until his death in 1960. The property changed hands several more times until the Nevada Division of State Parks purchased it. The Wilson’s Sandstone Ranch is now part of the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park and the Red Rock Conservation Area.
Preferred Citation
James B. Wilson Jr. Photographs, approximately 1868-1972. PH-00011. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff. In 2016, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Maryse Lundering-Timpano wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards.