Materials contain photographs of J. T. McWilliams and the McWilliams family from 1930 to 1938. McWilliams was a surveyor and civil engineer who founded the original Las Vegas townsite (McWilliams Town). He also owned a portion of Lee Canyon, which he donated to become a public park.
Materials depict the Hughes H-1 Racer in 1937. The photographs primarily depict Howard Hughes standing with the plane or in the plane's cockpit. The plane was designed by Glenn Odekirk and built by Hughes Aircraft Company in 1935, the first plane produced by the company. Hughes broke several records in the H-1, including the landplane speed record in 1935. In 1937, Hughes broke his own transcontinental speed record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City, New York in 7 hours, 28 minutes. Despite its speed, Hughes was unable to sell the H-1 to the U.S. military.
Archival Collection
Howard Hughes Public Relations Photograph Collection
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Collection Number: PH-00373 Collection Name: Howard Hughes Public Relations Photograph Collection Box/Folder: N/A
The black and white, skyline view of New York City with Lockheed 14 aircraft flying in the foreground. Typed onto paper included with the image: "New York- Howard Hughes' plane over New York after flight around the world. 7/14/38"