This collection is comprised of correspondence, photographs, research notes, newspaper clippings, and other materials related to the Willie Boy manhunt of 1909. Topics include the Willie Boy manhunt, Harry W. Lawton's book, Willie Boy: A Desert Manhunt, the motion picture, Tell Them Willie Boy Was Here, and the legal case concerning the book, The Hunt for Willie Boy: Indian-Hating and Popular Culture. The collection includes four artifacts from the Willie Boy manhunt, which include three tin cups and a horse stirrup, Sheriff Frank Wilson's original report on the manhunt, a bone fragment purported to be from Willie Boy, scrapbooks, typescripts, screenplays, and posters.

Harry Wilson Lawton (1927-2005) was a journalist and author known for his nonfiction novel Willie Boy: A Desert Manhunt (Paisano Press, 1960). Lawton wrote for the Riverside Press-Enterprise in the 1950s and later taught in the University of California, Riverside Department of Creative Writing. He helped found the Malki Museum on the Morongo Reservation. The Western film Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (Universal Pictures, 1969) was based on Lawton's book, written and directed by Abraham Polonsky.

12.81 linear feet (15 boxes, 1 flat file folder)

Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

This collection is open for research. Some materials have been restricted while being consulted on under CalNAGPRA and NAGPRA as required by state and federal law, and are noted as such within this finding aid.