Mildred E. Baker Travel Scrapbook Collection: Finding Aid

Box 1

Volumes 1-3

Volume 1

[Sunset Hill "Christmas" scrapbook album]. 1927-1928

Physical Description: volume 15 x 21 cm

Volume containing approximately 48 snapshots from Sunset Hill, the summer home and artist's retreat of bookbinder John F. Grabau, near Buffalo, New York. The photographs include views of the Sunset Hill property, bookbinding classes, binding specimens, and Baker and her friends, presumably members of the "Ojenta tribe" of the Woodcraft League of America, on outdoor outings and dressed in Native American costumes.

With inscription "To Mildred E. Baker, A reminder of pleasant Woodcraft days at Sunset Hill from her friend Tah-ko-dah, Christmas 1927," as well as some clippings, and typescript poems. Binding stamped "Grabau."

Volume 2

[Sunset Hill and Algonquin Park "birthday" scrapbook album]. 1927-1933

Physical Description: volume 20 x 25 cm

Volume containing approximately 120 snapshots of Sunset Hill and a trip to Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, with images of Baker and her group of friends, presumably members of the "Ojenta tribe" of the Woodcraft League of America, John F. Grabau, swimming and boating, dressing in Native American costumes, and bookbinding specimens including a display of Baker's bindings from a local book show.

With inscription: "Happy Birthday to Wicaga, Mildred E. Baker from her friends in the Book-binding class, Dec. 23rd. 1929," signed by Florence A. Huck, Lillian E. Prior, Elizabeth B. Rosa, Dorothy Bateman, Donna Ann Hanes, John F. Grabau, Martha B. Harwood, Sally Knight, Katherine Crisp, and J. Bernard Vogle." Also contains clippings, sketches from Algonquin Park, and Christmas cards. Binding stamped "Grabau."

Volume 3

Navajo Mountain. Aug. 1931

Physical Description: volume 16.5 x 23 cm

Volume containing typescript account and approximately 67 snapshots of trip to the American Southwest begun on August 14, 1931, by Baker and Huck, illustrated with pasted clippings, published illustrations and postcards. The photographs and the descriptions document camping, the natural landscape, rock formations, tour guide Jack Wilson and his wife, Katherine Wilson, travel by automobile and burrows, Navajo trading posts, and cliff dwellings. Included are two images and a description of a Navajo "sheep dip," identified as "Navajos dipping sheep and goats in a lime-sulphur solution for 'scabs.' Near Tonalea." Locations include Arizona; Utah; Rainbow Bridge; Surprise Valley; Navajo Mountain; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Puyé cliff dwellings; and the Taos Pueblo. With "Harveycar Motor Cruises through the Great Southwest" map pasted in at back of volume. Binding stamped "Grabau."

Box 2

Volumes 4-5

Volume 4

Anthology of Sunset Hill (Its Trails and Poets' Glen). 1934-approximately 1938

Physical Description: volume 21 x 17 cm

Volume containing typescript and handwritten poems, dated from 1927-1938, and a typescript dedication address for Poets' Glen, Sunset Hill, on September 30, 1934, by Dr. George B. Neumann. Illustrated with approximately ten photographs.

With handwritten inscription to Baker for her birthday from John F. Grabau, 1934. Leather binding has imprint of Grabau, 1934.

Related Material

Florence Huck's copy of Anthology of Sunset Hill, with an inscription from Baker and Grabau, is held by the Buffalo Central Library.

Volume 5

Some poems of Sunset Hill by Mildred E. Baker, Wm. P. Alexander and others. Christmas 1936

Physical Description: volume 19.5 x 15 cm

Volume with handwritten poems, dated from 1927-1934, illustrated with eight 4 x 6 3/4 inch photographs of natural scenery.

With handwritten inscription, "This book has been engrossed and bound ... by her Friend Florence A. Huck, 1936." Leather binding stamped "Grabau."

Box 3

Volumes 6-7

Volume 6

Memorable Days on Teton Trails. 1934

Physical Description: volume 22 x 27 cm

Volume with typescript detailed narrative and 111 snapshots of a pack trip to Grand Teton National Park from July 14-29, 1934, by Baker, Huck, and Crisp. Includes a list of identified flowers, shrubs, trees, ferns, and birds that were seen. The scrapbook also contains a map of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, as well as newspaper clippings, postcards, and a pamphlet on the Grand Teton National Park from the United States Department of the Interior (1934). Leather binding stamped "Grabau."

Volume 7

A Glimpse of the Old West. August 16th-September 2nd, 1935.

Physical Description: volume 21 x 27 cm

Volume with typescript detailed narrative and approximately 100 snapshots of trip by airplane to New Mexico by Baker and Huck. Includes description of airplane travel. With a list of identified plants, trees, grasses, vines, shrubs, ferns, sedges, birds, mammals, and reptiles that were seen. Images include the airplane, Double S Ranch (near Cliff, New Mexico), Mountain Camp, horses, Mogollon Mountains, El Paso, Texas, and Carlsbad Caverns. With clippings and postcards, and a booklet, "Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico" by Isabelle F. Story (United States Department of the Interior, 1934) and Santa Fe Railroad "Off the Beaten Path by Motor" map.

With Christmas inscription to Baker from John F. Grabau, 1935. Leather binding stamped "Grabau."

Box 4

Volumes 8-9

Volume 8

Wilderness Wanderings in Jasper and Mt. Robson Parks. July 3rd to 23rd 1936

Volume with typescript detailed narrative and 173 snapshots of camping trip to the Canadian Rockies by Baker, Huck, and Crisp. With a birthday inscription to Baker from Huck, December 1936. Includes several magazine photographs, brochure for Brewster's Rocky Mountain Ranch in Jasper, Alberta, and booklet The Geological Story of Jasper National Park, Canada by E. M. Kindle (National Parks of Canada, Department of the Interior) and a fold-out map of Jasper Park. Narrative includes a list of identified birds, mammals, butterflies, plants, trees, ferns, and shrubs. Leather binding stamped "Grabau."

Volume 9

Trail Riding in the Canadian Rockies. July 23 to Aug. 8, 1937

Physical Description: volume 22 x 27 cm

Volume with typescript narrative and 97 snapshots documenting a trip to the Canadian Rockies by Baker, Huck, and Crisp, and a stay on the Kananaskis Ranch and Brewster Ranch in Alberta. Contains an account of the trail ride and stay at Lake Louise and CPR hotels. A list of herbaceous plants, trees, ferns, butterflies, shrubs, animals, and birds is appended. Also contains a small map of the "Route of the General Trail Ride and the Pow Wow, July 30-Aug. 3, 1937," plus a list of the participants in the Trail Rides party plus song sheet of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies. Includes articles, photographs, and illustrations about the Trail Riders. In addition, there is a large map of Lake Louise Park; one Christmas letter from Kananaskis Ranch, signed by the whole Brewster family, and 6 magazine photos and 1 magazine with an article on Mt. Assiniboine. Leather binding stamped "Grabau."

Box 5

Volumes 10-11

Volume 10

Peace of Rainbow and Canyon. July 2nd to 25th, 1938.

Physical Description: volume 22 x 27 cm

Volume with typescript narrative and approximately 200 snapshots of a trip to the Grand Canyon and Rainbow Bridge Canyon by Baker, Huck, and Crisp. A list of identified herbaceous plants, trees, ferns, shrubs, grasses, butterflies, birds, and mammals is appended. Also includes a one-page list of Navajo terms, a map of Indian reservations in Arizona, and some clippings. Includes images of the Grand Canyon, Havasu Canyon, pictographs in Havasu, Mooney Falls, Navajos at Cameron, Jack and Katherine Wilson, Rainbow Bridge, the Colorado River, Surprise Valley, a Navajo weave, Piute Canyon, Betatakin cliff dwellings, Tsegi Canyon, Inscription House ruins, and Inscription Camp. Leather binding stamped "Grabau."

Volume 11

Rough Water. Down the Green and Colorado Rivers from Green River, Wyoming, to Boulder Dam, Nevada. June 20th-August 22nd, 1940

Physical Description: volume 22 x 27 cm

Volume with typescript narrative, illustrated with approximately 400 photographs, of traveling down the Green and Colorado Rivers, from Green River, Wyoming, to Lake Mead, Nevada, with Norman D. Nevills and his wife, Doris Nevills, of Bluff, Utah; Salt Lake City assayer B. W. Deason; mining engineer John S. Southworth of Glendale, California; botanist Hugh C. Cutler of the Missouri Botanical Gardens; boatman Del Reed; the trip's official photographer Charles W. Larabee of Kansas City, Missouri; and future Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Contains descriptions of the river runs, campsites, and animals and birds seen. Includes photographs of camping, traveling in boats marked "Nevills Expedition," river rapids, canyons and rock formations, as well as Native American petroglyphs and messages on rocks from previous expeditions; and the remnants of boat wrecks. Mentions that carrier pigeons were used for sending messages, films, and reports of the expedition's progress directly to the Salt Lake Tribune-Telegram newspaper. Also contains newspaper clippings and an article from the magazine Land of Sunshine (January 1900, vol. 12, no. 5) titled, "Finding the Colorado." Binding stamped "Grabau."

Items 1-13

Loose photographs 1940-1941

Physical Description: 13 photographs

Set of thirteen chiefly 8 x 10" photographs found in the back of the scrapbooks of the Nevills Expedition. The photographer presumably is C. W. Larabee, official photographer for the expedition down the Colorado and Green River. Photographs consist of:

Item 1. Mildred E. Baker drinking out of a tin cup
Items 2-4. The Nevills Expedition packing their 3 boats
Items 5-7. The Nevills Expedition taking a lunch break and viewing the Colorado River rapids
Item 8. Walking in the cliff formations near the Colorado River
Items 9-10. The Nevills Expedition tying up their boats, with views of striated rock formations
Item 11. Rock formations
Item 12-13. 5 x 7 in. prints showing Indian petroglyphs found on rock walls.

Box 6

Volumes 12-13

Volume 12

[Scrapbook of newspaper clippings related to the Nevills expedition]. 1940-1941

Physical Description: volume 28 x 25 cm

Volume consisting solely of clippings including a series of newspaper articles written by Doris Nevills, about the Nevills Expedition, 1940-1941, titled "Woman Conqueror of the Colorado," as well as some clippings by other authors and a typescript description of the 1940 expedition by Norman D. Nevills, titled "Descent of the Canyons." No photographs.

Volume 13

Turquoise Skies and Copper Canyon. 1942

Physical Description: volume 25 x 18 cm

Black binder containing a typescript account and 54 snapshots of a pack trip to the American Southwest by Baker, Huck, and Crisp in July 1942, including the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, Monument Valley, Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge Canyon in Utah, with poems at end. Contains list of identified birds, animals, grasses, plants, trees, and shrubs. Also includes some magazine clippings.

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