Bell Family Photograph Albums of Travel in the American West photCL 212
Suzanne Oatey
The Huntington Library
March 2021
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library Photo Archives
Title: Bell family photograph albums of travel in the American West
Identifier/Call Number: photCL 212
Physical Description:
5.67 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1908-1924
Abstract: A group of family photograph albums
dated 1908 to 1924, depicting automobile trips throughout the American West to national and
state parks.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
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[Identification of item]. Bell family photograph albums of travel in the American West, The
Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Raymond M. Bell, 1976.
A collection of 10 family photograph albums, 1908-1924, chiefly of trips to tourist sites
and national parks in the Western United States, depicting travel by car, mountain camping,
natural scenery, and hiking. Little is known about the Bell family, but most of the
snapshots have captions identifying locations and dates. One album says photographs by J. O.
Downing, and there is a postcard album with postcards sent from all over the country,
approximately 1910s. Album contents: Vol. 1. Sierra Club trip, Glacier National Park, 1924
-- Vol. 2. My 1923 Outing: Southern Nevada - Southern Utah - Northern Arizona (with two-page
narrative describing an 1,850-mile automobile trip) -- Vol. 3. Construction of Granite Reef
Dam, 1908, on the Salt River, Arizona, with workers' encampment and residences. Some
snapshots of Native Americans; town of Roosevelt; Roosevelt Power Canal; Tonto Basin -- Vol.
4. Mount Rainier trip, August 1921 -- Vol. 5. Red Rock Canyon (Mojave Desert, Nevada), 1919
-- Vol. 6. Sequoia Park, July 1918 -- Vol. 7. High Sierra, Sierra Nevada Mountains, 1919 --
Vol. 8. Camp High Sierra, 1923 -- Vol. 9. Scenery and people at a log cabin, horseback
riding, around Pinecrest, Tuolumne County, California, 1910s? -- Vol. 10. Souvenir postcards
sent from various places in the United States, 1910s?.
Volume numbers were assigned by Huntington Library staff circa late-20th century. In 2021,
Suzanne Oatey created a finding aid.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Automobile travel -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century
Camping
Dams -- Arizona
Hiking -- California
Outdoor recreation
Glacier National Park (Mont.)
Granite Reef Dam (Ariz.)
Mount Rainier National Park
(Wash.)
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)
West (U.S.) -- Description and
travel
Photographs
Photograph albums
Postcards
Box 1
Volumes 1-2 1923-1924
Box 2
Volumes 3-6 1908-1921
Box 3
Volumes 7-8 1919-1923
Box 4
Volumes 9-10 1910s?