Alumnae Council (University of Michigan) records, 1890-1999 (majority within 1917-1980)
4.5 linear feet
The records of the University of Michigan Alumnae Council are divided into two series: Photographs and Meeting Minutes.
4.5 linear feet
The records of the University of Michigan Alumnae Council are divided into two series: Photographs and Meeting Minutes.
4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder
The records of the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce include correspondence, minutes of meetings of the board of directors, subject files, photographs, and newspaper clippings concerning community projects. There are also papers concerning the work of Economic Development Committee and the Central Business District Committee, and the development of Greater Ann Arbor Research Park.
1 volume
Cyanotypes of University buildings and campus views; also Ann Arbor, Michigan street views, and canoeing, probably on the Huron River.
40 items
The maps in this collection were not created by Atwell-Hicks, but were apparently acquired by the firm in the course of its business.
There are four groups of maps in the collection: Plat maps of Washtenaw County (20 maps), Plat maps of Ann Arbor (11 maps), Maps of mill sites along the Huron River at Broadway in Ann Arbor (7 maps), and Miscellaneous (1 map).
Plat maps of Washtenaw County include one map for each township, which show names of initial land purchasers and subsequent landowners through about the 1850s. Plat maps of Ann Arbor are cadastral maps (show property boundaries) and some show land ownership as well. Maps of mill sites along the Huron River at Broadway in Ann Arbor show in great detail the complex of mills, millraces, dams, and outbuildings in the Broadway area. Miscellaneous includes one map of a lake in Lenawee County.
24 oversize volumes — 4 linear feet (in 6 boxes) — 1 oversize folder
The Charles Rasch Collection (23 oversize volumes and 5 linear feet) is primarily composed of photographs and negatives documenting Michigan scenery. There is particularly strong coverage of Birmingham, MI, Harsen's Island, MI, the Island Lake Recreation Area in Brighton, MI, and the Bald Mountain Recreation Area in Oakland, MI. Many of these photographs, especially his early black and white work, display his artistic training and sensibilities. Rasch's scrapbooks also offer a rich representation of the ragtime music scene in Michigan and the Ann Arbor area. This collection is also notable for the care Rasch took to annotate his photographs. Many negatives and prints are individually labeled, and all include some information relating to the date and location.
The collection has been arranged in the following series: Scrapbooks and Albums, Papers, Individual Photographs, Photographs, and Photographic Negatives.
9 linear feet (in 13 boxes)
The Stoner collection contains about 3,600 photographs and negatives collected by Stoner, relating primarily to Michigan railroads. The collection also contains related manuscript materials.
Stoner's major collecting interests were in the Ann Arbor, Grand Trunk Western, and Pere Marquette Railroads and their predecessors, and in logging railroads, especially Ephraim Shay's railroad and others using Shay locomotives. Along with these lines, the collection contains photos of dozens of other railroads, not all in Michigan.
The photographs most commonly depict locomotives, often with their crews posed beside. Other common subjects are railroad stations (exteriors only), train wrecks, trains in motion, logging operations, carferries, railroad bridges, the Detroit-Windsor railroad tunnel, and street railroads.
Dozens of Michigan cities and towns and a number of places in other states are represented in the collection. Places depicted most often in the photos include Ann Arbor, Cadillac, Detroit, Durand, Frankfort, Harbor Springs, and Howell, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.
The collection is organized into seven series: Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, Unclassified negatives, Papers, Classified negatives, and Duplicate material.
Appended to this finding aid are two indexes, one for railroads and company names, the other for subjects. The indexes contain references to all items in the Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, and Unclassified negatives series.
The index to railroads and company names indexes logging and industrial companies that operated railroads, as well as railroad lines themselves. It does not index locomotive manufacturers, nor does it index the names of railroad museums where some of the photos were taken.
The index to subjects indexes place names and topical subjects. It does not index the term "locomotives" since the majority of the photos in the collection would be indexed under that heading. Place names are indexed if the photo includes a view of some part of the place or of some event at the place. Close-up views of locomotives that do not show any background are not indexed by place, even if the description of the photo identifies where it was taken.
1 oversize folder
The Darwin E. White photograph collection consists of panoramic photographs (December 15, 1912 and January 26, 1913) of Barton Dam on the Huron River, Ann Arbor (Mich.), under construction.
0.5 linear feet — 155 negatives
The David LeFavour glass negatives collection documents a variety of activities, individuals, groups, and buildings in Ann Arbor and Bay City. As a member of the class of 1895, a year which was, coincidently, the first year of formal recognition for a Department of Engineering at the University of Michigan, LeFavour participated in an annual event for engineering students. A summer camp was set up outside the University to conduct field projects. The camp was periodically relocated and in 1895 a change was made from a grove on the outskirts of Leland, Michigan, at an outlet of Carp Lake (now Lake Leelanau), to a point further up the lake near the Fountain Point Hotel.
The scenes of the camp and the engineers depict several projects undertaken by the group, their campsite and equipment, and members of the entourage, including Professor Joseph B. Davis (Geodesy and Surveying) who was in charge of the operation. LeFavour also captured his peers at play, as a print of a baseball game at nearby Sutton's Bay reveals.
As a student, David LeFavour was also a member of the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. He photographed his fraternity house, his room, an unidentified ceremony, and several group portraits of his fraternal brothers and their dates.
Although there is no indication of any personal participation by LeFavour in university athletics, he did photograph members of the university track team and local football games. Other negatives and prints detail several university buildings and more "artistic" views of the Huron River and local Ann Arbor streets.
Those negatives and prints focusing on Bay City, Michigan, provide an insight into another facet of LeFavour's life and interests. Several exterior views are present, which detail the various Shearer homes in the city as well as those of other prominent residents. Interior views of the James Shearer home (where David grew up), reflect the style of life and living conditions of a prosperous Michigan family at the turn of the century.
Many Bay City buildings, including schools, hospitals, and government structures are identified. As was done in Ann Arbor, LeFavour also photographed street views and individuals. Two favorite subjects for LeFavour were children and women. He frequently photographed young relatives and used his photographic skills to show his sister Helen in particular. Often the young lady (or ladies) were posed with bicycles.
The LeFavour negatives were randomly described and dated. Available information has been provided when possible, however. All negatives were produced between 1894 and 1895, but no dates have been attempted for undated negatives or prints. The print collection is numbered so that one can refer back to the appropriate glass negative. There are over 155 glass negatives and a corresponding number of prints.
7 linear feet (in 8 boxes) — 7 oversize folders — 21.5 GB (online)
The papers of Gardner Williams, 1900-1931, include biographical material; papers relating to the history of Michigan Engineering Society; project files detailing construction of Huron River power plants and dams at Argo, Barton, Geddes, Superior, and French Landing; other Michigan project files for dams and plants in Sault Ste. Marie and elsewhere; Detroit Edison consultation materials; engineering reports by, or including comments of, Williams; and photographs.
The Williams papers came from the offices of Ayres, Lewis, Norris and May, Ann Arbor engineering firm. Obviously a fragment, they cover only the period of 1900 to 1931, with photographs spanning the dates 1900 to 1945.
The collection begins with a folder of biographical material and a folder regarding the history of the Michigan Engineering Society. Except for these, the collection divides into four series: Power Plants and Dams, the Detroit Edison Company, Engineering Reports, and Photographs.
0.3 linear feet
The Drake collection consists of manuscripts and photographs largely relating to the Quarry drugstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Of interest are photographs of Quarry Drugstore, University of Michigan campus and buildings, a 1908 football game, and the Huron River.
20 linear feet (in 34 boxes) — 1 oversize folder
The papers and photographs of George R. Swain mainly document Swain's accomplishments as university photographer at the University of Michigan from 1913 to 1947. Researchers should note, however, that this is only a sampling of the photographer's work during these years. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan has an extensive collection of Swain's archaeological negatives and prints, and researchers interested in his full career will want to also look at the Kelsey collection. The Bentley Library material, while including several folders of fine photographs Swain made on his travels with Professor Frances Kelsey, for the most part documents Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.
The collection at the Bentley Library consists of three series: Miscellaneous Papers; Photographers Log; and Photographs (prints; negatives; and lantern slides. Since the bulk of the collection is comprised of early twentieth century images of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, the materials will be of most interest to researchers searching for visual documentation of this part of the state in that time period. There are very few materials beyond the visual, although the lengthy captions attached to many overseas images and the essays, diaries, and letters, are extremely interesting and offer insight into how Swain approached his craft, both as a professional photographer and in his personal work.
5.5 linear feet (in 7 boxes)
The papers of Harlow O. Whittemore have been divided into the following series: Projects; Topical Files; Family Papers; and Photographs.
0.3 linear feet
Letters relating to student life, the Students' Army Training Corps, and officer training school.
Photo album documenting Herman's life as a student, including freshman-sophomore rush, the Huron River, campus buildings, football, baseball, track, the Bayonne Club, automobiles, and Block M.
6 linear feet — 7.3 GB (online)
The record group includes files of the executive committee consisting of minutes and agenda, reports, correspondence, and other materials relating to the activities of the Council. There are also annual reports, financial statements, newsletters, miscellaneous research studies and reports, and videotapes on water resource topics.
0.2 linear feet
The collection consists of various publications of the Huron River Watershed Intergovernmental Committee, mainly Watershed news publications as well as annual reports. Publications from 1965 and later are in the Huron River Watershed Council publication collection.
1 linear foot
The Breakey papers includes personal and professional papers, files relating to his participation in different Masonic organizations, and photographs. Of special note is correspondence exchanged with U.S. Supreme Court Judge Tom C. Clark. There are also notes Breakey made concerning the visit of William Jennings Bryan to Ann Arbor. The photographs include portraits (photos and silhouette) of family members, including William F. Breakey; photos of homes, including the James A. Breakey farm near Cheney, (Crawford County) Michigan; photos of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan buildings; and photos of the Cleary College commencement in 1958.
2 linear feet
The collection consists of personal papers of Janette Miller and other members of the Miller family. The collection includes family letters, missionary newsletter, personal diaries concerning life in Hancock and Detroit, Michigan, photographs, and Miller family materials.
1 volume — 2 paintings — 1 drawing
Sketchbook, 1855-1856 The original of the sketchbook is located in the library vault; the use copy (photocopies) is located in Aa/1 Cropsey. A master negative microfilm of the sketchbook is available for staff use only.
The Cropsey paintings include The University of Michigan campus, 1855 and The Detroit Observatory of the University of Michigan, 1855. Originals of both are on display in the library director's office. Digital files scanned from copy negatives are available online.
The Cropsey drawing is a pencil sketch of The University of Michigan campus, 1855.
1 linear foot (in 2 boxes)
The O'Neal collection consists of project files from the building of the Power Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Michigan campus and the construction of new gates and other repairs on the four dams on the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The collection consists mainly of photographs detailing progress on each project, with some correspondence, construction documents, clippings, and dedication materials. The collection has been maintained in the order received from the donor. Some of the files include comments by the donor on the photographs and explaining the various stages of construction for each project.
4 linear feet
The Lyman Cooley papers reflect his interest in the Chicago Drainage Canal, the St. Lawrence Waterway, the Lakes to the Gulf Waterway, the Nicaragua vs. Panama Isthmian Canal controversy, and public works in the period 1880-1915. Comprised mainly of correspondence, the collection does include a few miscellaneous notes and reports.
9 linear feet — 1 oversize folder
1 linear foot — 1 oversize folder
The Mullett family collection contains many useful descriptions of the state, and is a good source of information for some of the state's economic and topographic conditions during the 19th century. The papers, 1825-1936, are broken down into four series.
14 archived websites (online; multiple captures)
The Web Archive of Michigan's Natural Resources collection contains archived websites created by various organizations and movements concerned with preservation of natural resources in the State of Michigan. The websites have been archived by the Bentley Historical Library, using the California Digital Library Web Archiving Service crawler from 2010-2015 and the Archive-It web archiving service beginning in 2015. Access to all websites archived by the Bentley Historical Library is available at: https://archive-it.org/organizations/934.
Web Archives include websites of conservation groups, environmental organizations and nature associations who call the state of Michigan home. The collection is especially strong in documenting conservation initiatives and environmental protection in Michigan.
The year that appears next to the website title in the contents list indicates the date that the website was first archived. Archived versions of the site from later dates may also be available.
27 linear feet (in 62 boxes)
The Robert Kalmbach photograph collection consists primarily of 35mm negatives and contact sheets of University of Michigan athletic competitions and represents his work as a contract photographer for the Athletic department. He shot nearly every home football game between 1969 and 1998 and generally traveled to Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State away games,. He also photographed most men's home basketball and hockey game games and several games or matches each season for other sports. His photos include some to the classic images of Michigan athletics and have been widely published in Athletic Department Media Guides, game programs and other publications.
The photos are primarily black and white, though after the mid 1980s the football photos frequently include one or more rolls of color shots. the photos are arranged by sport and thereunder chronologically by year and event. For each event the negatives have been placed in protective sleeves with matching contact sheets based on roll numbers assigned by Kalmbach. For football games (and occasionally other games) with multiple rolls, the numbering system does not always correspond to the actual sequence of the game. Some of the sports photos are identified as being taken by John Heafield, another News and Information Service photographer who occasionally worked with Kalmbach. The athletic photos are organized by sport and thereunder chronologically.
The collection also includes a small number of slides and transparencies of athletic events.
0.5 linear feet (approximately 600 slides)
Photographic slides used in classroom presentation on the history of Blacks in Michigan; slides with views of classrooms, schools, and city views used in various instructional programs; and miscellaneous slides showing activities at Cobblestone Farm, collected historical images of Ann Arbor streets and structures, the University of Michigan, and the Huron River.
10 linear feet (11 boxes including 1 oversize box)
The Sam Sturgis collection consists of photographic prints and copy negatives of Washtenaw and Livingston County life from the 1860s through the 1970s. Collected by Ann Arbor photographer Sam Sturgis and Ypsilanti banker Hazel Proctor from a variety of known and unknown sources, the collection represents many aspects of life in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Chelsea, Dexter, Dixboro, Manchester, Saline and Ypsilanti. Main subject categories include churches, schools, businesses, buildings, University of Michigan buildings, staff, students and campus life, streets, panoramic views, rivers, recreation and family life, including residences, men, women, and children. Evolving modes of transportation, such as railroads, interurban streetcars, automobiles, and airplanes are also depicted.
Prints and negatives are divided into two parallel series, with negative use restricted to Bentley staff for preservation and security purposes. Each series is arranged alphabetically by city or town and, within each geographical grouping, in the order in which Sturgis collected the items. Sturgis began donating his collection to the Bentley in 1966, and, as items continue to be received, numbering is continued within each geographical grouping, in the original collecting and numbering order established by Sturgis. While some numbers were originally intended by Sturgis to designate the origins of the item, if known, this information has also been added to the item description under the heading "source" to facilitate patron and staff use. The Bentley does not hold a complete set of prints and negatives. Information on the current availability of both prints and negatives is included in each item listing.
Each photograph has a unique identifying number. The "Sturgis Number" consists of a one or two-letter series code, followed by a numerical number with decimal or alphanumeric number, such as AA 267.21 or AA 35A. the collection is arranged by city as follows
City Sturgis Code Number of Images Ann Arbor AA ca. 1500 Brighton BB 148 Chelsea C 156 Chelsea-Manchester CM 119 Dexter D 124 Dixboro DI 45 Manchester M 123 Saline S 57 Ypsilanti Y 150
An item list of all photographs with description, date (if known), source and photographer, if known, follows the summary contents list on page three of the introduction.
Information on whether the photograph has been published and therefore has further information provided elsewhere is also included in each item description. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs listed as "published" have been published in a series by the Ann Arbor Federal Savings Bank (AAFSB), with editorial supervision by Sam Sturgis and Hazel Proctor. Availability of the respective print and negative concludes each item entry.
The following books, published by the AAFSB in the early 1970s, are annotated with Sturgis' photograph numbers and may be used as a partial guide to the collection. While two copies of each publication are available for consultation in the reading room, only one of each set has annotations. Descriptive captions in these publications as well as the annotated numbers may differ from actual photograph numbers and other information about the photographs. Any reference to these annotations should be verified with the item lists and vice versa to assure accuracy because of occasional inconsistencies. The AAFSB publications with Bentley call numbers are listed as follows:
75 linear feet — 1 oversize box — 1 oversize folder — 1 oversize volume — 989 MB
The School of Natural Resources records comprise 54 linear feet and span a wide range of years from 1903 to 1994. The records document the internal activities of the school, both administrative and academic; the role of the school as a unit of the University of Michigan; and curricular changes and the development of new academic programs over the years.
3 linear feet — 1 oversize volume
The Shaw family papers date from 1877 to 1977 and contain materials principally relating to the medical careers of three family members. Included are 25 volumes (1892-1926) containing patient appointments and accounts of Dr. William Shaw. Among his other papers are diaries and notebooks pertaining to his early career in the schools at Motherwell, Ontario, Canada where he taught for eleven years from about 1877 to 1888. Also included in the collection are the patient books of Dr. Alexander Shaw (1854-1892). There is one folder of correspondence written by Harold Shaw, to his parents, William and Anna, during World War I while serving with the 85th Division.
The papers of Dr. Milton Shaw (1889-1977) constitute the principal part of the collection and reflect his active professional career. His papers include correspondence to his parents, William and Anna, from France during World War I as well as materials concerning the other phases of his military career including his involvement with several veterans organizations. Dr. Milton Shaw's connections with professional and service organizations were numerous and involved positions on the governing boards of the Michigan Welfare League and the Michigan Heart Association as well as the Directorships of the University of Michigan Alumni Association (1946-1949) and the Ingham County Chapter of the American Red Cross (1933).
The Shaw family papers also includes visual material such as family portraits; military related photographs; and depictions of University of Michigan student life including classroom medical activities, class portraits, reunions, a scrapbook, and photographs of unidentified women medical students.
4 linear feet
The Squier Family Papers are organized into nine series, eight series of documents related to specific members or branches of the family and one series of photographs.
2 linear feet — 53 oversize volumes
The collection has been arranged into the following series: Adrian Telegram, Correspondence, Speeches and Articles, Other activities and interests, Programs of meetings and annual dinners, Newspaper clippings, and Photographs.
8 linear feet (in 10 boxes)
Hankinson's papers are contained in five boxes. Types of materials in the collection include correspondence; topical files on fish studies from Michigan, Illinois, and New York; materials on the Michigan Audubon Society; and field notes (loose leaf, bound volumes, and card files). The time period of these materials ranges from 1899 to 1935.
The archives at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan has additional papers of Professor Hankinson.
7 linear feet (in 12 boxes) — 1 oversize folder
The Shaw collection is an assemblage of personal materials such as correspondence, essays and student notebook, and of Shaw's work as an artists including drawings, etchings, and other examples of artistic expression that he used in connection with his work with the University's Alumni Association and its publications. Records of Shaw's activities with the university will be found in the record groups for the Alumni Association and the Bureau of Alumni Relations also located at the Bentley Library. The collection has been divided into five series: Correspondence, Essays, Drawings and Etchings, Miscellaneous, and Photographs and other Visual Materials.
1 envelope
The collection consists of photos of Ann Arbor buildings and of an Ann Arbor railroad accident. Also included is a view of Broadway Avenue and a group portrait of the Mandolin Club.