Walter J. Lubken Collection, 1908 Finding Aid Sharlot Hall Museum PB 168, F. 9 Acquisition The Walter J. Lubken Collection was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Kollenborn Oct 7, 2002 (acc#2002.122). Processing The collection was processed by Goodie Berquist in 2005. Biographical From 1903 to 1917, Walter J. Lubken (1881-1960) was an official photographer for the U.S. Reclamation Service (USRS). During these years, Lubken took thousands of photographs documenting the Reclamation Service's irrigation projects across the American West. He recorded the progress of construction projects as well as USRS machinery and personnel. The agency also asked Lubken to photograph nearby towns and farms for a series of articles designed to promote settlement on land reclaimed from the desert through irrigation. Traveling with his large camera and glass-plate negatives, he documented 25 projects in 17 Western States. After leaving the Reclamation Service in 1917, Lubken left professional photography until the 1930s, when he photographed the building of Boulder Dam. Lubken's photographs capture both engineering feats and everyday life in the early- 20thcentury West. His optimistic images impress the viewer with the technological and social advances made by westerners. They make the point that progress and community had come to isolated, formerly barren places, and that abundant opportunities awaited those willing to move west and work hard on the reclaimed land. Scope and Content Photographer Walter J. Lubken led an exploratory expedition to Apache Cave, site of an 1872 Indian massacre by Gen. George Crook and his troops. The collection consists of seventy-three 6 X 8 b/w photographic prints taken by Mr. Lubken in the winter of 1908. The cave is sometimes called Skeleton Cave and is deemed a sacred place by the Yavapai-Prescott tribe, some of whose ancestors died in the massacre. The photographs are accompanied by a detailed topographic map of Mormon Flats and Horse Mesa Dam Quadrangle showing Lubken s trail to Apache Cave and beyond. The map trial was based on the captions of the photographs and locations are identified on the map by photograph numbers.
Copyright The images were originally done by Bureau of Reclamation pre-1923, placing them in public domain. However, permission to publish material from this collection should be addressed to Sharlot Hall Museum. Restrictions Some images in this collection contain images of Native American remains. These items may not be reproduced or published in any way. Please see archivist for more information. Arrangement The photographs are numbered according to Lubken s original inventory Trip to Indian Cave and Superstition Mountains: Description of negatives sent to Washington Office by Walter J. Lubken. The numbers (located on the back of the image) begin at 193 and are consecutive with a few exceptions. See Also DB 82, I. 2 Mike Burns Manuscript an autobiography of a Yavapai-Apache captured during the massacre at Skeleton Cave at the age of 9 and raised by an U.S. Army officer. Inventory 193. Pacing the animals at U.S.R.S. Headquarters 194. Unpacking the animals at camp en route to cave. 195. The morning feed at camp 1, before starting on our journey 196.Passing the largest cactus in Arizona up the Coffin Wash 197.Our pack train coming through Mescal Divide 198. Tightening up the packs and resting the animals on Mescal Divide. 199. Starting down the canyons on the other side of Mescal Divide 200. Cliff overhanging Brown s Cave on Alder Creek, AZ 201. Brown s Cave at Alder Creek, AZ 202. Alder Creek Canyon, AZ
203. Alder trees in Alder Creek Canyon 204. Hunting lion in Brown s Basin en route to Four Peaks 205. Climbing the highest mountain in Brown s Basin 206. Camp 2 on Long Creek, AZ, Brown s Basin 207. Eating breakfast at Camp 2 before starting to the cave. 208. The Crab-Tree Family, hunting and trapping in Brown s Basin country 209. Long Creek, AZ, at Camp 2, Brown s Basin 210. Following the trail to the cave Hell s Hip Pocket 211. Pointing towards the cave in the direction of the Superstition Mountains 212. Viewing the Four Peaks from the Divide 213. Looking back over our trail from Mescal Drive, Overlooking hell s hip pocket 214. Telephoto view of hell s hip pocket 215. The Dark Canyon of the cave 216. As you face the cave at a distance 217. The entrance of the cave 218. The apache skeletons, remains of last Apache war 219. Looking out of the cave 220. Looking up the Salt River Canyon just above its confluence of Fish Creek 221. Looking down the Salt River Canyon towards the confluence of the Salt River and Fish Creek, AZ 222. The Crab Tree cabin with rock corral 223. Our pack train fording the river at sundown 224. Our pack train fording the river at sundown 225. Sunset on Salt River 6 miles above Granite Reef, AZ
226. Breakfast at camp 3-en route to Granite Reef, AZ 227. Camp 3, where the pack train were logged in quick sand. The night of Jan 27, 1908 228. Beautiful homes in the Salt River Valley, Mesa, AZ 229. Growing melons in the Salt River Valley near Mesa, AZ 230. Growing grapes in the Salt River Valley near Mesa, AZ 231. The cloud study on the desert 232. Camp 4 at Gov. Wells-en route to Weaver s needle, Superstition Mountains 233. Apache Camp, Superstition Mountains at a distance 234. Missing 235. An Apache woman selling the basket 236. The study in Indian life on the desert 237. On the trail to Weever s Needle, Superstition Mountains 238. Coming in sight of the Needle. Superstition Mountains 239. Viewing the Needle from the saddle of the mountain 240. Weever s Needle at close range 241. The mountaineer, alone 242. Coming back from the Needle 243. The pinnacles of the Superstitions 244. Passing on e of nature s freaks in the Superstition Mountains, coming back from the Needle 245. Where the saw tooth range of the Superstitions tapers to the desert 246. Passing the oil teams at Gov. Wells 247. Our pack train crossing the Mormon Flat Bridge, en route to Fish Creek 248. Our pack train climbing out of Mormon Flats
249. Our pack train on the Divide of Mormon Flats and Tortilla Flats 250. Our pack train starting down Fish Creek Hill 251. Entering the big cut on Fish Creek Hill 252. Our pack train in sight of the station from Fish Creek Hill 253. The Government road up Fish Creek Hill 254. Fish Creek Canyon above the bridge 255. Government road between Fish Creek Station and Fish Creek Bridge 256. The road starting up Fish Creek Hill 257. Passing the oil team at Fish Creek Station 258. Fish Creek Hill with road and station at the foot 259. Looking down Fish Creek Canyon from the station. Showing glimpse of the road over top of Fish Creek Hill. 260. Our pack train leaving Fish Creek station for Roosevelt, AZ, the morning of the 1 st of Feb 261. Our pack train leaving the Fish Creek county on the Government road to Roosevelt 262. Our pack train in sight of Salt River Dam, coming back from the Superstition Mountains, Feb 1, 1908 263. Snowstorm in the Sierra Ancha Moutains 264. The Mazatazal Mountain Range up Tonto Creek 265. The Dutch Mountain covered with snow 266. Automobiling in the Tonto Basin, in and about the Salt River Dam at Roosevelt, AZ