Category: Rees-Jones Library of the American West

Where the frontier was written: Stories in ink and image

Pop-up exhibit showcases excellence of Rees-Jones Collection Last week on the Hilltop, Rees-Jones Archivist Christina Wood curated a pop-up exhibit coinciding with the Board of Trustees dinner at Fondren Library. This exhibit celebrated the arrival of the exciting new Rees-Jones Collection as the new library, rising only steps away from the dinner venue, takes shape….Continue Reading Where the frontier was written: Stories in ink and image

Rees-Jones Collection captures key moments in New Mexico history

Crucial insight into the history of the West As the Rees-Jones Library of the American West continues to expand its holdings and prepare for future researchers, archivists are carefully processing significant manuscripts and special collection materials. Among these treasures, Rees-Jones archivist Christina Wood has encountered a remarkable letter by Joaquín Gómez de la Cortina, dated…Continue Reading Rees-Jones Collection captures key moments in New Mexico history

Picturing the American West through the Rees-Jones Collection

Lasting impressions: On the art in the Rees-Jones Collection As construction progresses for the 2027 opening of the Rees-Jones Library of the American West, so too does the processing of incoming manuscripts, archival materials and other special collection items, facilitated by Rees-Jones archivist Christina Wood. Shaped and generously given by Jan and Trevor D. Rees-Jones…Continue Reading Picturing the American West through the Rees-Jones Collection

A Miner’s Manuscript

Pages of a German manuscript

How’s your German? And are you able to read 19th-century handwriting? If you answered yes, we’ve got a journal for you. In 1886, T. Liebscher delivered a lecture to a branch of the Craftsmen’s Association, recounting his life working in the gold mines of Colorado during the 1860s. An experienced miner and native of Germany,…Continue Reading A Miner’s Manuscript

Centuries-old materials impart enduring insights

When asked about Rees-Jones Collection items that have recently caught her eye, archivist Christina Wood zeroed in on these fascinating records of the human experience in the early history of our state and our nation. Searching for gold Though W.B. Dilborn’s journey across the Plains to California was not a remarkably easy one, it was…Continue Reading Centuries-old materials impart enduring insights

Breaking ground on the Rees-Jones Library of the American West

Forging ahead to a new frontier in scholarship SMU broke ground on the Rees-Jones Library of the American West on May 1, forging ahead to a new frontier of research, discovery and scholarly impact at the University. The library will enhance SMU’s ability to promote teaching and research on the American West, housing the world-class…Continue Reading Breaking ground on the Rees-Jones Library of the American West

Welcoming Our Newest Archivist and Cataloger

Congratulations to Christina Wood and Meg Wang! The archivist and cataloger for the Rees-Jones Library of the American West have been named. The individual who will fulfill the archivist role for the new library on the Hilltop is DeGolyer’s own Christina Wood, and Meg Wang will serve as the cataloger of the Rees-Jones Collection. Christina…Continue Reading Welcoming Our Newest Archivist and Cataloger

Rare Maps, Early Texas History, and Serendipity

The Rees-Jones Collection continues to expand as excitement mounts for the 2025 groundbreaking of the much-anticipated library. These articles by Pat Ward appear in the Fall 2024 issue of the SMU Libraries Newsletter. Mapping early Texas history An 1833 Texas map commissioned by Stephen F. Austin and presented to the Rees-Jones Library of the American…Continue Reading Rare Maps, Early Texas History, and Serendipity

Early Yosemite Photographs

Carleton Watkins photograph of El Capitan, Yosemite Valley (1861)

Yosemite: The Manchester Album The Rees-Jones Collection expands its holdings in masterworks by pioneering photographers of the American West with the recent acquisition of Yosemite: The Manchester Album. The unique compilation of 25 mammoth-plate images, captured by Carleton Watkins between 1861 and 1867, includes beautifully composed views of Half Dome, Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan and…Continue Reading Early Yosemite Photographs

Shaping the Future Through the Lens of History

painting of Yellowstone national park

  Thanks to the generosity of Jan and Trevor D. Rees-Jones ’78, SMU Libraries begins the next chapter for significant historical scholarship, research and collaboration. This article by Pat Ward appears in the Fall 2023 issue of the SMU Libraries Newsletter.         For the past two decades, Dallas entrepreneur Trevor D. Rees-Jones…Continue Reading Shaping the Future Through the Lens of History

 

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