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Exhibits

William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Item set

Title
William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection
Description
Capturing the rich history of the early twentieth century, the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection (Identification #96-07-08) highlights well-known landmarks, historic events, and scenic vistas from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, from the Deep South to Canada, and from Mexico to Cuba. Scenes across the Golden State are captured in stunning shots from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and the Central Coast to Southern California cities. The collection features nearly 3,000 photographs taken by native Californians William M. and Grace McCarthy from approximately 1905 to 1938. The McCarthys traveled extensively during the early years of automobile travel, as newly constructed highways connected people and places throughout the United States and beyond, providing pictorial documentation of a pivotal period in our nation's history.

William M. McCarthy (1876 – 1956) and Grace C. Kane (1878 – 1957) wed in the early 1900s and lived in San Francisco for most of their lives where William was stationed as an armament expert for the U.S. War Department. The collection features photographs of the McCarthys' travels, as well as the many family members and friends they encountered along the way. Always ready with his camera, William McCarthy also captured remarkable images of significant events, including shots of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake, the fire that destroyed that city's iconic Cliff House in 1907, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and their 1938 journey into Mexico along the newly constructed Pan American Highway. The original black and white photographs, mounted in eleven albums, make up one of the few private collections preserved by the California State Archives. The entire collection was digitized by the State Archives' curatorial staff.

To request a high-resolution scan of one or more of these images, contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246. Please include the Title or Identifier for each photograph in which you are interested, as well as the desired format (tiff, jpg, pdf) and resolution (DPI) for the requested scan. Duplication fees will apply.

DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the creators of the materials presented (William and Grace McCarthy) are theirs alone. As noted in image descriptions, certain photographs are restricted or have been cropped due to sensitive content deemed unsuitable for online distribution.
Date
1905-1938
Contributor
Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996.
Creator
William M. McCarthy
Publisher
California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Rights
The California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State’s Office, owns the copyright to the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection. The images and content may be used for personal use, research, or educational purposes. For any use of these materials, please credit the “California State Archives, William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection, Identification #96-07-08.” Commercial use or distribution of the images or content is not permitted without prior written permission from the California State Archives. Please note that the materials contained in this collection may include copyrighted material (such as postcards) not held by the California State Archives. Additionally, other limitations, such as the right of publicity, may limit use of the materials in this collection.

For more information about the copyrights related to this collection or to request permission to use the digital images or content, please contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246.
Identifier
Collection ID#96-07-08

Items

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  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 121
    Caption: "Bruin robbing the garbage cans," c. 1935, shows a bear raiding garbage cans at Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 120
    Caption: "Lucky Woodchuck, Yellowstone National Park," c. 1935. An unidentified woman seen feeding a woodchuck.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 119
    Caption: "Feeding the Woodchuck - Yellowstone," c. 1935. William McCarthy feeding a woodchuck.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 118
    Caption: "Old Faithful Resort - Old Faithful Geyser in eruption, Yellowstone National Park" c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 117
    Caption: "Old Faithful Geyser in eruption," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 116
    Caption: 'Old Faithful Geyser erupts approximately every 65 minutes. Yellowstone National Park," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 115
    Caption: "Old Faithful Inn - Yellowstone National Park," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 114
    Caption: "Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho. 500,000 acres - established in 1867 - Shoshone and Bannock Tribes," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 113
    Caption: "Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah," c. 1935. The Salt Lake City Mormon Temple was opened in 1893 and is the largest temple (253,015 square feet) built by the Church of the Latter-day Saints.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 112
    Caption: "Mormon Tabernacle and Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 111
    Caption: "Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City population 145, 500," c. 1935. The Salt Lake City Mormon Temple was opened in 1893 and is the largest temple (253,015 square feet) built by the Church of the Latter-day Saints.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 110
    Caption: "Mormon Temple, Manti, Utah," c. 1935. Completed in 1888, the Manti Temple, built in Gothic Revival architectural style by the Church of the Latter-day Saints, was the third temple built west of the Mississippi River.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 109
    Caption: "The Lodge, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 108
    Caption: "Little Bryce Canyon, Utah," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 107
    Caption: "Silent City-Bryce Canyon National Park - View from Inspiration Point," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 106
    Caption: "Bryce Canyon, Utah. Painted Desert in the distance," c.1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 105
    Caption: "Natural Bridge, Bryce Canyon, Utah," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 104
    Caption: "Bryce Canyon National Park, view from Sunset Point," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 103
    Caption: "Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. View from Bryce Point," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 102
    Caption: "Zion National Park - view from Zion Park Tunnel," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 101
    Caption: "Zion National Park - view from window of tunnel. Tunnel one mile long - 5 windows," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 100
    Caption: "Zion National Park Highway," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 099
    Caption: "Zion Canyon - Zion National Park - view from Temple of Sinawava," c. 1935. The Temple of Sinwava, a massive natural amphitheater marks the beginning of Zion Canyon. A paved trail following the Virgin River upstream leads through ever narrowing sandstone canyons to the Zion Narrows.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 098
    Caption: "Fortification Mountain - view from launch on Boulder Lake [Lake Mead]," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 097
    Caption: "Boulder Lake [Lake Mead], when filled, will extend 115 miles in length," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 096
    Caption: "Auto Ferry Arivada - Boulder Lake [Lake Mead]," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 095
    Caption: "Boulder Lake [Lake Mead] - as the lake rises the small island will be submerged," c. 1935. Lake Mead was created by the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam, and is the largest man-made reservoir (when full) in the United States.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 094
    Caption: "Boulder Dam - Arrow Points to Largest Tramway Derrick Ever Built," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 093
    Caption: "Babcock and Wilcox Plant at Boulder Dam. The cylinders shown are sections of 30 foot diameter pipe," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 092
    Caption: "Boulder Canyon - Showing Power Houses and Tramway Below the Dam," c. 1935. Boulder Canyon, on the Colorado River, is located above Boulder/Hoover Dam and is now flooded by Lake Mead.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 091
    Caption: "Colorado River Spillway From Boulder Dam," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 090
    Caption: "Boulder Dam. View Taken From Launch on Boulder Lake," c. 1935, shows Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States, providing water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 089
    Caption: "Boulder Dam and Water Control Towers for Generating Power," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 088
    Caption: "Boulder Dam Cement Mixers," c. 1935, shows the massive cement mixers used to build the Boulder Dam.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 087
    Caption: "Boulder Dam, View From Lower Side - 40 Foot Highway on Top of Dam," c. 1935, shows the dam near the completion of its construction.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 086
    Caption: "Power Transmission Tower. 2411 Towers - 270 Miles. 1.4 Inch DIA. Power Line. One of the Towers of the Power Line From Boulder Dam to L.A.," c. 1935.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 085
    Caption: "Transportation Busses [sic] - Boulder City to Boulder Dam," c. 1935, shows a line of double-decker buses used to transport workers from Boulder City to Boulder Dam.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 084
    Caption: "Boulder City," c. 1935, shows the municipality originally constructed for workers of the Boulder Dam.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 083a
    No Caption: A 1935 three-cent U.S. Postage stamp, featuring Boulder Dam, now known as Hoover Dam, which was constructed between 1931 and 1936. The concrete arch-gravity dam is located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River on the border between Clark County, Nevada, and Mojave County, Arizona. A National Historic Landmark, the dam provides hydroelectric power, water storage, flood control, and recreation at Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the dam's construction.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 083
    Caption: "Fremont St. Los [sic] Vegas, Nevada," c. 1935, shows the Las Vegas, Nevada thoroughfare.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 082
    Caption: "Beacon Tavern - Barstow, Calif.," c. 1935, shows the Beacon Tavern and Hotel at Barstow, designed in the Spanish-Colonial Revival architectural style. It opened in 1930 and was torn down in 1970, after several years of decline.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 081
    Caption: "Mojave Desert Cactus. Cayon [sic] Pass near Victorville," c. 1935, shows a Joshua Tree in bloom on the Cajon Pass near Victorville.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 080
    Caption: "One of the Main Barracks, March Field, Calif.," c. 1935. Today known as March Air Reserve Base, March Field was one of several airfields established in April 1917, just after the United State's entry in World War 1. The airfield was named for Peyton C. March Jr., son of then Army Chief of Staff, Peyton C. March, who had been killed in an air crash just fifteen days after being commissioned.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 079
    Caption: "In Ford Building Court, San Diego Exposition," 1935, shows William and Grace McCarthy sitting near a fountain in the Ford Building Court, at the California-Pacific International Exposition.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 078
    Caption: "Nudist Colony - San Diego Exposition," c. 1935. The Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, named for the Persian mystic, Zoroaster, was an unusual and controversial attraction that featured partially nude men and women performing as nudists. Exposition visitors were charged twenty-five cents to watch the "nudists" perform ceremonies and other activities. Today, the sunken Zoro Garden in Balboa Park is a butterfly garden.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 077
    Caption: "Nudist Colony - San Diego Expo.," c. 1935. The Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, named for the Persian mystic, Zoroaster, was an unusual and controversial attraction that featured partially nude men and women performing as nudists. Exposition visitors were charged twenty-five cents to watch the "nudists" perform ceremonies and other activities. Today, the sunken Zoro Garden in Balboa Park is a butterfly garden.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 076
    Caption: "Nudist Colony - San Diego Exposition," c. 1935. The Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, named for the Persian mystic, Zoroaster, was an unusual and controversial attraction that featured partially nude men and women performing as nudists. Exposition visitors were charged twenty-five cents to watch the "nudists" perform ceremonies and other activities. Today, the sunken Zoro Garden in Balboa Park is a butterfly garden.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 075
    No Caption: 1935. The Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, named for the Persian mystic, Zoroaster, was an unusual and controversial attraction that featured partially nude men and women performing as nudists. Exposition visitors were charged twenty-five cents to watch the "nudists" perform ceremonies and other activities. Today, the sunken Zoro Garden in Balboa Park is a butterfly garden.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 074
    Caption: "Nudist Colony - San Diego Expo.," c. 1935. The Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, named for the Persian mystic, Zoroaster, was an unusual and controversial attraction that featured partially nude men and women performing as nudists. Exposition visitors were charged twenty-five cents to watch the "nudists" perform ceremonies and other activities. Today, the sunken Zoro Garden in Balboa Park is a butterfly garden.
  • McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 073
    Caption: "Palace of Fine Arts-San Diego Exposition," 1935. Grace is seen here resting before the Palace of Fine Arts at the California-Pacific International Exposition.