ASU Library collection captures robust history of Arizona

Editor’s note: This is part of a monthly series spotlighting ASU Library’s special collections throughout 2024.

Copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate.

The so-called “five Cs” of Arizona are an enticingly succinct tagline for the state’s historically best-known outputs. 

But a revelatory repository at ASU Library demonstrates that there is much more to the Grand Canyon. In particular, it highlights the visionary leaders, enterprising entrepreneurs, selfless community members and pioneering families who are nothing less than the forces that made Arizona what it is today.

“Upon first glance, the Greater Arizona Collection is a repository where people can discover and research the history of Arizona and the Southwest, with a focus on central Arizona and Phoenix history, but that is only one part of the story,” said Renee D. James, associate archivist and curator of the Greater Arizona Collection, part of the Community-Driven Archives Initiative. “The history in these collections is not only about facts and dates but the stories of people and communities who have contributed to and enriched our state. Whether that is starting businesses that became industry leaders or quietly documenting everyday life in neighborhoods and communities, immersing yourself in Greater Arizona Collection is a rewarding learning experience.”

The Greater Arizona Collection includes over 500 collections consisting of both primary and secondary sources. It was started in 1917 when a Territorial School librarian assembled and conceived of it as a Southwestern archive. Today it has grown to nearly 9,000 linear feet of processed materials with nearly 4,000 linear feet of unprocessed materials.

In addition to personal papers, organizational and business records, congressional and political papers, the Greater Arizona Collection also includes a book collection of more than 30,000 titles. There are oral histories, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence and audiovisual materials.

In anticipation of Arizona’s 113th birthday in 2025, ASU News offers a glimpse of the variety of materials in a collection that offers a myriad of resource materials on Arizona and the Southwest.

When Deborah Heeb’s mother, Frances, died in December 2018, she became the last Ohnick standing. Their family history, kept in several large footlockers over a period of several decades, sat in the corner of her Pasadena, California, garage. Heeb had no idea what to do with the items until an uncle mentioned a connection at ASU.

“He knew somebody in the Asian studies department, and I emailed to see if they were interested,” said Heeb, who is a high school Spanish teacher in Chula Vista, California. “The answer was, ‘Absolutely!’”

For good reason: Her family lineage included pioneers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, military personnel, a powerful attorney and a famous opera singer.

Her great-grandfather Hachiro Ohnick emigrated from Japan in the 1880s to settle in the United States. He was active in the city of Phoenix, helping found the electric company that would later become Arizona Public Service, or APS, and serving on the Board of Education. He was naturalized in 1884 and married Katherine Shannon in 1888. They had four children, and the family eventually ended up in Seattle, where the Ohnicks were involved in finance and real estate.

The Ohnick Family Papers document the lives and experiences of a Japanese American family living across the American West in the 19th and 20th centuries. Beginning in 1848, the collection includes correspondence, photographs, real estate records and other materials from Hachiro and Katherine Ohnick and their four children: Ben, Tom, Marion and Helen.

The majority of these materials record the family's life in Seattle; Ben Ohnick’s career in the Philippines; Ben and Tom Ohnick’s military service during World War I; and Marion Ohnick’s operatic career under the stage name Haru Onuki. Other records show Helen Ohnick's work as a real estate broker; Tom Ohnick's high school football teams; and Hachiro Ohnick's emigration to the United States and work in early Phoenix.

Heeb is happy these papers have not only found a home at ASU but are cherished by the university

“I am the last Ohnick and unfortunately I am childless, so I don’t have descendants who will even be interested in these people,” Heeb said. “But I’d like this to remain as a collection for posterity so that people can know about others who came before them. And if they are interested, even though they aren’t related, then yay!”

When Charles Eatherly retired from the Arizona States Parks system, he felt certain his professional papers would end up in the trash. But a visit to ASU changed his mind.

“I was there at a papers dedication for an architect friend of mine and one of the archivists asked me what I was going to do with my collection?” said the 86-year-old Eatherly, a native of Texas. “I said, ‘Probably collect dust in my garage until my kids throw 'em away when I’m gone.'”

As was the case with Heeb’s footlockers, one person’s pile of papers is another person’s treasure, and ASU “took it all,” according to Eatherly.

As chief of planning for the Arizona State Parks system from 1971 to 1984, Eatherly was responsible for the land acquisition program, construction projects and site planning. In 1980, he developed the Arizona State Parks "master" plan, which provided the basis for the development and acquisition of new state parks. During Eatherly’s tenure, acquisitions and state park projects included Kartchner Caverns State Park, Slide Rock State Park, Oracle State Park, Verde River Greenway State Natural Area, San Tan Mountains (Maricopa County Parks and Recreation), Dead Horse Ranch State Park, McFarland State Historic Park, Roper Lake State Park, Patagonia Lake State Park, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, Lost Dutchman State Park, Catalina State Park, Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, Red Rock State Park, Homolovi Ruins State Park, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and Sonoita Creek State Natural Area.

From 1984 to 1993, Eatherly acted as the executive assistant (special projects coordinator) for Arizona State Parks, and from 1993 to 1998 he worked as the Arizona State Parks legislative liaison. After retiring on July 4, 1998, he served as executive consultant to the Arizona State Parks from 1998 to 2009.

This collection comprises 19 boxes containing biographical materials, correspondence, subject files, publications and writings, photographs, ephemera, audio-visual materials and oversized items. The papers document the development and administration of the Arizona State Park system during Eatherly's tenure as Arizona State Parks administrator and executive consultant.

Eatherly said his work and his papers are his pride and joy.

“The state parks system plays a very important role in preserving the history of Arizona,” Eatherly said. “Many of these historic sites, natural wonders, parks, hiking, biking and horseback trails would be lost without the park system acquiring them.”

Photographers don’t always know they’re documenting history, which is why they cast a broad net while capturing the day-to-day.

This appears to be the philosophy that Frank Hoy ascribed to and the volume of images he amassed.

“I like this collection because Frank Hoy took snapshots in and around Arizona and captured some really interesting events that turned out to be historic, like an early Juneteenth parade or a rodeo,” James said. “He would also take pictures of signs or neighborhoods to show how they have evolved. I believe that’s the true value of these types of pictures.”

Hoy (1935–2001) taught photojournalism and visual communication at ASU for 22 years and retired as professor emeritus in 1999. 

He began his photojournalism career at the Washington Post, where he worked for 17 years and earned several awards, including the prestigious World Press Photo Award. 

Hoy came to Arizona State University in 1978 after working at Syracuse University for five years. He developed the visual journalism curriculum for the school of photojournalism and converted a black-and-white photographic laboratory into a digital facility. He also developed documentary photo workshops designed to teach underprivileged children about photo documentation. This program resulted in "Snapshots," which was exhibited at Archives and Special Collections. He also authored "Photojournalism: The Visual Approach."

The Frank Hoy Photograph Collection contains images documenting Arizona that Hoy took between 1979 and 1995. Image formats include slides, prints, negatives and digital. The collection has been organized in 17 series arranged by theme and format.

Del E. Webb is best known as the man who built Sun City, Arizona, in the 1960s, creating a template for the 55 and older adult master-planned community. Focused on leisure and activity, the community drew national attention and was highlighted in several newspaper and magazine articles throughout the country. Webb himself was featured on a 1962 cover of Time magazine.

Webb first came to the Valley of the Sun in 1928. He built several grocery stores for the Basha family, the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, and several facilities for business magnate Howard Hughes. He also heavily influenced the look of central Phoenix with government buildings, shopping centers, hotels, stores and apartments that were constructed by his company.

William Horner, publisher of Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, said the Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs is vast, and offers a fascinating insight into the firm’s growth — both in Arizona and across the United States.

“Webb was much more than just a contractor; he was often seen socializing with celebrities at golf tournaments, groundbreaking ceremonies, awards banquets and various other social events,” Horner said. “As I’ve examined the collection, I’ve been particularly struck by Webb’s attire. Today, contractors typically put little thought into their wardrobe, but in Webb’s era, developers and contractors dressed much more stylishly. Webb’s sense of fashion, however, stood out as exceptional.

“Overall, the collection is in excellent condition, meticulously organized and provides a detailed timeline of Webb’s contributions to development. It also serves as a testament to how a contractor could present themselves with both elegance and professionalism.”

The Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs include 193 boxes of images showing Webb’s construction and real estate business. These photographs document all phases of construction jobs, many of which are depicted from before the groundbreaking to the finished building and landscaping of the property. Also included are numerous studio and personal photographs showing Webb with family, participating in recreational activities, and with film and sports celebrities.

Sometimes century-old papers illustrate not only the financial but also the interpersonal dynamics of a modern dynasty.

Such is the case with the Luhrs Family Papers.

“When you process a collection and start going through correspondence, you can find out a lot about a family and its dynamics,” said Elizabeth Dunham, an associate archivist with ASU Library who specializes in arranging and describing primary source materials. “In the case of the Luhrs archive, there’s a lot of insights into the various personalities. ... You get to know these people over the course of time, and it makes the collection more interesting.”

The collection houses correspondence, legal documents, financial records, real estate records, blueprints, ledgers and other materials documenting the Luhrs family's emigration from Germany to the United States, and life and work in Phoenix. 

Among the subjects represented are real estate holdings; construction and administration of the Commercial Hotel (later known as the Hotel Luhrs), the Luhrs Building, the Luhrs Central Building, the Luhrs Tower, the Luhrs Arcade and the Luhrs Parking Center; George Luhrs Sr.'s business partnership with Newell Herrick; agricultural and mining enterprises; fraternal organizations such as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the El Zaribah Shrine, the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights Templar, the Royal Arch Masons and the Rotary Club; George Luhrs Jr.'s and Arthur Luhrs' education in Phoenix public schools and at Stanford University; George Luhrs Jr.'s and A. C. Taylor’s military service, including service in World War I; and family members’ private lives.

The photo collection houses snapshots and studio portraits showing George and Catharina (Dodenhof) Luhrs’ family, including their siblings, four children, grandchildren and such family friends as the Thalheimers, Hibbards and Demunds. 

Also included are images depicting Stanford University (where Arthur C. Luhrs and George Luhrs Jr. studied), Southern California (where the family vacationed), the Commercial Hotel, the Luhrs Hotel, the Luhrs Tower, the Luhrs Office Building and fraternal organizations. The vast majority of the images have typed captions authored by George Luhrs Jr.