Tug-o-war match between RBMVE members and local Native community members, c. 1933. Photograph by Walter Enger.

Institution: Personal Research Collection
Collection Title: Andrew Christenson RBMVE Research Collection
Date (inclusive): 1930-1980 ca.
Collection Identifier: Andrew Christenson RBMVE Research Collection
Repository (location info): Personal Collection, Prescott, AZ
Finding Aid link: n/a
Website link: n/a

RBMVE Biographical Note: n/a
Scope and Content: Andrew Christenson (Archaeologist, Curator of the Smoki Museum, and RBMVE Historian) has compiled an extensive amount of RBVME material resulting from exhibit research, a book, and a historical archaeology project verifying locations of the archaeological sites recorded by the original expedition. Most notably, for an exhibit at UCLA in the 1980s, Christenson contacted all of the RBMVE participants who were alive at the time and asked them to share memories and/or contribute any material that remained. His efforts led to an invaluable resource documenting the experiences of a group of people who are no longer with us. In addition to contributing material digitally, Christenson has contributed a small amount of physical materials to The ONWARD Project.

Container List or Summary of RBMVE-related Material: Correspondence between Christenson and RBMVE members c. 1980s, RBMVE Field Program by Ansel Hall, RBMVE reports and bulletins, various articles by RBMVE members, newspaper clippings, copies of RBMVE member diaries and journals, photographs by several RBMVE members, notes from interview with RBMVE Packer and Guide, Max Littlesalt, research notes.

“Building mess hall – Marsh Pass,” c. 1936. Photograph by Torrey Lyons.
“Broken Axel,” c. 1933. Photograph by Torrey Lyons.

Check out The ONWARD Project’s Collection on Arizona Memory Project for additional material from Andrew Christenson’s RBMVE Research Collection.