The Dickinson Research Center is actively pursuing collections of personal papers, business and organizational records, and photographs which reflect and document aspects of Western history, culture, and art.

In addition to larger processed collections, the Dickinson Research Center also has a variety of individual letters and other documents touching on aspects of the American West. Included in the collection are an 1881 letter by pioneer rancher Charles Goodnight to his friend George Reynolds warning him not to drive cattle across his land due to concerns over Texas tick fever; an 1818 bill of sale written by Henry Clay for one of the first Hereford calves born in the United States; the commission of Spotted Tail as the Head Chief of all the bands of the Sioux Nation signed by General George Crook on October 23, 1876; press releases and advertising material related to Wild West promoter William F. Carver; and a 1942 pencil sketch of the original logo design for Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors. Further information about these and other Research Center materials can be accessed through our Online Public Access Catalog or OCLC WorldCat.

Collections which have been processed and are available for use by researchers, include:

• ADDISON - George A. Addison Photographs and Tax Document
Photographs from the studio of Texas and Oklahoma Territory photographer George A. Addison, consisting primarily of portraits of American Indians from the Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory area.

• ASHBY - Mrs. Grant E. Ashby Rodeo Collection
Correspondence with Vera McGinnis and other early rodeo cowgirls, along with photographs and other items relating to Tex Austin's 1924 and 1934 London rodeos.

• BLAKELY - Reba Perry Blakely Papers
Papers and photographs of rodeo performer and researcher Reba Perry Blakely.

• BLEDSOE - Ron Bledsoe Trade Catalog and Ephemera Collection
Extensive collection of more than 200 saddle and tack catalogs and ephemera dating from the late-1880s through the mid-1980s.

• BLUCHER - Blucher Custom Boot Company Records
Contains 218 fitting books dating between 1915 and 1982, used to record customer transactions of this famous custom boot maker.

• BRENNAN - Walter Brennan Papers
Scripts, photographs, and personal papers of the Academy Award-winning character actor.

• CALDWELL - Caldwell and Englert Family Papers
Papers and photographs of two early Oklahoma families, the Caldwell and Englert families.

• CRAWFORD - L. E. Crawford Collection
This collection of papers and photographs assembled by family member Lewis E. Crawford, primarily documents cattle ranching and the Crawford family of Oklahoma Territory and Texas.

• CREATIVE CRAFTS- Creative Crafts Video Collection
Videocassettes of the educational Creative Crafts television program, produced by the Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma between 1973 and 1991.

• CUNNINGHAM - Robert E. Cunningham Oklahoma History Collection
Collection assembled by Cunningham, a collector and Stillwater, Oklahoma photographer, chronicles the early development of Oklahoma through an extensive assemblage of negatives, photographs, documents, and other archival materials.

• DE YONG - Joe De Yong/Richard J. Flood Collection
Papers and photographs of a western movie extra, cowboy artist, Charles M. Russell protégé, and historical consultant on western films such as The Plainsman (1937), Union Pacific (1939), Buffalo Bill (1944), Red River (1948), and Shane (1953).

• DOUBLEDAY - Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs
Over 4,000 photographic negatives taken by one of the earliest and best rodeo photographers.

• FLYNN - Dan Flynn Gunsmoke Collection
Scripts, publicity materials, and photographs from the long-running western television series Gunsmoke.

• FRASER - James Earle Fraser and Laura Gardin Fraser Studio Papers
Papers and photographs from the studio of the noted sculptors and numismatic designers.

• GILBERT - Estelle Gilbert Papers
Papers and photographs of Estelle Gilbert, a horsewoman, rodeo performer, and longtime friend of Rodeo Hall of Fame steer wrestler Mike Hastings.

• GREGORY - Bern Gregory Rodeo Photographs
Over 86,000 photographic negatives and slides of Midwestern and Southeastern rodeos taken between 1958 and 1988.

• HAMILTON - Lt. Colonel John M. Hamilton Papers
Papers and photographs of Lt. Colonel John M. Hamilton, a soldier whose career spanned almost 40 years, from the Civil War through the Indian Wars, until finally ending with his death on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.

• HELFRICH - DeVere Helfrich Rodeo Photographs
Over 37,000 photographic negatives and log books documenting Midwestern and West Coast rodeos between 1941 and 1970.

• IRWIN - William E. Irwin Photographic Portfolio and Photographs
Portfolio of 50 American Indian photographs by William E. Irwin, a photographer active in Chickasha, Indian Territory in the 1890s and early-1900s, whose images document the Chiricahua Apache, Comanche, and Kiowa who lived near Anadarko, Indian Territory and Fort Sill.

• JONES - J. E. Jones Photographic Album
Photographic album with 45 photographs by J. E. Jones, whose images document the Sioux Indians at the Cheyenne River Agency in South Dakota, the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Indians at the Fort Belknap Agency in Montana, and the Western Apache Indians at the San Carlos Agency in Arizona.

• LINK - Carl Link Papers
Papers and photographs of Carl Link, a German-American artist, commercial illustrator, and art educator best known for his paintings of dance and theatrical personalities, American Indians, and animals.

• LINK - Carl Link Postcard Collection
Over 2,000 postcards collected as both art reference and souvenirs by Carl Link, a German-American artist, commercial illustrator, and art educator best known for his paintings of dance and theatrical personalities, American Indians, and animals.

• LOVELL - Tom Lovell Papers
Papers, photographs, and sketches of the award-winning artist and commercial illustrator.

• MCCARROLL - The Bruce McCarroll Collection of the Bonnie & Frank McCarroll Rodeo Archives
Over 850 photographic postcards featuring Frank and Bonnie McCarroll, rodeo, and other historical subjects. The collection also includes photographic prints, panoramics and a scrapbook.

• MCINTOSH - Gerald J. McIntosh Western Ephemera Collection
Collection of western-themed books, magazines, and ephemera, including more than 60 dime novels.

• PORTER - Willard Porter Rodeo Collection
Rodeo photographic postcards, rodeo programs, subject files, and research on the 1924 and 1934 London rodeos, including 62 passport photos of rodeo performers from the London rodeos.

• RAO - John Rao Jr. Western Entertainers Collection
Sound recording discs, movie/publicity photographs, book covers, and clippings documenting Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Jimmie Rogers, Roy Rogers, and other western actors and performers.

• REESE - William F. Reese Papers
Papers and photographs of the contemporary postimpressionist artist and art instructor whose work embraces landscape, portrait, still life, animals and wildlife, and scenes of the contemporary west.

• RODEO - Collection of Rodeo Programs and Ephemera
Includes more than 1,000 souvenir programs, daily programs, brochures, prize lists, rules, and other ephemera from a wide variety of rodeos throughout the United States and several foreign countries.

• RYAN - Tom Ryan Papers
Papers and photographs of a contemporary western artist and photographer whose work documents the life of the working cowboy, especially on the famed 6666 Ranch of King County, Texas.

• SADDLERY - Collection of Saddlery and Cowboy Gear Catalogs and Ephemera
Contains over 375 original and reproduction items from more than 100 saddle and cowboy gear makers and distributors from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

• SCHREYVOGEL - Charles Schreyvogel Papers
Papers and photographs document the period when Schreyvogel was one of the most popular historical western genre artists in America, including his career, artwork, and relationships with some of the most prominent men and women of his time, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Elizabeth B. Custer, Frederic Remington, and Theodore Roosevelt.

• SHIRLEY- Glenn D. Shirley Western Americana Collection
This research collection amassed by Western author Glenn Shirley includes over 6,400 books, more than 2,900 Western pulp novels, over 1,900 pulp fiction issues, more than 2,600 pieces of sheet music, over 3,200 dime novels and weeklies, greater than 16,800 photographs and negatives and in excess of 10,700 movie posters, lobby cards and inserts.

• SHOEMAKER - Arthur Shoemaker Collection on Henry Grammer
A research collection documenting the short, tumultuous life of rodeo performer Henry Grammer assembled by Oklahoma writer and amateur historian Arthur Shoemaker.

• SILBERMAN - Arthur & Shifra Silberman Native American Art Collection
Collection documents Native American art, especially the Kiowa Five artists, including photocopied records, letters, correspondence, clippings, manuscripts, photographs, research notes, and other materials.

• SINISE - Jerry Sinise Western History Collection
Collection includes research materials and photographs about several western historical figures including Texas Ranger Captain G. W. Arrington, John "Pink" Higgins, William Tilghman, and others, also includes a series of limited edition photographs documenting the construction of the Pioneer Woman statue in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

• SMITH - Lowell Ellsworth Smith Papers
Papers and photographs of Ohio watercolorist Lowell Ellsworth Smith, whose work encompasses his native Ohio, the western United States, Mexico, and Europe.

• STEINKE - Bettina Steinke and Don Blair Papers
Papers and photographs of artist Bettina Steinke and her husband, commercial photographer and gallery owner, Don Blair, which features nearly 38,000 prints, negatives, transparencies, and slides documenting their lives and careers.

• STEINKE - William "Jolly Bill" Steinke Papers
Papers and photographs of cartoonist and radio and television performer William “Jolly Bill” Steinke, who was also the father of artist Bettina Steinke.

• STONE - Milburn Stone and Jane Stone Papers
Interviews, a draft autobiography, biographical information, photographs, slides, audiocassettes, and reel-to-reel tapes document the career and personal life of the popular Gunsmoke actor.

• STUDER - Carl Studer Rodeo Scrapbook and Ephemera Collection
Documents the business of rodeo promoter, Anvil Park and Amusement Company, Inc. from 1927 to 1931, along with rodeo advertising posters and five rodeo clippings scrapbooks dating from 1921 to 1941.

• TINKER - Arthur M. Tinker Photographs
Photographs taken on a wide variety of Indian agencies and reservations by amateur photographer and United States Indian Inspector Arthur M. Tinker, consisting primarily of scenes of Indian agency life between 1898 and 1902.

• ZERANSKY - John Zeransky Western Film Ephemera Collection
Collection of more than 4,000 arcade cards, postcards, lobby cards, advertising cards (trading cards), Dixie Cup lids, milk lids, and ephemera related to silent and western movie actors and actresses.