Tom Mix’s View of the West

Join us Wednesday, February 3rd, at 7pm to view "Local Color", a Tom Mix silent film made in Las Vegas, New Mexico around 1915-16. This black and white film of 14 minutes is directed by, and stars, Tom Mix. The theme revolves around a young woman writer from the eastern states who wants to write a story about the West. Her father expects her to personally experience “"local color" of the west before she writes her story. Therefore he sends his daughter by train to Las Vegas where she is greeted by ranch foreman Tom Mix. From this moment on, Tom Mix and his ranch sidekicks, demonstrate what the West is “"really" like.

The film showing, with piano accompaniment, is part of another public program by the Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Riders Memorial Collection.

Architect/Historian, Elmo Baca will also present historical context for the film when discussing Las Vegas and the Gilded Years of Statehood. Finally, raffle tickets will be drawn for great prizes, including a $1000 CD and $750 cash. (You can buy Raffle tickets at the Museum or by calling me at 505-425-5929.)

Bob Mishler

President, Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Riders Memorial Collection

**NOTE**

WE HAVE REACHED OUR 500 TICKET LIMIT! NO MORE RAFFLE TICKETS WILL BE SOLD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO PURCHASED RAFFLE TICKETS.

Museum Archives: From Daily Use To Preservation

The word archive refers to both a collection of historical records and the place where the records are located. Archives contain primary source documents, i.e., letters, diaries, newspapers, important documents, and photographs. Secondary source materials are stored in the Museum’s “scrapbook,” the Vertical File. Archival records are preserved because of their cultural and/or historical value to researchers and Museum staff.

Because these materials are “one-of-a-kind,” they are carefully preserved. When handling this collection, Museum staff wear cotton gloves to avoid transferring dirt and oils. Many paper items contain acids which, over time, deteriorate the documents, so these papers are interleaved with acid-free tissue to draw out some of the acids. Registers, scrapbooks, journals, and pamphlets are preserved in acid-free covers and boxes. Photographs are kept in individual sleeves that do not react with emulsions, and negatives are stored separately.

The Museum archives, available for research, contain documents related to Las Vegas, the surrounding area, and the Rough Riders.

Pat Romero
Research Specialist