Bill Walters Studio Photographs, ca. 1890-1978

BIOGRAPHY

Bill Walter was born on November 4, 1915 in Pullman, WA. He lived in a number of locations in Washington State, graduating from Ballard High School in Seattle. He attended the State College of Washington shortly before WWII, where he met and married Mary Sands. Mr. Walter joined the National Guard in 1940, and was assigned to one of the first units to be nationalized.

City View of Colfax, ca. 1952

In the National Guard, he served in the medical core, rising to the rank of Colonel by the time the war ended. After the war, he located his family in Colfax, Washington and started a sporting goods and photography business. As the years went by, he shifted more and more toward photography. On several occasions, he attended photography school in Winona, Indiana.

Mr. Walter advertised himself as the "Photography on the Palouse". Many of his photographs appeared in the local newspaper, the Colfax Gazette, and at one time a large display of his work was exhibited in Colfax City Hall. Mr. Walter retired in 1979 but continued his photography until the early 1990's. He passed away on November 15, 1999.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

Highlights of the collection include a glass plate negative of the former Colfax Courthouse (torn down in the 1950's), a plethora of images depicting Palouse agriculture, both early and early modern farm machinery, local businesses, and calamities such as the Oakesdale Grain Growers Elevator Fire in 1970 and the Colfax Floods of 1910 and 1948.

Townsend Harvest, 1954

Of a more regional interest are theConstruction of the Boundary Dam for Seattle City Light Company in 1967 and the 12th World Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America held in Farragut State Park in 1967.

The collection is arranged primarily by format, either photographs or negatives. Where possible, the original order used by Mr. Walter is preserved. The major exceptions to this are Series 1, Photograph Subject Files and Series 2, Photograph Negative Subject Files. These two series reflect a subject arrangement designed to make the collection more easily accessible.

Series 1 contains photographs, mostly 8x10, depicting various scenes and subjects, mostly of regional interest. Series 2 is also a series of subject files, b&w, most of which are of a local history nature. Researchers of local and regional history will find these two series of special interest. Series 3, almost entirely portraits of individuals, familes, weddings, etc., forms the bulk of the collection. This series may be of special interest to genealogists, and researchers of family history. Series 4 contains oversize photographs, panoramic photographs and some photographs that could not be identified by subject or place. Many of these photographs are copies made by Walter from other photographers and reinforce the value of the collection in researching the history of the Palouse region.

Box	Folder	Description
		Agriculture

		Miscellaneous Agriculture Negatives

2	1	Steiger Farm Cattle n.d. (14)
	2	Ensley Children & Cattle n.d. (29)
	3	Ensley Bull, 1952 (12)
	4	Immler (sp?), G., Cattle
	5	Sauer, Horse, 1961 (color negatives) (5) Ranches & Harvest
	6	McGregor Ranch, 1958 (11)
	7	Harry Sandeen Farm, Harvest, 1953 (7)
	8	Mykelbust Ranch, Harvest, 1955 (6) and Harvest, 1954 (16)
	9	Oscar Steiger Farm, 1954 (9)
	10	Marlo Ochs Ranch, Harvest, 1954 (11), color slides, n.d.
	11	Dave White Ranch, 1955 (14)
	12	Townsend Harvest, 1954 (10)
	13	Heusle Ranch, Harvest, 1951 (3)
	14	R. Farr Ranch, 1959 (2)
	15	John Divine Ranch, 1953 (3)
	16	Russell Looney Ranch, 1953 (9)
	17	Colyar Ranch, 1969 (24)
	18	Jeffries Farm Harvest, 1953 (Dean Upshaw) (14)
	19	Koenig Harvest, 1960 (7)
	20	Otto Camp Harvest, 1953 (7), 1957 (5)
	21	Del Flewring(sp?) Ranch, Harvest, n.d. (Case farm machinery) (14)
	22	Moore Farm, 1962 (3)
	23	Hensle Farm, Harvest, 1951 (9)
	24	Lloyd Och Ranch, 1952 (7)
	25	Other Miscellaneous Harvest Negatives
	26	Harvest and Harvest Machines (slides), ca. 1920

Box	Folder	Description

		Palouse Region Events
3	1	Colfax (Whitman County) Courthouse, n.d. (glass plate)
	2	City view of Colfax, ca. 1952
	3	Colfax Flood, 1948 (40; roll film negatives)
	4	Elberton Flood, 1963 (12)
	5	"Mud in Front of Studio", 1969 (14)
	6	"Negro Demonstration", 1965 (65)
	7	Palouse Empire Fair, 1951-52 (25)
	8	Bill Walter Studio, fish and game catches, 1950-51 (8)
	9	"Planting" fish (Palouse River?), 1951 (4)
	10	Fire, Endsley Flowers & Gifts, 1967 (9)
	11	Fire, Henry Building (Colfax?), 1958 (4)
	12	Palouse Countryside, Aerial and Ground Views, 1968 (64) Macguire, 1968 (7 color negatives), Meyers, 1970 (23)
	13	Colfax Aerial Views, 1968 (34)
	14	Palouse Region Aviation
	15	Palouse Region Small Towns: Eastern Wash. Natural Gas Co.-Map of Endicott, Wash. n.d. Garfield Elevator, n.d. (2) Thornton panorama, 1954 (8)

		Palouse Region Churches/Church Buildings
	16	Colfax Lutheran Choir St. John Lutheran Church Endicott Adventist Church, 1959 St. John Christian Church, 1953 St. John Catholic Church, 1961 Garfield Nazarene Church, 1954 Ewan Nazarene Church, n.d. St. John Catholic Church, 1961

		Palouse Region Schools
	17	Joint Picnic, n.d. 8th Grade Graduation (school unidentified), group photo, 1962 5th Grade, St. John, 1963 4th Grade, Endicott, 1956 4th Grade, St. John, 1956 3rd Grade, Palouse, 1956 4th Grade, Oakesdale, 1956 2nd Grade, Garfield, 1956 1st Grade, Garfield, 1956 2nd. Grade, Rosalia, 1956 3rd Grade Field Trip, Endicott, 1961

		Palouse Region Businesses
	18	Swanson Spray Company, 1966
	19	Palouse Ammonia, 1952
	20	McGregor Chemical, Steptoe Pea Plant, 1965
	21	Rogers Bros. Seed Co., 1952
	22	Monsanto Co., 1962
	23	Richfield Oil Co/Brown & Holter (Pullman?), 1963
	24	R.A. Hanson Co., Palouse, WA, 1959
	25	"Les" Mills Aircraft, 1970
	26	LaCrosse Grain Growers, Dusty Elevator, ca. 1988

		Colfax Businesses/Bldgs.
	27	Russell Bartlett Trucking Co., 1970
	28	195 Café/ B.P.O.E., n.d.
	29	LaVerne Bakery, 1961
	30	Colfax Welding, 1959
	31	Colfax City Shop, 1961
	32	Gr. Grow Building, construction, 1959
	33	Stueckle-Franz Bldg, 1959
	34	Seattle 1st Nat'l Bank, 1956 & negs)
	35	Brown & Holter (car dealership), opening, 1957
	36	Burgunder Bldg, 1953
	37	Disposal Plant, concreting, 1953
	38	Tom Gallagher Garage, 1958
	39	Wheatland Marina, Grand Opening, 1975
	40	Telephone Bldg construction, 1955
	41	Port of Whitman, Central Ferry Barge Loading, ca. 1960's
	42	Port of Whitman, Central Ferry Elevator, ca. 1960's
	43	Port of Whitman, Central Ferry, 1970
	44	Western Grain Exchange, Central Ferry, 1973

Box	Folder	Description

		Historic Structures/Buildings
4	1	Old National Bank, Interior, 1955 (4)
	2	Elberton Bridge, 1969 (14)
	3	St. Ignatius Hospital & Catholic Chapel, 1960-1966 (29; includes photographs)
	4	Whitman Hotel, 1977 (4 color photos and negatives)

		Community Services Organizations
	5	Whitman County Sheriff & Crew, 1957-1964
	6	Colfax Police Dept., 1963, 1988
	7	Colfax Fire Dept., 1922, 1967-1969
	8	Pullman Fire Dept., 1967
	9	Port of Whitman, Lower Granite Lock and Dam Project Map, n.d.
	10	Helena Duncan Crime Scene, Nov., 1969

		Miscellaneous Palouse Region Negatives
	11	Elks Style Show, 1974 (color negatives)
	12	State Class D Basketball Tournament (St. John vs. Davenport), 1962 St. John Basketball Team, 1966-1969
	13	Colfax Junior Miss, n.d. (color photos & negatives)
	14	Whitman County Bar Assn., 1973
	15	Jenetta Morris, Easter Seals, 1960
	16	Ed Curtis poster on Post Office billboard, 1958
	17	Carol Steuckle, lentil products, 1967
	18	Washington Water Power-new truck with Ed Stone, 1954
	19	Pinski singing, 1949
	20	Baumiter (sp?) figurines, 1955
	21	Solar eclipse, 1960
	22	"New Hiway", 1956
	23	"Historical Society", 1973
	24	Empire Title Co., Pullman - College Hill Map

Box		Description

5		Miscellaneous Portraits: weddings, "photos never picked up", portraits, 1950's-1961, C-L
6		Miscellaneous Portraits, 1950's-1961, L-Z
7		Miscellaneous Portraits, 1958-1961; more weddings, 1950-61
8		Miscellaneous Portraits, 1958-1961; servicemen's portraits
9		Portraits, 1960-1961, A-M
10		Portraits, 1962, A-R
11		Portraits, 1962, R-Z; 1963 A-E
12		Portraits, 1963, F-S
13		Portraits, 1963, S-Z; Miscellaneous Portraits, 1960-1970
14		Portraits, 1964, A-H
15		Portraits, 1964, H-S
16		Portraits, 1964, S-Z; 1965, A-K
17		Portraits, 1965, K-Z; 1966, A
18		Portraits, 1966, B-O
19		Portraits, 1966, P-Z; 1967, A-H
20		Portraits, 1967, H-Z; 1968, A-E
21		Portraits, 1968, E-M
22		Portraits, 1968, N-Z; 1969, A-D
23		Portraits, 1969, D-W
24		Portraits, 1970, A-S
25		Portraits, 1970, S-Z; 1971, A-L
26		Portraits, 1971, L-Z; 1972, A-C
27		Portraits, 1972, D-M
28		Portraits, 1972, M-Zl 1973, A-B
29		Portraits, 1973, C-O
30		Portraits, 1973, P-Z and miscellaneous photos
31		Portraits, 1974, A-K
32		Portraits, 1974, K-Z
33		Portraits, 1975, A-U
34		Portraits, 1975, V-Z; 1976, A-R
35		Portraits, 1976, R-Z; 1977, A-H
36		Portraits, 1977, H-Z; 1978, A-Z

Box	Folder	Description

		Miscellaneous Photographs (Most appear to be copies, some are Oversize. These were donated to the collection by Oliver Walter in 2001.
37	1	Early Palouse Agriculture (20)
	2	Early Modern Palouse Agriculture (11)
	3	Colfax Flood, 1910 (5)
	4	Early Modern Colfax (17)
	5	Steamboats (5)
	6	Miscellaneous Identified Union Pacific Railroad, n.d. (town unknown) Pupils of District 166, 1909 Central Ferry, Barge Loading, n.d. Whitman County Bar Association, 1973 Rev. Cushing Eels, n.d. Dr. W.A. Mitchell Spalding at Almota. n.d. Railroad being built in Lamont L.L. Druning and friends, n.d. Cashup Davis funeral, n.d. Deed to City of Colfax, 1874
		Portraits Unidentified
		Miscellaneous Unidentified

38		Panoramic Photographs (Oversize Folder)
		I.L. Moore Header, 1913 (Hutchison Photo, n.d.) Central Ferry Bridge Celebration, 1924 (Hutchison Photo) Diamond, Wash. (Allen Photo Co., Walla Walla) Diamond, Wash., n.d. (Hutchison Photo, n.d.) Steptoe, Wash. n.d. Stueckle & Broekel Thresher, 1913 (Hutchison Photo) Colfax, Wash., n.d. Miscellaneous Unidentified Panoramic Photographs (5)

Box	Folder	Description

1	1	Early Colfax, ca. 1900-1922 (31)
	2	Palouse Region Small Towns: Early Elberton, Wash. (5) St. John, Wash. (2) Winona, Wash. Oakesdale, Wash. Moscow, Idaho Potlatch, Idaho Thornton, Wash. (2)
	3	Boundary Dam Construction, 1967 (Part I) (28 photos and negatives)
	4	Boundary Dam Construction, 1967 (Part II) (44 photos, some duplicates)
	5	12th Boy Scout World Jamboree, Farragut State Park, Idaho, 1967 (45)
	6	Palouse Empire Fair: Exhibits, 1966 (2)
	7	Palouse Empire Fair: Rodeo, n.d. (25)
	8	Fire, Oakesdale Grain Growers Elevator, 1970 (12 photos, includes negatives)
	9	Palouse Highway (US 195) Aerial Views, n.d. (14)
	10	Tanker Truck Accident on the Palouse, n.d. (11)
	11	Rock Creek Park, 1976 (color photographs, includes negatives)
	12	Central Ferry Barge Loading, ca. 1973-1978 (Part I)
	13	Central Ferry Barge Loading, ca. 1973-1978 (Part II)

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