The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 552
617 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Papers," alphabetizing them, and getting them ready for public use.
Mrs. Hamer helped me locate some local materials, and assisted me
in getting a library card so that I might check out five books I was
interested in studying more closely.
Ahl Librarians! I'll have to admit that many times those in the
profession work harder at keeping the material locked up than avail-
able. And alas, another failing is the bookkeeper who is sure every-
one has come in to steal a volume. I returned one of the five books
the day prior to returning the remaining four. It was the third volume
(the Atlas!) of Conkling's work on the Butterfield 'Trail. El Paso
Public uses the Verifax method of recording book loans, which is
very fine for a book that will be out for a week or so. As the process-
ing of the film takes three days the only way that short term loans
can be accounted for is via a card in the file under the individual's
library card. This requires reporting in and not just dropping the
returned books on the desk as I did in the case of Volume III. As I
returned my final four books the librarian told me to go home and
look for Volume III. She was uncertain what to do when I told her
I had left it on the desk the day before, and that it should now be in
its accustomed place on the shelf. It was there, and I brought it forth
for all to see. This it seems did not prove a thing, for without the
accession files (which were locked up for the night) the librarian
could not tell whether the book was the Volume III which I had re-
moved from the library. After denying petty thievery, I disclosed I
was leaving town and then beat a hasty retreat, glad that my business
there was over.
Wednesday morning we were on an errand of importance, so the
kids were left to play at Jack and Jill for the day. We had a nice visit
with Mrs. O. L. Shipman, who has written several books, and who
has collected many papers on the Trans-Pecos country. The majority
of the papers have been purchased and donated to the El Paso Public
Library and the library at Sul Ross at Alpine. We pored over our
maps with Mrs. Shipman helping us locate the old route. She knows
the old families in the Fort Davis and Van Horn area.
We buried ourselves in the El Paso County deeds for a day, finding
a few clues, and then a quick trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to
see if the county records there might help us. Those we needed, how-
ever, were located in the basement of the courthouse; the janitor had
the keys, and we had arrived on election day. We did have the luck
to get referred to Mrs. J. Paul Taylor who lives just off the old square
at near-by Mesilla. She lives in an old adobe house which is a con-
tinuation of a block of buildings, all one story. Young Mrs. Taylor
welcomed us in to her antique-furnished home, explaining that her
husband was a school teacher in a near-by town and that the two
of them were writing a book on old Mesilla and the string of army552
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959, periodical, 1959; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101173/m1/653/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.