Through a new digitization project, the Eastern Arizona Museum and the Public History Program are preserving local history and asking the public to help identify forgotten faces in a growing digital collection.
By Giovanni Barberio
What if a single story could help rewrite a piece of Arizona’s history? That is the hope behind the Eastern Arizona Museum’s new digitization initiative. Although the project has only just begun, it is already revealing forgotten fragments of the past–especially in a series of photographs featuring unidentified people. Some of the photographs are school pictures with a few unknown people, while others are unidentified portraits. To honor the museum’s mission and ensure these individuals are remembered, ASU and the Eastern Arizona Museum are inviting the public to help identify them. By looking through the Eastern Arizona Museum digital collection, visitors can share any information they have related to any of the newly digitized photographs by leaving a comment under the image or item.
The Eastern Arizona Museum & Historical Society, located in the city of Pima, houses the artifacts and history of the Gila Valley. The Gila Valley is a small, tight-knit community deriving from early pioneer settlements near the Arizona-New Mexico border. The historical society was founded in 1963 by local volunteers “who loved history,” and wanted to preserve it. The museum is dedicated to preserving the region’s legacy as a “living, breathing reflection of the values, faith and resilience that defines” the Gila Valley. To support this effort, the Rizley Family Foundation generously contributed to the ASU Public History Endowment, making the digitization project possible. The partnership between ASU Public History and the Eastern Arizona Museum enhances the accessibility of the museum’s resources, ensures the longevity of Eastern Arizona history, and recovers lost history through community engagement.
The partnership between the Eastern Arizona Museum and ASU began with John ‘Riz’ Rizley, who was pursuing his MA in history when he reached out to the public history program about supporting the museum. His support jumpstarted the museum’s digitization project. Although the project is still in its early stages, the digital collection now features over 1,200 catalogued items, and more materials are added regularly. The partnership between ASU Public History and the Eastern Arizona Museum is important for extending the museum’s resources outside of the small town of Pima, Arizona. Eastern Arizona Museum houses a trove of historical materials that document the lives and legacies of a vibrant community with rich indigenous, mining, lumber, and cattle ranching histories. However, Pima has shrunk considerably since its boom town days at the turn of the 20th century. And many families with ties to the region no longer reside in Graham County. Digitization provides these dispersed descendants with a powerful means to reconnect with their roots and engage with Eastern Arizona’s history from afar, including resources for genealogy projects. Additionally, researchers will have better access to the museum’s items and catalog thanks to the digital holdings. ASU’s involvement ensures that even as physical materials age and deteriorate, their historical value will remain preserved and accessible. Most importantly, the collaboration helps safeguard the stories and legacy of the Gila Valley for generations to come.
