Name/Title
William "Bill" and Frances Belknap CollectionEntry/Object ID
MS.93Scope and Content
William "Bill" and Frances Belknap Collection
MS 93
William "Bill" and Frances Belknap Collection
William "Bill" Belknap [1920-1986] was a nationally recognized photographer whose work appeared in such varied publications as Life Magazine, National Geographic, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, as well as books and other publications throughout the world. Noted for his nature photography, particularly his work along the Colorado River and in the American West, Belknap came to Boulder City in 1936 with his mother, who was an investor in the ill-fated Grand Canyon-Boulder Dam Tours, Inc. [GCBDT], the Lake Mead National Recreation Area's first tourist concessionaire. Belknap did some photography for GCBDT together with noted photographer George Waters, then in 1941 joined the Naval Reserve as a chief photographer's mate. Belknap married Frances Spencer during the war, after which they returned to Boulder City with their two children, William III [aka as Buzz], and Laura ["Loie."] The Belknaps established Fastwater Expeditions, which led Colorado River runs, and Westwater Books, for which Buzz wrote the first practical and comprehensive Colorado River-running guide, Grand Canyon River Guide. Belknap also operated a photography business in Boulder City in the 1940s and '50s in partnership with prominent photographers Mark Swain and Cliff Segerblom. Another well-known photographer who occasionally did work for the Belknap studio was John E. Westen [see MS 92 and photo collection 0101]. The bulk of Belknap's photo archive, nearly 20,000 images, was donated by his family to the University of Arizona at Flagstaff. Remnants from that collection are stored at the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum as photo collection no. 0102.
The material in this manuscript collection includes many of Belknap's original negative envelopes with Belknap's numbering, as well as notes, captions, and receipts found with some of the negatives.
* * *Collection
ManuscriptsLexicon
Search Terms
photographers, photography, photography studiosArchive Details
Archive Notes
Date(s) Created: 1930s - 1950s
Early Create Date: 1930
Date(s): 1930s - 1950sArchive Items Details
Notes
MS 93
William "Bill" and Frances Belknap Collection
inventory
[3 boxes]
Box 1 of 3 ff no.
1. photo collection [no. 0102] inventory disc 1
2. captions, notes, receipts 2
3. items transferred to the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum 3
Box 2 of 3
original negative envelopes for Belknap images nos. 32 - 2097
Box 3 of 3
original negative envelopes for Belknap images nos. 2122 - 4239
* * *Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Battey, JeanettePerson or Organization
Battey, LawrencePerson or Organization
Belknap, FrancesPerson or Organization
Belknap, William "Bill," Jr.Related Entries
Notes
photograph collection no. 0102 [William "Bill" and Frances Belknap
Collection]
photograph collection no. 0156 [Lawrence "Beaudy" and Jeanette Battey
Collection]Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
November 11, 2002Updated By
bcmha.archives@gmail.comUpdate Date
September 3, 2025