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OTTO C. PERRY PAPERS

 Collection
Identifier: WH2290

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection spans 1905 to 1966 and primarily contains Perry's correspondence. Limited memorabilia and photographs are also include.

SERIES 1 OTTO C. PERRY PAPERS 1905-1966 BOX 1

Correspondence and memorabilia comprise this series. Numerous letters document Perry's arrest at Woodward, Oklahoma on suspicion of spying and his unsuccessful attempts to sue town officials for this arrest. Also included are letters Perry received from various railroad enthusiasts regarding his railroad photographs. Memorabilia includes elementary school records, a U.S. National Guard discharge, a safety inspection for Perry's automobile and several railroad club membership cards

SERIES 2 PHOTOGRAPHS 1952-1960 BOX 1

Three photographic postcards contain railroad images. One photograph documents a Rocky Mountain Railroad Club dinner. Three additional photographs are unidentified.

Dates

  • 1905-1966

ACCESS:

The collection is open for research.

OWNERSHIP:

Otto C. Perry Records are the physical property of the Denver Public Library.

COPYRIGHT:

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Otto Conrad Perry was born December 21, 1894 in Kansas City, Missouri, the first child of Frank and Clara Maude Perry. In about 1896, the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Perry attended McKinley School. His eighth grade graduation marked the end of his formal education.

In 1907, health concerns for Perry’s younger brother, Elmer, prompted the family to move to Denver, Colorado, where in 1910 Perry began working for Western Union, delivering telegrams on his bicycle. He developed into an expert cyclist, occasionally covering a 200-mile round trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming or to Pueblo Colorado on weekends. About 1912, Perry accepted a position using his bicycle to deliver special delivery letters for the U.S. Post Office.

Perry’s passion for photographing railroads developed about 1913. Initially, he used his father’s box camera to photograph railroad equipment, but by 1915, Perry had purchased his own camera, a Kodak 3A, which used postcard-sized film. He experimented briefly with a glass plate camera in 1917, but returned to roll film by 1918.

Called into military service in World War I, Perry served with the 148th Field Artillery. Although stationed in England and France, the war ended before he could be sent to the front lines.

After the War, Perry became a regular mail carrier and purchased the first of his many Graflex cameras. Higher shutter speeds afforded by the Graflex enabled him to photograph railroads in action as well as still photos. At first, Perry pursued his avocation riding a large, Harley Davidson motorcycle. He later moved up to a Model-T, but he was best-known for traveling in a 1935 Ford V-8, which he purchased new, and drove over 300,000 miles. Although Perry produced most of his photographs in Colorado and neighboring states, he eventually visited and photographed in all 48 of the continental United States.

Shortly before America’s involvement in World War II, Perry’s railroad photography resulted in his arrest as a suspected spy in Woodward, Oklahoma. Quite upset by the incident, Perry sought to sue the town's officials. Apparently, he was unable to obtain the services of a lawyer willing to pursue the case and the matter was dropped.

Perry retired from the Post Office June 30, 1957, though he continued to drive a truck delivering parcel post packages and transporting mail between post offices. Perry lived to see his 76th birthday, but passed away at his Denver home two days later on December 23, 1970. Perry’s heirs agreed to place over 20,000 of his negatives with the Denver Public Library’s Western History Collection, where they have been cataloged and preserved.

Extent

1 Boxes (.25 linear feet)

Language of Materials

English

PROVENANCE:

Purchase, from Geno Potyondy, 2014.

SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL

The Western History/Genealogy Department has over 100 additional manuscript collections containing material related to railroads and railroad photography. Among the more important are:

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Records WH512

Lucius Morris Beebe Papers WH33

Jackson Thode Papers -M1743

Rio Grande Western Railway Company Records WH608

Edward Bollinger Papers WH660

SIZE:

Number of Boxes: 1 (.25 linear feet)

LOCATION:

WH2290

PROCESSED AND ENCODED BY:

Dennis Hagen

April 2014

PROJECT MANAGER:

Abby Hoverstock

Title
OTTO C. PERRY PAPERS
Date
APRIL 2014
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository

Contact:
10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
Denver CO 80204 United States