PHOTOS FROM THE DON BLAIR ARCHIVE COLLECTION

FROM THE

Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center

AT THE

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

The following thirty photographs were found at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City.  I went there to view the part of the Don Blair archived collection that deals with Aruba.  The people at the museum were just as nice as can be and I was shown all that I asked to see.  I would also like to say it was an interesting museum, very large and well worth a visit if you are in Oklahoma City.  I was a little disappointed in what little there was in the collection from Aruba, mostly small, 2 inch by 2 inch photos, and most of them were of the landscape of Aruba, cactus and coral.  There were some photos and a few negatives of the Scottish troops who were in Aruba between 1940 and 1942, as well as a couple of photos showing the interior of the General Office Building and a few of the exterior of the GOB.  These are among the 30 photographs I selected from the over 200 that covered Aruba.  I hope you enjoy the photographs, I think they were well worth the trip.
While looking at the collection I got to thinking about why there was so little from the '40 to '45 time period. Don Blair was in Aruba during this time but there were no photos from this time.  Then I realized, this was because this was war time and I am sure you could not purchase photographic film during this time.  Lago was a vital war industry and the entire island was under a strict censorship, so film and photographs were a no-no.  For this reason most of the photographs cover the period 1938, (the time Don Blair arrived in Aruba), to 1940, (beginning of censorship) and then again from 1945 (war's end) to 1946 when he left Aruba.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO START THE SLIDE SHOW

aruba_house_1.jpg
aruba_house_1.jpg

aruba_house_2.jpg
aruba_house_2.jpg
 
aruba_house_3.jpg
aruba_house_3.jpg
 
aruba_mud_house_1.jpg
aruba_mud_house_1.jpg
 
t_dock_building.jpg
t_dock_building.jpg
 
aruba_house_4.jpg
aruba_house_4.jpg
 
aruba_mud_house_2.jpg
aruba_mud_house_2.jpg
 
church_1.jpg
church_1.jpg
 
church_2.jpg
church_2.jpg
 
colony_1.jpg
colony_1.jpg
 
drafting_room_1.jpg
drafting_room_1.jpg
 
esso_station.jpg
esso_station.jpg
 
fort_oranjstead.jpg
fort_oranjstead.jpg
 
gob_1_inside.jpg
gob_1_inside.jpg
 
gob_1_outside.jpg
gob_1_outside.jpg
 
gob_2_outside.jpg
gob_2_outside.jpg
 
gob_3_outside_back.jpg
gob_3_outside_back.jpg
 
gob_4_outside.jpg
gob_4_outside.jpg
 
l_g_smith.jpg
l_g_smith.jpg
 
refinery_1.jpg
refinery_1.jpg
 
refinery_2.jpg
refinery_2.jpg
 
refinery_tanks.jpg
refinery_tanks.jpg
 
scotts_troops_1.jpg
scotts_troops_1.jpg
 
scotts_troops_2.jpg
scotts_troops_2.jpg
 
scotts_troops_3.jpg
scotts_troops_3.jpg
 
scotts_troops_4.jpg
scotts_troops_4.jpg
 
scotts_troops_5.jpg
scotts_troops_5.jpg
 
scotts_troops_6.jpg
scotts_troops_6.jpg
 
scotts_troops_7.jpg
scotts_troops_7.jpg
 
 
Please note, while these photos are posted on the site, they are still the property of the National Cowboy Museum.  If anyone cares to use them or copy them, they will have to obtain permission from the Museum, just as I did.  This warning is part of the agreement to allow me to use the photos, that and giving credit for the photographs to the Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.