THE ROYAL PRINTS

In 1969, BARRY GOLDWATER gave Raymond Carlson a Christmas gift. It was an 11x14 color print of Monument Valley. The photograph was made by Barry Goldwater, and the signed print would become one of our longtime editor's most cherished possessions. The two men were good friends and colleagues. They'd met, by chance, in the late 1930s at the opening of the old Arizona Brewing Co. in Phoenix. Knowing that Barry spent a lot of time explor-ing Arizona, Mr. Carlson asked the would-be senator about contributing to the magazine. “The first photograph I sold to Arizona Highways was in 1939,” Barry said. “Ray and I were driving along one day by Coal Mine Canyon up near Tuba City. Ray said, ‘You wouldn't have a picture of that, would you?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I've got a good one.’ I sent it in and he ran it.” The image ran on page 16 in our August 1939 issue. In the decades since, we've published hundreds of Barry's photographs, many of which were made into prints that are now protected in our vault — yes, we have a vault. A few months ago, Jeff Kida and I went in there to look around. Jeff's our photo editor, and he's stationed in front of the vault like the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace.

No one knows the history of the Goldwater prints, or how they ended up in our vault, but it's an impressive collection that includes some photographs we'd never seen before. This month, as part of this special issue, we're opening the vault to share a few of our favorites. For the sake of integrity, we're presenting the prints exactly as we found them, which means you'll see some imperfections. You'll also see the letters A.R.P.S. after Barry's signature on some of the prints. They're an acronym for “Associate of the Royal Photographic Society,” which was founded in London in 1853 to promote the budding art form of photography. Barry was admitted as an associate member of the Royal Photographic Society on July 14, 1941, and was a lifetime member of the Photographic Society of America. Here at Arizona Highways, he's a member, too — a beloved family member. As Editor Joseph Stacey wrote in our April 1972 issue: “Barry M. Goldwater is someone special to different people. As a humanitarian and philanthropist, his many private charities are known only to Goldwater, God and the grateful recipients. He is a special friend to the ‘little man’ and is endlessly involved in significant actions to benefit minority groups of all races, color and creed. To Raymond Carlson and all of us at Arizona Highways, we feel that he is one of us.” Forty-six years later, that feeling is as strong as ever. Thus, the vault. And thus, this issue.

Theodore Roosevelt Dam in Gila County east of Phoenix. The first name for this Dam was Tonto Dam, but when Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the Dam on March 18, 1911, the name was changed to carry his. This was the first major Dam constructed under the Reclamation Act. It is 284 feet high, its base is 184 feet thick and the Lake is 23 miles long.