A Denver native, David DeHarport (1920-2001) spent a lifetime pursuing two major interests, archaeology and photography. As part of his doctoral program in anthropology at Harvard University, DeHarport photographed all of the archaeological sites and rock art in Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly. Later, he photographically surveyed the low-relief sculpture at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, and the hundreds of frescoes adorning the Ajanta Caves, a Buddhist site in central India.

DeHarport’s interests also included his native Colorado, in particular, the fragile prairie lands east of the Rocky Mountains. In the 1980s DeHarport began documenting Colorado’s eastern plains, a project to which he devoted the rest of his life. For DeHarport, eastern Colorado was an enigma. Eclipsed by the more colorful landscape and history of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado’s Western Slope, it has rarely been given in-depth artistic study or recognition. Challenged by recording in photographs not only the landscape but the human interaction with it, DeHarport created a body of work characterized by thorough documentation and personal artistry.

Through grant funds provided by the State Historic Fund, with matching funds provided by The Charlotte DeHarport Bequest, 500 film negatives and 500 photographic prints from the DeHarport Collection related to Colorado’s eastern plains have been item level cataloged by collections staff, and digitally scanned by History Colorado.  An inventory of the project is available in the Stephen H. Hart Library.
 

David DeHarport Collection

Colorado Photographs
 

Box 1

Abbott, Colorado
Agate, Colorado
Akron, Colorado
Alamosa, Colorado
Anton, Colorado
Antonito, Colorado
Aroya, Colorado
Arriba, Colorado
Atwater, Colorado
Atwood, Colorado
Ault, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
Bear Creek Valley
Bennett, Colorado
Bent’s Fort
Blackhawk, Colorado
Bountiful, Colorado
Brandon, Colorado
Briggsdale, Colorado
Brighton, Colorado
Bristol, Colorado
Brush, Colorado
Burlington, Colorado
Byers, Colorado
Calhan, Colorado
Campo, Colorado
Central City, Colorado
Chatfield Dam
Cherry Creek Dam
Cheyenne Wells, Colorado
 

Box 2

Chivington, Colorado
Clear Creek
Coal Creek
Como, Colorado
Commanche Creek
Commerce City, Colorado
Cope, Colorado
Cordova
Cuchara, Colorado
Deer Creek Canyon
Deer Trail, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
Dupont, Colorado
Eads, Colorado
Eastonville, Colorado
Eckley, Colorado
Elbert, Colorado
Ellicott, Colorado
Evans, Colorado
 

Box 3

Fairplay, Colorado
First View, Colorado
Flagler, Colorado
Flemming, Colorado
Fort Lupton, Colorado
Fort Morgan, Colorado
Franktown, Colorado
Galleton, Colorado
Georgetown, Colorado
Genoa, Colorado
Gilcrest, Colorado
Gill, Colorado
Globeville, Colorado
Gold Camp, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
Goodrich, Colorado
Granada, Colorado
Greenland, Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
Grover, Colorado
Hasty, Colorado
Haswell, Colorado
Haxton, Colorado
Henderson,  Colorado
Herschmann Ranch
Highlands, Colorado
Highland Lake
Hillrose, Colorado
Hilltop, Colorado
Holly, Colorado
Holyoke, Colorado
Hoyt, Colorado
Hudson, Colorado
Idaho Springs, Colorado
Iliff, Colorado
Irondale, Colorado
Jamestown, Colorado
Jemez, Colorado
Julesburg, Colorado
 

Box 4

Keenesburg, Colorado
Keota, Colorado
Kersey, Colorado
Kim, Colorado
Kiowa, Colorado
Kirk, Colorado
Kit Carson, Colorado
Lafayette, Colorado
La Jara, Colorado
La Junta, Colorado
Lamar, Colorado
La Sanses, Colorado
Las Animas, Colorado
Last Chance, Colorado
Lawson, Colorado
Limon, Colorado
Lindon, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Lochbouie, Colorado
Lone Star, Colorado
Longmont, Colorado
Louviers, Colorado
Lucerne, Colorado
Lycan, Colorado
Matheson, Colorado
McClure, Colorado
Manilla, Colorado
Mead, Colorado
Model, Colorado
Morrison, Colorado
Mosca, Colorado
 

Box 5

Nevadaville, Colorado
New Raymer, Colorado
North Turkey Creek, Colorado
Nunn, Colorado
Ordway, Colorado
Otis, Colorado
Osgood, Colorado
Padroni, Colorado
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Paoli, Colorado
Pawnee Buttes, Colorado
Peetz, Colorado
Peyton, Colorado
Platteville, Colorado
Pritchett, Colorado
Prospect Valley, Colorado
Punkin Center, Colorado
Ramah, Colorado
Roggen, Colorado
Romeo, Colorado
Runney Creek, Colorado
Russell Gulch, Colorado
 

Box 6

Sedalia, Colorado
Seibert, Colorado
Sheridan, Colorado
Silver Plume, Colorado
Simla, Colorado
Springfield, Colorado
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Strasburg, Colorado
Stratton, Colorado
Sterling, Colorado
Stoneham, Colorado
South Park, Colorado
Sugar City, Colorado
Thatcher, Colorado
Thermond, Colorado
Timpas, Colorado
Tobe, Colorado
Turner, Colorado
Two Buttes, Colorado
Vernon, Colorado
Victor, Colorado
Walsh, Colorado
Ward, Colorado
Waterton, Colorado
Watkins, Colorado
Weldona, Colorado
Williard, Colorado
Wiggins, Colorado
Wild Horse, Colorado
Wiley, Colorado
Windsor, Colorado
Wray, Colorado
Woodrow, Colorado
Yuma, Colorado
 

Box 7

Barns
Churches
Farms
Grain Elevators
Mines
Ranches
School House
Windmills
Misc.

There are 8 oversized boxes of mounted prints, most of which are duplicated in the above boxes.  There is
also a box 11"x14" prints that are duplicates of the prints in the above boxes.

The prints are marked neg.  and then pink, green, blue, tan, 4x5… these refer to the corresponding
negatives and their locations.  If a print is marked “no negative” then at the time of processing no negative
was found to match the print.  There is a gap between 1990-1994.