Hall, Douglas Kent

Douglas Kent Hall was a 20th-century American writer and photographer born in Vernal, Utah and later residing in New York City and New Mexico. He began his career as a creative writer and received his Masters of Fine Arts from the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1964 before going on to teach at the University of Portland. Hall began to experiment with photography in 1965 and started by photographing his poet and writer friends. He would spend the next forty years traveling, writing and photographing on a variety of topics and locations, first by freelancing for a number of magazines and promotional companies and eventually leaving academia to travel Europe. After his return to New York City in 1971, Hall published his first novel in 1972, wrote an Academy award winning documentary in 1973, and began to exhibit his photographs with his first show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1974. In 1977, Hall moved to New Mexico where he went on to write and photograph about the American Southwest, a number of subcultures, and his travels. He published twenty-five books (fiction, non-fiction and photographic) over the course of his lifetime and continued to photograph, travel, write, and exhibit up until his death. Douglas Kent Hall died on March 20, 2008.

From the description of Douglas Kent Hall papers, 1950s-2011. (Princeton University Library). WorldCat record id: 759913098

Born in Utah in 1938, Douglas Kent Hall is a writer, poet, and filmmaker as well as a photographer. His photography has focused on New Mexico's unique mix of people and places, with subjects ranging from ancient ruins to portraits of people in urban Albuquerque, from New Mexico's churches to bodybuilders and rodeo cowboys. Years ago, Hall settled into northern New Mexico's Rio Grande area and began photographing the Matachines, or masked ceremonial dancers, that emphasize the region's cultural and historical value. Hall's images are found in museums in Taos, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, New York, and at Princeton University. Many of his books and compiled works can be found in the Fine Arts Library and Zimmerman Library at UNM. Some biographical and historical information taken from the following website: [http://www.douglaskenthall.com/about.html]

From the description of Douglas Kent Hall U.S.-Mexican Border photograph collection, 2000-2002 [picture]. [2000-2002] (University of New Mexico-Main Campus). WorldCat record id: 55732330

b. 1938-

From the description of Artist file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145342720

The Bell Ranch was a ranch of more than 700, 000 acres located in eastern San Miguel County about 50 miles northwest of Tucumcari, New Mexico. It was originally two Mexican land grants, the Baca Location No. 2 and the Pablo Montoya Grant of 1824. After the war with Mexico in 1846-1847, the Pablo Montoya heirs applied for confirmation of their grant. John S. Watts who led the confirmation process took a large part of the grant as his legal fee; he also acquired the adjoining Baca Location No. 2. Watts later sold a major part of this property to Wilson Waddingham. Arthur J. Tisdall and Charles M. O'Donel were general managers of the Bell Ranch in the late 1800's. By 1885, Waddingham and his ranch manager, Michael Slattery were running large herds of cattle on the range with little regard to sustainability of the land. By 1893, overstocking and grazing of stock from other ranches combined with drought to leave the range severely overgrazed. Waddingham had to sell the land due to financial problems. In 1898, E.G. Stoddard, president of the New Haven Bank, founded the Red River Valley Company to buy the Bell Ranch. From then until 1946 this company, headed first by Stoddard and after 1923, by Julius G. Day, survived the ups and downs of the cattle markets of the 1920s and 1930s. In 1932, Bell Ranch manager Charles O'Donel retired, but stayed on as vice president of the Red River Valley Company. Philip C. Garrett replaced him as ranch manager. Garrett's tenure was short. He was succeeded by Albert K. Mitchell, who managed the Bell Ranch from January 1, 1933, until the Red River Valley Company sold it in 1947. The Bell Ranch was broken up into seven smaller ranches. Mrs. Harriet E. Keeney bought the headquarters unit consisting of 130, 855 acres and acquired the rights to the Bell brand. She asked George F. Ellis to manage the "Old Bell Headquarters" unit which he did until 1970.

From the guide to the Bell Ranch Photograph Collection, 1890-1984, (University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research)

Born in Utah in 1938, Douglas Kent Hall is a writer, poet, and filmmaker as well as a photographer. His photography has focused on New Mexico???s unique mix of people and places, with subjects ranging from ancient ruins to portraits of people in urban Albuquerque, from New Mexico???s churches to bodybuilders and rodeo cowboys. Years ago, Hall settled into northern New Mexico???s Rio Grande area and began photographing the Matachines, or masked ceremonial dancers, that emphasize the region???s cultural and historical value. Hall???s images are found in museums in Taos, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, New York, and at Princeton University. Many of his books and compiled works can be found in the Fine Arts Library and Zimmerman Library at UNM.

Some biographical and historical information taken from the following website: [http://www.douglaskenthall.com/about.html]

From the guide to the Douglas Kent Hall U.S.-Mexican Border photograph collection, 2000-2002, (Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico.)