William Curry Holden
Encyclopedia
William Curry Holden also known as Curry Holden, was an historian
and archaeologist. In 1937, he became the first director of the Museum of Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
, Texas
. During his tenure, the museum gained regional and state recognition for excellence. Holden also guided the plans for a new museum building, which was dedicated on November 11, 1970. The museum includes the main building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark
, and the Val Verde County
research site.
, Texas. The Holden and Davis families moved west toward Colorado City
, Texas. He was reared on a farm near Rotan
, Texas, where he completed high school in 1914.
He procured teacher certification through now-closed Stamford Junior College in Stamford
, Texas. In 1915, he accepted a position in Pleasant Valley
, Texas, where he was the only instructor of forty-seven students in nine classes. He organized a literary club and basketball teams and led the students to victory in the county interscholastic meeting.
Holden studied Texas history
under Professor Joseph A. Hill at West Texas Normal College (now West Texas A&M University
) in Canyon
, Texas, during the summers of 1917 and 1918. During World War I
, Holden served in the Eighty-sixth United States Army
Infantry
at San Antonio
.
, Rotan High School. Soon thereafter, he left to position and entered the University of Texas, where he studied under the historian Eugene C. Barker
. He was also heavily influenced by Professor Walter Prescott Webb
, author of The Great Plains. During most of the 1920s, Holden taught history at the college level while still continuing his own studies at the University of Texas, where he eventually earned his bachelor's
, master's
, and Ph.D.
degrees. He later studied briefly at the University of Chicago
and the University of Colorado
.
In 1923, Holden organized and chaired the history department at the newly established McMurry College (now McMurry University
), a Methodist-affiliated institution in Abilene, Texas
. He encouraged his students to collect and preserve family and regional histories, including newspapers. He would utilize these materials in writing his doctoral dissertation, published in 1930 under the name Alkali Trails. He also launched a course at McMurry in archeology and took students to research sites along the Canadian River
. He, along with Rupert N. Richardson
, president of Hardin-Simmons University
in Abilene, was among the original co-founders of the West Texas Historical Association
, originally based in Abilene but relocated to Lubbock in 1998.
In 1929, Holden joined the faculty of Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
) to instruct history and anthropology
. He remained there for more than four decades. He became chairman of the history department in 1936. Holden Hall, the location of the original Museum of Texas Tech University and now used for classrooms and offices, was named in his honor in 1972. This was the first such honor accorded to a living member of the faculty. A bronze bust of Holden, created by Lubbock sculptor Glenna Goodacre
, was unveiled in the museum rotunda.
In 1938, Holden was named dean and director of anthropological, historical, and social-science research. Holden was elevated to dean of the Texas Tech Graduate School in 1945, a position that he retained until 1950. He launched an accredited program in four doctoral fields, including history. He received the Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Award of the College of Arts and Sciences and, in 1965, was named Distinguished Director Emeritus of the Museum at Texas Tech University.
In 1935, Holden organized the West Texas Museum Association and sought funds from the Texas Centennial Commission for the West Texas Museum (now known as the Museum of Texas Tech University
). He led a "march to Austin" to convince the legislature to fund $160,750 for the facility, but only $25,000 was forthcoming. With private funds and university matching, the first museum building was dedicated in 1950 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the institution.
The museum first focused on the Southwestern region with exhibits on history, science, and art. Artist Peter Hurd
was commissioned in 1952 to paint a fresco
in the rotunda
at the entrance to the museum to depict life on the South Plains
between 1890 and 1925.
In 1955, Holden, J. Evetts Haley
, and other historians organized the Southwest Collection and Archives, which contained West Texas
ranch records that he had collected over the years. One feature of the Museum of Texas Tech University
is the outdoor National Ranching Heritage Center
, which has been assembled over the years from ranches throughout the South Plains and Panhandle
.
uncovered the Saddleback and Antelope Creek ruins on the Canadian River
. In 1932, Holden directed a field school at the Tecolote ruin near Las Vegas, New Mexico
. In 1933, 1935, and 1937, he uncovered the Arrowhead Ruin, including a rare D-shaped kiva
. Holden's students excavated and restored this Early Glaze-period pueblo
ruin located east of Santa Fe, New Mexico
. In 1950, he directed excavations at the Bonnell site near Ruidoso, New Mexico
, on a mesa
ruin similar to the Antelope Creek site. In 1937, Holden found evidence of Southwestern prehistoric culture at Murrah Cave on the lower Pecos River
. In 1938, he investigated Blue Mountain Cave west of Odessa, Texas
. In 1940, he investigated Fingerpoint Cave in Borden County, Texas
.
Holden's most significant archeological discovery occurred near his home in Lubbock
in 1937, when two of his students found a Paleo-Indian flint point in Yellow House Draw
. The flint point was on the bank of a small natural lake that the city was dredging to open an ancient spring. Holden played a crucial role in the long struggle to preserve the site. In 1989, the site was designated the Lubbock Lake National Historic and State Archeological Landmark
.
Holden led archeological field trips to Mexico
in 1934, 1936, 1938, and 1940. In the spring of 1934, he took students on an expedition to study the bellicose Yaqui of the state of Sonora
. Texas Tech sponsored a second expedition in 1935. Thereafter, Holden published Studies of the Yaqui Indians of Sonora, Mexico. The report touches on Yaqui education, marriage, child-rearing, and household economy.
Holden was twice married. His first wife, Olive Holden née Price (1903–1937) died only eleven years after their marriage. Their only child, Jane Holden Kelley, became a professor of archaeology at the University of Calgary
in Alberta, Canada. Olive assisted her husband in the development of the anthropology
program at Texas Tech University
and in the design and construct of an adobe
house near the campus.
On March 26, 1939, Holden married Frances Virginia "Fran" Holden née Mayhugh, a native of Running Water in Hale County, Texas
. She graduated from Plainview High School
and received a master of arts degree in history from Texas Tech in 1940. She was associate director of the Museum of Texas Tech University
from 1940 to 1965. She founded the museum's Southwestern Art Collection and the Women's Council.
Holden retired from Texas Tech in 1970. During his retirement, Holden and Frances built adobe houses in Pueblo-revival style
. These buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are designated as state and city archaeological and historic landmarks.
Holden died on April 21, 1993, at the age of ninety-six. His younger brother, Tom Calloway Holden of Kerrville, Texas
, a retired educator, died on August 4, 2007, at the age of 103, and Frances Holden died only 16 days later.
William and Frances Holden are interred in the family plot with his parents and first wife at the City of Lubbock Cemetery. Frances's grave is not specifically marked. They were Methodist
.
. Four works focused on the Yaqui Indians. His only novel, Hill of the Rooster, published in 1956, traces the life of a woman called "Chepa" during the Yaqui rebellion of 1926-1927. Holden also wrote Teresita (1978), which describes the life of Teresa Urrea, a Mexican folk healer.
Other Holden books included:
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and archaeologist. In 1937, he became the first director of the Museum of Texas Tech University
Museum of Texas Tech University
The Museum of Texas Tech University is part of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It is made up of the main museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Val Verde County research...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. During his tenure, the museum gained regional and state recognition for excellence. Holden also guided the plans for a new museum building, which was dedicated on November 11, 1970. The museum includes the main building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark
Lubbock Lake Landmark
Lubbock Lake Landmark, also known as Lubbock Lake Site, is an important archeological site and natural history preserve in the city of Lubbock, Texas. The preserve is 336 acres and is a protected state and federal landmark. There is evidence of ancient people and extinct animals at Lubbock Lake...
, and the Val Verde County
Val Verde County, Texas
Val Verde County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2008, estimated population was 55,000. Its county seat is Del Rio. In 1936, Val Verde County received Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 5625 to commemorate its founding.Val Verde, which means "green...
research site.
Early years, education, military
Holden was one of three sons born to Robert Lee Holden and Grace Holden née Davis in CoolidgeCoolidge, Texas
Coolidge is a town in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 863 in 2009.-Geography:Coolidge is located at ....
, Texas. The Holden and Davis families moved west toward Colorado City
Colorado City, Texas
Colorado City is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,281 at the 2000 census....
, Texas. He was reared on a farm near Rotan
Rotan, Texas
Rotan is a city in Fisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,611 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rotan is located at ....
, Texas, where he completed high school in 1914.
He procured teacher certification through now-closed Stamford Junior College in Stamford
Stamford, Texas
Stamford is a small city located on the border of Jones and Haskell counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 3,111 in 2008. H. McHarg, president of the Texas Central Railroad, named the site in 1900 for his hometown in Connecticut...
, Texas. In 1915, he accepted a position in Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley, Texas
Pleasant Valley is a town in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 408 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pleasant Valley is located at ....
, Texas, where he was the only instructor of forty-seven students in nine classes. He organized a literary club and basketball teams and led the students to victory in the county interscholastic meeting.
Holden studied Texas history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
under Professor Joseph A. Hill at West Texas Normal College (now West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
) in Canyon
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
, Texas, during the summers of 1917 and 1918. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Holden served in the Eighty-sixth United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
University of Texas and McMurry College
After his military service, Holden obtained a job as principal at his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Rotan High School. Soon thereafter, he left to position and entered the University of Texas, where he studied under the historian Eugene C. Barker
Eugene C. Barker
Eugene Campbell Barker was a distinguished professor of Texas history at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the first living person to have a UT campus building, the Eugene C. Barker Texas History Center, named in his honor. The structure is part of the Center for American History and was...
. He was also heavily influenced by Professor Walter Prescott Webb
Walter Prescott Webb
Walter Prescott Webb was a 20th century U.S. historian and author noted for his groundbreaking historical work on the American West. As president of the Texas State Historical Association, he launched the project that produced the Handbook of Texas...
, author of The Great Plains. During most of the 1920s, Holden taught history at the college level while still continuing his own studies at the University of Texas, where he eventually earned his bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, master's
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degrees. He later studied briefly at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.
In 1923, Holden organized and chaired the history department at the newly established McMurry College (now McMurry University
McMurry University
McMurry University, founded in 1923, is a private co-educational university in Abilene, Texas. It is a liberal arts school offering forty-one majors in the fields of fine arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, education, business, and religion, and nine pre-professional programs, including...
), a Methodist-affiliated institution in Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. He encouraged his students to collect and preserve family and regional histories, including newspapers. He would utilize these materials in writing his doctoral dissertation, published in 1930 under the name Alkali Trails. He also launched a course at McMurry in archeology and took students to research sites along the Canadian River
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....
. He, along with Rupert N. Richardson
Rupert N. Richardson
Rupert Norval Richardson, Sr. , was an American historian and a former president of Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas...
, president of Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
in Abilene, was among the original co-founders of the West Texas Historical Association
West Texas Historical Association
The West Texas Historical Association is an organization of both academics and laypersons dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the total history of West Texas, defined geographically as all Texas counties and portions of counties located west of Interstate 35.-Formation of the...
, originally based in Abilene but relocated to Lubbock in 1998.
Forty years at Texas Tech University
In 1929, Holden joined the faculty of Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) to instruct history and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. He remained there for more than four decades. He became chairman of the history department in 1936. Holden Hall, the location of the original Museum of Texas Tech University and now used for classrooms and offices, was named in his honor in 1972. This was the first such honor accorded to a living member of the faculty. A bronze bust of Holden, created by Lubbock sculptor Glenna Goodacre
Glenna Goodacre
Glenna Maxey Goodacre is a sculptor well known for having designed the obverse of the Sacagawea dollar that entered circulation in the United States in 2000...
, was unveiled in the museum rotunda.
In 1938, Holden was named dean and director of anthropological, historical, and social-science research. Holden was elevated to dean of the Texas Tech Graduate School in 1945, a position that he retained until 1950. He launched an accredited program in four doctoral fields, including history. He received the Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Award of the College of Arts and Sciences and, in 1965, was named Distinguished Director Emeritus of the Museum at Texas Tech University.
Building the Museum of Texas Tech University
Museum of Texas Tech University
The Museum of Texas Tech University is part of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It is made up of the main museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Val Verde County research...
). He led a "march to Austin" to convince the legislature to fund $160,750 for the facility, but only $25,000 was forthcoming. With private funds and university matching, the first museum building was dedicated in 1950 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the institution.
The museum first focused on the Southwestern region with exhibits on history, science, and art. Artist Peter Hurd
Peter Hurd
Peter Hurd was an American artist, born Harold Hurd, Jr., in Roswell, New Mexico.Nicknamed "Pete" by his parents, he later legally changed his name to Peter.-Life:...
was commissioned in 1952 to paint a fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
in the rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
at the entrance to the museum to depict life on the South Plains
South Plains
South Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
between 1890 and 1925.
In 1955, Holden, J. Evetts Haley
J. Evetts Haley
James Evetts Haley, Sr., usually known as J. Evetts Haley , was a Texas-born political activist and historian who wrote multiple works on the American West, including an enduring biography of legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight...
, and other historians organized the Southwest Collection and Archives, which contained West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
ranch records that he had collected over the years. One feature of the Museum of Texas Tech University
Museum of Texas Tech University
The Museum of Texas Tech University is part of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It is made up of the main museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Val Verde County research...
is the outdoor National Ranching Heritage Center
National Ranching Heritage Center
The National Ranching Heritage Center, a museum of ranching history, is located on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It features almost fifty authentic ranch buildings dating from the late 18th to the mid-20th century...
, which has been assembled over the years from ranches throughout the South Plains and Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
.
Archeological excavations
Excavations undertaken in 1930 and 1931 in the Texas PanhandleTexas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
uncovered the Saddleback and Antelope Creek ruins on the Canadian River
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....
. In 1932, Holden directed a field school at the Tecolote ruin near Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...
. In 1933, 1935, and 1937, he uncovered the Arrowhead Ruin, including a rare D-shaped kiva
Kiva
A kiva is a room used by modern Puebloans for religious rituals, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, kivas are square-walled and underground, and are used for spiritual ceremonies....
. Holden's students excavated and restored this Early Glaze-period pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
ruin located east of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. In 1950, he directed excavations at the Bonnell site near Ruidoso, New Mexico
Ruidoso, New Mexico
Ruidoso is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, adjacent to the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 8,029 at the 2010 census...
, on a mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
ruin similar to the Antelope Creek site. In 1937, Holden found evidence of Southwestern prehistoric culture at Murrah Cave on the lower Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
. In 1938, he investigated Blue Mountain Cave west of Odessa, Texas
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
. In 1940, he investigated Fingerpoint Cave in Borden County, Texas
Borden County, Texas
Borden County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 729. Its county seat is Gail. Gail and Borden County are named for Gail Borden, Jr., businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk...
.
Holden's most significant archeological discovery occurred near his home in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
in 1937, when two of his students found a Paleo-Indian flint point in Yellow House Draw
Yellow House Draw
Yellow House Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about long, heading about north of Morton, Texas, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock where it joins Blackwater Draw to form Yellow House Canyon at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork...
. The flint point was on the bank of a small natural lake that the city was dredging to open an ancient spring. Holden played a crucial role in the long struggle to preserve the site. In 1989, the site was designated the Lubbock Lake National Historic and State Archeological Landmark
Lubbock Lake Landmark
Lubbock Lake Landmark, also known as Lubbock Lake Site, is an important archeological site and natural history preserve in the city of Lubbock, Texas. The preserve is 336 acres and is a protected state and federal landmark. There is evidence of ancient people and extinct animals at Lubbock Lake...
.
Holden led archeological field trips to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1934, 1936, 1938, and 1940. In the spring of 1934, he took students on an expedition to study the bellicose Yaqui of the state of Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
. Texas Tech sponsored a second expedition in 1935. Thereafter, Holden published Studies of the Yaqui Indians of Sonora, Mexico. The report touches on Yaqui education, marriage, child-rearing, and household economy.
Marriages and later years
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
in Alberta, Canada. Olive assisted her husband in the development of the anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
program at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
and in the design and construct of an adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house near the campus.
On March 26, 1939, Holden married Frances Virginia "Fran" Holden née Mayhugh, a native of Running Water in Hale County, Texas
Hale County, Texas
Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 36,602. It was organized in 1888, and is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Plainview. It is home of the noted former Hale County Judge, Judge Bill...
. She graduated from Plainview High School
Plainview, Texas
Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,336 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
and received a master of arts degree in history from Texas Tech in 1940. She was associate director of the Museum of Texas Tech University
Museum of Texas Tech University
The Museum of Texas Tech University is part of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It is made up of the main museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Val Verde County research...
from 1940 to 1965. She founded the museum's Southwestern Art Collection and the Women's Council.
Holden retired from Texas Tech in 1970. During his retirement, Holden and Frances built adobe houses in Pueblo-revival style
Pueblo Revival Style architecture
The Pueblo Revival style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States which draws its inspiration from the Pueblos and the Spanish missions in New Mexico. The style developed at the turn of the 20th century and reached its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, though it...
. These buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are designated as state and city archaeological and historic landmarks.
Holden died on April 21, 1993, at the age of ninety-six. His younger brother, Tom Calloway Holden of Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville is a city in Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population was 20,425 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the population was 22,826...
, a retired educator, died on August 4, 2007, at the age of 103, and Frances Holden died only 16 days later.
William and Frances Holden are interred in the family plot with his parents and first wife at the City of Lubbock Cemetery. Frances's grave is not specifically marked. They were Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
.
Works
Holden authored or coauthored more than twelve books and forty-two articles and pamphlets in professional and commercial journals. He also wrote for The Handbook of Texas, including the article on the Matador RanchMatador Ranch
The Matador Ranch is an historic cattle ranch and hunting operation in Motley County, Texas, on the South Plains. Established in 1882, the Matador is located some ninety miles east of Lubbock. According to its website, the current mission of the ranch is improvement of the health and productivity...
. Four works focused on the Yaqui Indians. His only novel, Hill of the Rooster, published in 1956, traces the life of a woman called "Chepa" during the Yaqui rebellion of 1926-1927. Holden also wrote Teresita (1978), which describes the life of Teresa Urrea, a Mexican folk healer.
Other Holden books included:
- A Yaqui Life (coauthored in 1971 with daughter Jane Holden Kelley)
- Rollie Burns (1932)
- Spur Ranch (1934)
- A Ranching Saga: The Lives of William Electious Halsell and Ewing Halsell