This is the first edition of “HERB RINGER’S USA—COAST-to-COAST,” a collection of Herb’s extraordinary collection of Kodachrome images of America (and some magnificent black and white photographs as well.
Since the very first issue of The Canyon Country Zephyr, in March 1989, I have featured the works of the remarkable amateur photographer Herb Ringer. For 20 years, in the print version of The Zephyr, I could only run black and white versions of his brilliant Kodachrome images. With the online edition, I was finally able to change all that.
But during the past 34 years, I’ve mostly limited the range of Herb’s photos to the West.. thus the title, “Herb Ringer’s American West.” But Herb traveled all over America and into Canada. Though this issue starts with a very familiar and beloved location–the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, future editions will expand Herb’s work to locations from California to New England. At some point when I can find the time (like when I quit mowing the grass), I’d like to make this feature our second “Zephyr Extra” of the week, appearing each Thursday. I may not always be able to live up to that plan, but I will do my best. We’ll see how it goes.
There may be other weeks when I feature the photographs of our other resident photographer of days gone by. Edna Fridley, featured in The Zephyr for the past decade, took thousands of images of the Colorado Plateau, from the early 50s to the mid-70s. And so on some weeks, I may spotlight Edna—I’m sure Herb would be willing to share the stage.
Herb and I spent countless hours together over the years. He gave me all his old images, his journals and other memorabilia of his life. He started to lose his eyesight during the last few years and I often visited him at his home in Fallon, Nevada. After his passing, I wrote a long story about my buddy and mentor. I include the link here but I wanted to share this one passage from it:
“His mind is as clear and crisp as the Rocky Mountain streams he spent summers by in years past. But his body is failing him. As I watched Herb disappear into his darkened bed room, I knew he was making his way there by memory as well. His eyesight has deteriorated to the point where he can’t even see the vast collection of photographs he took of his favorite places over the last half a century. But he can still enjoy them. He pointed a finger to his head and said, ‘In here, I can still see everything.‘”
That was Herb Ringer. Here, in The Zephyr’s first installment of “Herb Ringer, Coast-to-Coast (1939-1973), is a more complete photographic record of his many trips to the South Rim. I still miss my dear friend…JS
Herb said he led thousands of trips down the Canyon during the span of his career.
almost 20 years later. They made a living photographing the tourists taking mule rides
as they ascended the Canyon. Ellsworth died in 1960, but Emery lived into his 80s.
He was still narrating the brother’s home movies of the Canyon in 1973. He died in 1976.
HERB RINGER was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1913. His father was a professional musician and performed with some of the greatest orchestras in America. Herb and his parents lived in Ringoes, New Jersey until 1939, when he traveled across the country to Reno, Nevada to obtain a divorce. Herb loved The West and decided to make Reno his home. A year later he brought his parents to Nevada. The three of them lived in a small house trailer for 20 years. His father Joseph died in 1963; his mother passed a decade later. During their time together and after his parents died, Herb Ringer traveled across America, and took thousands of Kodachrome transparencies on his Kodak 35 mm and his Rollei 2 1/4 frame cameras. They represent an astonishing collection of images of the United States, from coast to coast. His first Kodachrome pictures date back to 1945. His black and white images, and his father’s date back to 1910.
My friend died on December 11, 1998.
If you’d like to comment on this article, please scroll to the very bottom of this page. Thanks…JS
Wonderful images and narrative. Looking forward to those Thursday installments.
What’s “an empty parking lot’ AT the Canyon????
Thank you for including Gail’s tribute. I wlsh you’d had a chance to meet him. Bit of Canyon history: Michael Joseph Hanley, jr. (my father and son of Margaret “Nana” Hanley who worked at ASTC, now NAU, over 40 years and has a Hanley Hall in her honor) worked for the Santa Fe when it’s line went into Grand Canyon. Often at Easter a choral group from ASTC would perform at services at the Grand Canyon South Rim. One of the members of that cholr was one Howard Cannon (who also assisted Mother Hanley in the University kitchen!) who became a powerful Senator from Nevada. Really enjoyed Herb Ringer’s story and appreciated you giving RANGE a boost. That CJ is a really hard worker (as you are!) and I’ve “known” her over 20 years as I watched her with camera be everywhere at Elko’s Cowboy Poetry, which Gail and I attended for 25 years. My best to you as always, Donna Andress
I did a fair amount of hiking Grand Canyon 1971-73 as my MS thesis work was mapping the Dox Formation in eastern GC (that big open area called “Furnace Flats” by some, that best defines the “Great Unconformity” when viewed from rim near Desert View). Anyway, as a grad student at NAU, I was part of the Geo staff that would take undergrad geology students on field trips down Kaibab Trail, spend the night at Phantom Ranch camp area, then out the Bright Angel Trail the next day. One of the highlights when reaching the top was to go to Kolb Studio and watch movie reels of the Kolb Bros hopping around precarious outcrops in GC, and their famous river runs from early 1900s. But here’s the kicker – Emery would come out on stage and introduce himself to the crowd, do a little explanation, then excuse himself by saying “I have a little laryngitis” and then would turn on a taped recording that narrated the movie. I sat thru at least 6 or 7 showings, and he never once varied from that intro, where he excused himself due to laryngitis.
Thanks for sharing great memories, Gene.
I’ve hiked the Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch and rafted the river from Lake Powell to Lake Mead. I never tire of seeing photos of the Grand Canyon. Now that I live just two hours away, I can, and do visit often. Thanks for the reminder of how special this place is.
These wonderful photographs remind me of the time before the Grand Canyon became a federally-run amusement park, and was still a place of appreciation and wonder. I took a mule down the Bright Angel Trail in 1985 when the tourist traffic was still light and the Canyon was peacful and awe-inspiring. Not too many years after that the National Parks ethos changed and became more akin to Disney World than wild and beautiful places to be respected and preserved. I love Ringer’s preservation of a different and in many ways better, time.
Never noticed the date that herb died before—so sorry, but maybe that makes him more special and tied to you.
I went to the South Rim in 2003 and stayed 3 nights at the El Tovar hotel, Zane Grey Suite October, 2003. It was not so crowded then, and we parked right in front of the hotel. We had guided tours of all the sites, and visited the Hopi House, Kolb studio, etc. I fell in love with the west and the Grand Canyon and joined the Zane Grey’s West Society. Years later I visited the North Rim twice.
Thank you so much for sharing these historic photos. You have had a remarkable life and had so many historic friends. I love all your stories.