Clockwise from upper left: Astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin. Oil gusher near Ranger, TX, ca. 1910-1940. Color slides, 1991/077-419-1, TX Tourist Development Agency photos and AV materials. Texas America250 can be seen at the SWC until 7/4/2026. #TexasAmerica250 #SouthwestCollection

The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library will be closed tomorrow, Friday June 19th, for Emancipation Day. Regular Hours will resume on Monday June 22nd. #SouthwestCollection #Archives #SpecialCollectionsLibrary

Yesterday was Flag Day. This 1947 photograph shows a young man raising the American Flag while a group of adults and children look on. Winston Reeves - hdl.handle.net/10605/16706 #SouthwestCollection #Archives #History #FlagDay #WinstonReeve

Texas Constitution, 1876. Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875 Records. Annexation vote tally, November 10, 1845. Texas Department of State election returns, 2016/132-7. Texas America250 can be seen at the SWC until 7/4/2026. #TexasAmerica250 #SouthwestCollection

Texas Declaration of Independence, March 2,1836. Broadside. Mirabeau B. Lamar papers, 1909/001-344. Texas America250 can be seen at the SWC until 7/4/2026. #TexasAmerica250 #SouthwestCollection #Lubbock #Archives #History #WestTexas #SpecialCollectionsLibrary

It's June! The sun is out, and so are the campus pigeons. One of them even photo-bombed this picture! #SouthwestCollection #SpecialCollectionsLibrary #TexasTech #WestTexas #Archives

Pressler’s Map of the State of Texas, 1858. Texas State Archives Map Collection, number 1201. Texas America250 can be seen at the SWC until 7/4/2026. #TexasAmerica250 #SouthwestCollection #Lubbock #Archives #History #WestTexas #SpecialCollectionsLibrary

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing each exhibit panel from the Texas America250 exhibit. Texas flag and seal design by Peter Krag, approved January 25, 1839. Texas America250 can be seen at the SWC until 7/4/2026. #TexasAmerica250 #SouthwestCollection

Here's an iconic image of "Mr. Tornado." The F-Scale measures the strength of tornadoes and was developed by Dr. Tetsuya Fujita. Dr. Fujita’s materials are housed at the Southwest Collection. #TexasTech #SouthwestCollection #Lubbock #Archives #History #WestTexas #TedFujita

Happy Commencement Days to all TTU graduates! Here's a photo of Texas Technological College's senior class taken during the May 30, 1927 commencement ceremony. Heritage Club Photograph Collection, Texas Tech University Archives #TexasTech #SouthwestCollection #History #UniversityArchives

Ran into Carl, Monroe, and members of the Texas Tech Equestrian Team outside of the historic Dairy Barn on campus last week. Built in 1926, the Dairy Barn is one of four original buildings on campus and is situated just southwest of the archive. #TexasTech #SouthwestCollection #History #WestTexas

May the 4th be with you! These newspaper clippings are from The Rising Star Sept. 8, 1977 issue. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, but was so popular that the Majestic Theatre reopened the film. #SouthwestCollection #Archives #History #WestTexas #SpecialCollectionsLibrary #StarWars

We invite you to see a temporary exhibit, Texas America250, on loan from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) through July 4, 2026. The exhibit highlights historically significant Texas Treasures from the State Archives. #TexasAmerica250 #SouthwestCollection #Lubbock #History

Today is Arbor Day! Texas Technological College hosted its first Arbor Day in 1938. Faculty, staff, and students still plant flowers each year. Winston Reeves Photograph Collection circa the late 1930s #Archives #SouthwestCollection #TexasTech #ArborDay #Lubbock #History

This photo comes from our JA Cattle Company collection and is titled "Snooks Sparks Vat Corrals" and/or "Bronco." The description shows that it was gifted in 1999. We thought it was too iconic not to share! #SouthwestCollection #Archives #WestTexas #Bronco #Cowboy #JACattleCompany

ENJOYING OUR CONTENT? Follow the Southwest Collection on all platforms! #lubbock #archives #lubbockhistory #specialcollections #southwestcollection #oralhistory #preservation #texastech #research #library

The 2026 Annual Conference in the Humanities is happening this Saturday, April 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Formby Room at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library. #TexasTech #SouthwestCollection #Lubbock #History #WestTexas #SpecialCollectionsLibrary

REMINDER: Mark your calendars for a virtual reading from Emily Grandy on April 16 at 6:00pm hosted by the @sowellcollection.bsky.social texastech.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #southwestcollection #specialcollections #sowellcollection #Spring2026Readings #literature #community #reading #archive

It's quieter at the archive because the West Texas Historical Association (WTHA) conference is being held in Lubbock. We have every issue of WTHA's journal, West Texas Historical Review, dating back to 1925. These can be accessed through Reference Services. #westtexashistoricalassociation

Mark your calendars for a virtual reading from Emily Grandy on April 16 at 6:00pm hosted by @sowellcollection.bsky.social! Register here: texastech.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #southwestcollection #sowellcollection #Spring2026Readings #literature #community #reading #archive

It's April Fools Day and National Humor Month! Here's some archival humor for you. #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #AprilFools #nationalhumormonth

30 years ago, TTU celebrated the nearly completed SWC/SCL building with a "Hard Hat Party." Ground breaking (images 2 and 3) was in 1994. The building was dedicated in 1997 (image 4). #history #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #lubbock #photographs

It's Spring Break! The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library will be closed on Friday, March 20th. Have a nice break! U 324.4 Communications and Marketing Photograph Collection #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #lubbock #photographs #springbreak

Please join us for an upcoming reception and exhibit opening honoring Christopher B. "Stubb" Stubblefield on Wednesday, April 8th from 5pm to 7pm at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library. #SouthwestCollection #SpecialCollections #TexasTech #Lubbock #Stubbs #StubbsBBQ

Did you know Jane Goodall visited Lubbock? This article comes from the Lubbock AJ October 2, 1998 issue. The Sowell Collection holds correspondences to and from Goodall. @sowellcollection.bsky.social #history #archives #southwestcollection #lubbock #JaneGoodall

Cross-writing was used to save paper and postage. In the first 2 images, the author wrote one way and turned the paper to write in the other direction. The author(s) of the last 2 letters used all margin space. Tweed Family Papers, 1836-1932 #history #archives #southwestcollection #manuscripts

"We have one of the world's largest and most comprehensive archives on farming and ranching." #history #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #preservation #manuscripts #archives #lubbock

Here's a look at a couple of our hallway exhibit panels featuring vintage photos of Lubbock businesses. #history #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #preservation #photographs #lubbock

Have you been wanting to know more about our Coronelli Terrestrial Globe? This brochure explains some of the history, the globe's origins, and how it was acquired and restored by TTU Libraries. #history #archives #southwestcollection #texastech #preservation #coronelli #preservation #restoration

Check out these historic 1949 images of New Hope Baptist Church from our Winston Reeves Photograph Collection. New Hope was founded in 1926 and moved to its current location in 1929. #history #archives #southwestcollection #photographs #NewHopeBaptistChurch #lubbock

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! These undated images come from University Archive's Public Information Photograph Collection, 1926-1968 and are labeled as "Valentine's Day Lesson." #history #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #photographs #ValentinesDay #UniversityArchives

Looking for books on Lubbock history? Look no further! These are frequently used by researchers and our staff. You can access these in our Holden Reading Room or check with your local libraries. #history #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #research #lubbock #photographs

Mark your calendars for a Sowell Collection reading from Katherine Larson Feb 12 @ 5:30! Come in person or email [email protected] for virtual. Reception/signing will follow! @sowellcollection.bsky.social #southwestcollection #sowellcollection #Spring2026Readings #literature #community #reading

Here are some frosty pictures from our part of campus earlier this week. Stay warm out there, Raiders and researchers! #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #lubbock #winter #snow #history

Who says archivists can't have fun? To keep things interesting as we work, we name our beloved carts! Here's some examples of the creative names we've come up with over the years. #texastech #archives #southwestcollection #history #lubbock #specialcollections

Aug 2008-Apr 2009, the SWC/SCL hosted 'Medieval Southwest: Manifestations of the Old World in the New,' an exhibit of artifacts tied to the South Plains, including a 16th-cent. dagger found at the former Coca-Cola factory. #history #archives #southwestcollection #artifacts #archeology #exhibits

Welcome back students! We hope you have a successful semester. For research inquiries, please contact Reference Services at [email protected] or (806) 742-9070. You can also utilize our digital repository at swco-ir.tdl.org/home. #archives #southwestcollection #texastech #research

Be sure to follow our colleagues at the Southwest Music Archive (@ttumusicarchive.bsky.social). They collect records and personal memorabilia on Texas Music, with a focus on documenting West Texas' musical history. #history #archives #specialcollections #texastech #lubbock #music

We're back from Winter Break! The weather in Lubbock has been unseasonably warm, so here are some images from 1976 to remind us of a thing called snow. These come from the Photographic Services collection - hdl.handle.net/10605/13727. #archives #southwestcollection #texastech #lubbock #snow #winter

We’re back in the office! 💗🏢 Here are some songs and albums our archivists are listening to as they settle back into the groove of things. 🎵💃🕺 #music #davidbergmuller #davidorlowsky #jonimitchell #brucehornsbyandtherange #wutangclan #oidupaavladimiroiun #glassanimals #wolfalice #olafurarnalds

The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library will be closed for Winter Break beginning on December 24, 2025. We will resume our regular business hours (M-F, 9am-5pm) on January 5, 2026. Happy Holidays! #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #preservation #history

Here's a little office cheer to brighten your day! Some of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library faculty, staff, and students decorated their doors to ring in the holiday season. #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #manuscripts #Holidays #happyholidays

Known as “Dice,” this guitar was custom-built by Ted Newman Jones for Jesse “Guitar” Taylor—a popular Lubbock-born guitar player known for his innovative and energetic performances. 🎲🎸 #guitar #music

Dec 23, 1927 - Marshall Ratliffe dressed as Santa Claus and robbed the First National Bank in Cisco, Texas. The heist resulted in a hostage situation, shootout, and one of the state's largest manhunts. #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #preservation #newspapers #santaclaus

The Texas Cowboys’ Christmas Ball is near! Be sure to get your tickets to see #MichaelMartinMurphey perform on December 18 in Anson, TX! For more information on the history of the Texas Cowboys’ Christmas Ball, read our blog here: tinyurl.com/2025CowboyCh... #TexasCowboysChristmasBall #Christmas

It's time for this month's FRIDAY FAVORITES! One of our favorite things is decorating for the holidays! We wish you all a warm and festive season. #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #manuscripts #history

We're back from Fall Break and will be open 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday! For research inquiries or to schedule a visit, please contact [email protected] or (806) 742-9070. #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #texastech #research

Happy early Thanksgiving! This 1958 image is from our Winston Reeves Collection (hdl.handle.net/10605/16706) and shows four men around a Holsum Bakery display. The photo was labeled "Craig and Webster - Holsum." #archives #southwestcollection #specialcollections #Thanksgiving

Just a little humor for your Thursday! #southwestcollection #archives #history #specialcollections