Father Bonaventure Oblasser, O.F.M. collection

These papers best document the activities of Father Bonaventure Oblasser, O.F.M. in his daily struggles to secure the spiritual and financial needs of his missionary work to native peoples in California, and especially, Arizona. The bulk of the correspondence from 1908 to 1940 details his efforts to fund schools with supplies, furniture, and teachers, and to assist the Tohono O'odham in shaping their geographical and political future. The correspondence covers the spectrum of his work, including topics such as: administering to the vast expanse of the reservation; financing and constructing the buildings for religious and educational purposes; communicating with governmental officials and agencies on behalf of the Tohono O'odham on issues relating to the formation of the reservation, water, land and mineral rights; and assisting in the compilation of the tribal constitution.

There is also present some materials relating to censuses of various villages; Oblasser's annual reports to the Office of the Provincial on his accomplishments in the field; drafts of the Papago Constitution; his contributions to the erection of the Fray Marcos de Niza Monument near the Arizona-Mexico border; and many unpublished reports and articles that he wrote about Franciscan and Arizona history.

Correspondents in the collection include politicians Carl T. Hayden, George W.P. Hunt, Henry Ashhurst; government officials of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs such as Charles Burke and John Collier; leaders of the Franciscan order and fellow missionaries in the field; support agencies for the missions such as the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, the Marquette League for Indian Welfare, and other private donors; scholars Herbert Bolton, Frank Lockwood, and others; and former students and friends.

The Subject Files contain correspondence, interviews, writings, and other records relating to various topics. Of interest are his missionary activities; a copy of Statuta Pro Missionibus: Ordinis Fratrum Minorum (1950); an interview (1959) of Oblasser by Bernard Fontana; censuses for the Saint John's Mission; and background information on San Jose Mission/Saint Nicholas Indian Center, and the San Xavier residence in Tucson. The largest folder of correspondence in these files relates to his work from 1956 to 1960 for the United States Department of Justice regarding the Papago Case Number 345 before the Indian Claims Commission for which he prepared an in-depth report on land tenure among the Papago Indians (however the report itself is lacking).

The photographic materials held within this collection are comprised of prints, negatives, contact sheets, and glass negatives. These materials are images created by various Franciscan friars of the Saint Barbara Providence of the Order of Franciscan Friars. These materials date probably from circa 1902-1958, with the bulk of the materials believed to date from circa 1920-1939. These materials were collected by Bonaventure Oblasser and held at the Oblasser Library at the Mission San Xavier del Bac.

The second series of papers relate to the personal life and career of Nicholas Perschl. Included are excerpts from his diary and autobiographical writings for his early years as a missionary; general correspondence from 1901 to 1969, chiefly with other Franciscans, former students, and friends; and letters (in German) from members of his extended family in Austria