The Rees-Jones Collection

Overview

With a diverse array of thousands of works created as early as the 17th century, the Rees-Jones Collection features everything from the rarest first editions to quotidian examples of ephemera, including:

  • Nearly all the major color plate folios published on the trans-Mississippi West during the nineteenth century.
  • Albums of masterworks by pioneering photographers.
  • Unique and highly significant manuscript maps, as well as landmark sheet maps, atlases and foldout maps in books.
  • Correspondence and documents from major historical figures.

The Rees-Jones Collection

By Rick Stewart, curator

Formed over the past 20 years by Dallas entrepreneur Trevor D. Rees-Jones ’78, the Rees-Jones Collection has become one of the most significant private holdings of Western Americana in the country. Focused on the exploration and settlement of the trans-Mississippi West, the collection includes thousands of rare and historically significant books, pamphlets, broadsides, maps, atlases, documents, manuscripts, photographs, prints, archival materials and printed ephemera. 

The primary collecting period comprises the late 17th century to the mid-20th century. Within the collection, special emphasis is given to the Southwest, Texas and the northern regions east of the Rocky Mountains, including Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Secondary areas of interest include California, the Oregon Country, the Great Basin and the Central Plains. 

The goal has been to create a diverse and deep resource for Western Americana research containing everything from the rarest first editions to quotidian examples of ephemera. The collection includes nearly all the major color plate folios published on the trans-Mississippi West during the 19th century, as well as albums of masterworks by pioneering photographers. The historic map collection includes many unique and highly significant manuscript maps, as well as landmark sheet maps, atlases and fold out maps in books.

The primary subject areas include agriculture, art and artists of the West, the cattle and range industry, economic history, explorations and surveys, first-person narratives, the Hispanic Southwest, immigration, military and war, mines and mining, Native American history and culture, the natural sciences, outlaws and lawmen, overland migration and travel, promotion and tourism, settlement and urbanization, the transcontinental railroad, Texas history and women’s studies. 

Digital Highlights

Discover a curated selection of prints, photographs, and other materials that illuminate the history of the American West. This expanding digital collection provides high-resolution images of select holdings, offering an in-depth view of significant historical artifacts. Each item is accompanied by detailed context, enriching your understanding of its historical and cultural significance. Start exploring today and uncover the treasures of the Rees-Jones Collection.

Rees-Jones Digital Collection

Accessing Materials

During the construction of the Rees-Jones Library of the American West, SMU Libraries staff are diligently processing and cataloging the collections, with the goal of having them discoverable for research when the building opens in 2027. While the physical collections are not yet available to the public, we are regularly adding selected highlights to our digital collections. For more information, email reesjoneslibrary@smu.edu.