Featured in this lot are seventy-six photo negatives from Butte, the Butte Rodeo and the surrounding area circa 1929 - 1962. Included in the lot is a glass negative and a large format photo negative. The photo negatives show the 1929 Fourth of July Parade in Butte, a young girl dressed up for the parade, men and young boys on horseback in the parade, the McDowel Ranch team wagon, groups of children dressed in costumes, the Penny's of Butte wagon, cowboys riding bucking broncos, crowds in the stands, cowboys roping horses, rodeo clowns distracting large bulls, a very cool photo of Montana's first female Governor and Miss Rodeo Montana Judy (Morstein) Martz at the 1961 Butte Rodeo doing a barrel race, the Butte Sheriff Posse posing for a photo on horseback at the Butte Rodeo 1962, the Petty Coat Posse at the Butte Rodeo 1962, cowboys riding bulls, men constructing the stands for the rodeo with a newspaper clipping showing the same photo, a group of children posing next to a small horse with a newspaper clipping exhibiting the same photo, the rodeo queen posing with her horse and much more. These photos come from the C. Owen Smithers photo collection, a renowned photographer in Butte, Montana. C. Owen Smithers was born in 1893. He grew up in Kalispell, where he learned the skill of photography and the usage of a darkroom while working in his father's drugstore. He enrolled in the University of Montana's new School of Journalism in 1914, becoming one of the first press photographer students. During World War I, he served as a mess sergeant in France under General Pershing. During World War II, he returned to active duty as the Army Signal Corps Photography Chief, stationed in New York City, where he oversaw all Army Photography Sections in New York, New Jersey and Delaware. Smithers arrived in Butte in 1921, after serving in World War I. From 1921 to 1923, he was the Chief Photographer for the Anaconda Standard, where he captured the ever-changing panorama of Butte, Montana, on the streets and in the mining yards. Smithers collaborated with Frank Ward and Tom Manning between 1923 and 1924, before establishing his own photography studio in 1926. From the 1930s until his retirement in 1972, Smithers photographed every President of the United States, from Herbert Hoover to Richard Nixon. He passed away in 1973, just a year after retiring. The photos show fair to good condition overall with wear present from their age and use over the years. Fading and scratches are present, as well as creases and warping to a few. They measure from 2 5/8" L x 2 3/8" W to 7 3/4" L x 9 3/4" W. They have a collective weight of 10 ounces.