University of Arizona

Everyone is welcome to visit Special Collections without an appointment from 9 am - 5 pm, Mon - Fri. Note that beginning April 1st, our hours will be 9 am - 4 pm

The Great Soul Trial Collection

Proof of Immortality by Columba Krebs, circa 1966

The Great Soul Trial was first held in Phoenix, Arizona in 1967 and went to retrial in 1971. The purpose of the trial was to honor the will of James Kidd that left money to fund scientific research that provided proof of a human soul that leaves the body at the time of death. The collection contains correspondence, claimant materials, press clippings, photographs, publications, and oversize materials collected by Justice Robert Myers who presided over The Great Soul Trial in 1967 and when the case went to retrial in 1971.