University of Arizona

Students, faculty, staff, and the public are now welcome to visit Special Collections without an appointment from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

Papers of Mary Kidder Rak

Crayon Drawing by Charles Owen, Illustrator for Mary Kidder Rak's book A Cowman's Wife

Mary Kidder Rak is most widely known for being an author and a rancher in Southern Arizona. Rak wrote the book A Cowman's Wife.

Her collection includes correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, notes, photographs, and other papers relating to her writing career. Included are three unpublished manuscripts of western fiction, articles, and stories; a letter containing Kidder family genealogy; two photographs of Charles Rak and their ranch home from 1920; and five crayon drawings by Charles H. Owen which were used to illustrate her 1934 book, A Cowman's Wife.