Season 7, Episode 4

Elyse: WE'RE THE HISTORY DETECTIVES, AND WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE SOME UNTOLD STORIES FROM AMERICA'S PAST.

THIS WEEK, WHAT WAS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OWNER OF THIS CUP AND A STRANGE SIDESHOW CURIOSITY?

IT JUST SEEMS LIKE SHAKY MEDICAL ETHICS.

Tukufu: DO THESE FAMILY PHOTO ALBUMS CAPTURE THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN MOVIE INDUSTRY?

WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS EXTRAORDINARY FILM EMPIRE?

LOOK AT THAT, WOW!

Eduardo: WHY WOULD A NAVAJO WEAVER DEPART FROM TRADITION TO MAKE THIS RUG?

IT'S A VERY POWERFUL RUG.

Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START ♪ ♪ BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ Gwendolyn: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

Elyse: OUR FIRST STORY INVESTIGATES THE TINIEST PIONEERS OF MEDICAL SCIENCE.

MAY 1933.

IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, THE CITY OF CHICAGO THROWS AN ELABORATE AND EXPENSIVE PARTY: THE CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXPOSITION, THE 1933 WORLD'S FAIR.

OVER THE NEXT TWO SUMMERS, MORE THAN 38 MILLION PEOPLE CROWD ONTO THE CITY'S LAKEFRONT TO FORGET THEIR TROUBLES AND TO WITNESS THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL WONDERS.

FAIRGOERS COULD SEE THE WORLD'S LARGEST THERMOMETER, RIDE THE SKY RIDE 625 FEET ABOVE THE FAIR, OR VISIT THE GIANT ANIMATRONIC DINOSAURS.

BUT DID THE ATTRACTIONS ALSO INCLUDE AN EXHIBIT OF LIVE PREMATURE BABIES?

TODAY, OVER 75 YEARS LATER, SUE KOLLER AND HER MOTHER PAT SHAVER OF NEW BERLIN, WISCONSIN, HAVE AN ARTIFACT THAT COULD REVEAL A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF A STRANGE CHAPTER IN MEDICAL HISTORY.

IMAGINE PUTTING BABIES ON DISPLAY FOR PAYING CUSTOMERS.

THAT'S THE STORY, YEAH.

AS AN APPRAISER AND AS A MOM, I'M INTRIGUED BY PAT AND SUE'S STORY, SO I'VE COME TO NEW BERLIN TO FIND OUT MORE.

HI.

HI, I'M ELYSE.

HI, ELYSE, NICE TO MEET YOU.

COME ON IN.

THANK YOU.

SO, SUE, WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME.

I HAVE THIS CUP THAT MY MOM SUPPOSEDLY GOT FROM THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR.

LET'S SEE, "1933, A CENTURY OF PROGRESS, CHICAGO."

I RECOGNIZE THE LOGO FROM OTHER APPRAISALS I'VE DONE.

IT'S DEFINITELY FROM THE 1933 WORLD'S FAIR.

AND IT SAYS PATRICIA, IS THAT YOU?

YES, IT IS.

AND WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THIS CUP?

I WAS BORN AT HOME PREMATURELY, AND WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS, I SUPPOSE, THE CHICAGO BOARD OF HEALTH CAME IN AND TOOK ME OUT OF THE HOUSE AND MY PARENTS WERE INFORMED THAT I WAS IN AN INCUBATOR ON DISPLAY AT THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR.

AND I ASSUME THEY CAME TO VISIT ME, YOU KNOW.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT STORY?

I JUST KNOW THAT I WAS A PREEMIE.

I WAS 4 POUNDS, 7 OUNCES.

PAT WAS BORN PATRICIA MILAS SEPTEMBER 20, 1933.

HER BIRTH CERTIFICATE SHOWS THAT SHE WAS BORN PREMATURELY.

AND FROM WHAT I HEARD, I WAS PUT IN A SHOEBOX THEN AND PUT BY THE OVEN TO KEEP WARM.

AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY NEVER DISCUSSED AT HOME, BUT THERE WAS ALWAYS THAT CUP SITTING IN THE CHINA CABINET.

AN EXHIBIT OF LIVING BABIES SOUNDS VERY UNUSUAL.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WERE ON DISPLAY AT THE WORLD'S FAIR?

PAT KNEW NOTHING OF THE INCUBATOR STORY UNTIL SHE WAS A TEENAGER.

THAT'S WHEN AN AUNT TOLD HER ABOUT HER FIRST MONTHS ON DISPLAY AT THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR.

SO THIS IS ALL VERY INTERESTING, BUT WHAT COULD I FIND OUT FOR YOU?

WELL, IF BABIES WERE REALLY ON DISPLAY AT THE WORLD'S FAIR AND IF MY MOM WAS ONE OF THEM.

IF THE STORY IS TRUE, SHE'D LIKE TO SEE SOME PHOTOS OF THE EXHIBIT.

I'LL LOOK INTO IT AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS I CAN.

GOOD LUCK.

THANK YOU, GOOD LUCK.

IT'S A CURIOUS OBJECT AND AN EVEN STRANGER STORY.

THE CUP APPEARS TO BE A PERIOD ARTIFACT, BUT THERE'S NOTHING ON IT ABOUT BABIES OR INCUBATORS.

I'M HEADING TO MEET JOURNALIST LEE BEY AT THE CHICAGO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

I'M INVESTIGATING AN EXHIBIT AT THE WORLD'S FAIR THAT THIS CUP MIGHT HAVE BEEN A PART OF.

EVER SEEN IT BEFORE?

LEE'S NEVER SEEN OUR CUP.

HE SAYS IT'S ALMOST CERTAINLY AN AUTHENTIC SOUVENIR FROM THE FAIR.

THE LOGO WAS A SYMBOL OF TH E FAIR'S FUTURISTIC EXHIBITS.

I MEAN, YOU SEE THINGS LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, THIS TRAIN BEHIND US, THE ZEPHYR, WHICH RACED FROM DENVER TO CHICAGO, SETTING LAND SPEED RECORDS.

THE DIESEL-POWERED ZEPHYR MADE STEAM TRAINS OBSOLETE OVERNIGHT WITH A THOUSAND-MILE NONSTOP RUN AND REACHING SPEEDS OF UP TO 112 MILES PER HOUR.

AND IT REALLY SET THE STAGE FOR WHAT YOU'D SEE AT THE FAIR.

FAIRGOERS COULD WITNESS WORKING AUTOMOBILE ASSEMBLY LINES AND TOUR HOMES OF TOMORROW WITH RADICAL NEW INVENTIONS LIKE AUTOMATIC DISHWASHERS AND AIR CONDITIONING.

AND IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HAPPENS DURING THE TIME OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, SO THE PEOPLE NEEDED SOME RELIEF, SOME SENSE THAT THE FUTURE WOULD BE BETTER THAN THE PRESENT.

LEE EXPLAINS HOW THE DEPRESSION ALMOST CAUSED THE 1933 FAIR TO BE CANCELED.

WITH UNEMPLOYMENT SOARING, WORLD'S FAIR INVESTORS FEARED NO ONE WOULD SHOW UP.

WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE, ORGANIZERS MADE SURE THE EVENT HAD PLENTY OF EYE-CATCHING ATTRACTIONS, BUT WAS ONE OF THOSE SPECTACLES AN EXHIBIT OF LIVE BABIES?

MY INVESTIGATION IS ABOUT USING BABIES FOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A BABY INCUBATOR EXHIBIT AT THE WORLD'S FAIR?

INDEED, I HAVE, AND IN FACT WHEN YOU CALLED, I FOUND THIS PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WORLD'S FAIR.

"BABY INCUBATORS WITH LIVING BABIES."

LEE SAYS THE EXHIBIT FEATURED DOZENS OF BABIES CARED FOR BY A FULL MEDICAL STAFF IN A HOSPITAL-LIKE SETTING.

AND IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT IN THE TECHNOLOGY SECTION OF THE FAIR.

THIS IS ALONG THE MIDWAY, WHERE THE MORE TAWDRY, THE SIDESHOWS COULD BE FOUND AT THE FAIR.

AND IN FACT TO THE LEFT OF THIS WOULD BE WHERE SALLY RAND, THE FAN DANCER, THE NOTORIOUS FAN DANCER, DID HER THING AT THE "STREETS OF PARIS" EXHIBIT.

RAND WAS ARRESTED FOUR TIMES FOR HER LASCIVIOUS DANCE.

THIS SCANDAL DELIGHTED FAIR PROMOTERS.

THE POLICE ATTENTION ONLY MADE FOR LARGER CROWDS.

LEE SAYS THAT IT WAS NO ACCIDENT THAT THE INCUBATOR BABIES WERE SALLY RAND'S NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBORS.

THE BABY DISPLAY WAS RUN JUST LIKE A SIDESHOW, WITH BARKERS AND GLOSSY POSTERS.

THE EXHIBIT WAS OPERATED BY A GERMAN DOCTOR NAMED MARTIN COUNEY WHO CHARGED VISITORS 25 CENTS TO SEE HIS BABY DISPLAY.

AND HE MADE ABOUT $1,500 A DAY, WHICH GIVES YOU A SENSE OF THE NUMBERS THAT WERE MOVING THROUGH THE PLACE.

ANY OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT HIM?

NO, I DON'T, I'M SORRY.

LEE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND INTERIOR PHOTOS OF COUNEY'S CHICAGO EXHIBIT, PHOTOS THAT MIGHT SHOW ME A YOUNG PATRICIA MILAS, BUT HE'S GIVEN ME A LEAD ON SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP.

RIGHT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.

[ ♪♪♪ ] MEANWHILE, I WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR WOULD USE BABIES IN SUCH A SPECTACLE.

MARTIN COUNEY RECEIVED A MEDICAL DEGREE IN GERMANY AND IN 1890 BEGAN TO WORK WITH PROMINENT PEDIATRICIAN PIERRE BUDIN.

THE FIRST BABY INCUBATOR HAD BEEN INVENTED IN FRANCE 20 YEARS EARLIER; BUDIN MADE MAJOR DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS.

IN 1896, COUNEY TOOK WHAT HE HAD LEARNED ON THE ROAD, OPENING AN INCUBATOR DISPLAY AT THE BERLIN EXHIBITION.

THE SHOW WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.

IN 1898, COUNEY BROUGHT HIS BABY SHOW ACROSS THE ATLANTIC, OPENING AT THE OMAHA TRANS-MISSISSIPPI EXHIBITION, QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY SHOWS IN BUFFALO, ST. LOUIS, SAN FRANCISCO, AND EVENTUALLY CHICAGO.

CRITICS POUNCED.

THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL THE LANCET ASKS, "IS IT IN KEEPING WITH THE DIGNITY OF SCIENCE "THAT INCUBATORS AND LIVING BABIES SHOULD BE EXHIBITED AMIDST GLARE AND THE NOISE OF A VULGAR FAIR?"

THE BROOKLYN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION INTO CO UNEY'S SHOWS ON CONEY ISLAND.

THEY ATTEMPTED TO SHUT HIM DOWN, BUT COUNEY CONTINUED.

ALTHOUGH HE WAS CRITICIZED, HE APPEARS TO HAVE HAD THE BACKING OF PARENTS AND AT LEAST SOME DOCTORS.

I'VE COME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HOSPITAL IN CHICAGO TO MEET WITH NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PEDIATRICIAN AND MEDICAL HISTORIAN DR. TONSE RAJU.

HE'S WRITTEN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF INCUBATOR TECHNOLOGY.

SO WHO IS THIS?

THIS IS ARIEL, WHO IS NOW 3 WEEKS -- ABOUT 3 WEEKS OF AGE.

AND WHEN SHE WAS BORN, SHE WAS 2 POUNDS AND 1 OUNCE, AND NOW SHE WEIGHS CLOSE TO 3 POUNDS.

MY GOD, SHE'S PRECIOUS.

CAN I TOUCH HER?

YES, SURE.

OKAY.

HI, SWEETHEART.

WILL YOU HOLD MY HAND?

HI, ARIEL.

SO, TELL ME, WHAT IS THIS INCUBATOR DOING FOR HER RIGHT NOW?

INCUBATOR IS ACTUALLY HELPING HER TO KEEP HER BODY TEMPERATURE CONSTANT.

AND WHY IS THAT?

THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR PREMATURE BABIES BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO KEEP UP THEIR BODY HEAT.

DR. RAJU TELLS ME THAT IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20th CENTURY, FEW HOSPITALS HAD INCUBATORS OR STAFF TRAINED IN HOW TO CARE FOR UNDERWEIGHT BABIES.

THE INCUBATORS WERE EXPENSIVE AND THE PRIORITY WAS SIMPLY INCREASING SURVIVAL RATES FOR FULL-TERM BABIES AND THEIR MOTHERS.

WHAT DID DOCTORS DO BEFORE INCUBATORS?

NOT A WHOLE LOT THEY COULD DO.

THEY TRIED TO KEEP THE BABIES WARM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, KEEPING THEM IN SHOEBOXES, SURROUNDED BY HAY.

BUT MOST OF THESE BABIES, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE BELOW 2 POUNDS, WOULD NOT SURVIVE IN THOSE DAYS.

INCUBATOR TECHNOLOGY REALLY REVOLUTIONIZED CARE OF THE BABY.

THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.

I TELL DR. RAJU ABOUT PAT'S SILVER CUP AND ITS POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO MARTIN COUNEY'S INCUBATOR BABY EXHIBIT.

OH, YEAH, DR. MARTIN COUNEY IS A VERY INTERESTING CHARACTER.

DO YOU KNOW WHY A CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT WOULD WORK WITH DR. COUNEY TO GET BABIES FOR HIS SHOWS?

WELL, I THINK IT PURELY BOILS DOWN TO THE MATTER OF ECONOMICS.

HE WAS NOT CHARGING ANYTHING TO THE PARENTS, AND HE WAS JUST CHARGING PEOPLE TO GET INTO THE SHOWS.

ALTHOUGH MANY DOCTORS BRISTLED AT THE SIDESHOW SETTINGS, THEY REALIZED THAT WITHOUT COUNEY'S INCUBATORS, FEW OF THESE UNDERWEIGHT NEWBORNS WOULD'VE SURVIVED.

YOU KNOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE SHAKY MEDICAL ETHICS.

WELL, YES, HE WAS MAKING MONEY, BUT HE CLAIMED THAT'S THE ONLY WAY HE COULD KEEP THAT SHOW GOING.

WELL, ISN'T THAT EXPLOITATION?

WELL, THAT WAS THE CRITICISM HE WAS FACING, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, HE SEEMS TO BE SAVING THOSE BABIES, AND THEN HE WAS ALSO EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.

DR. RAJU SAYS THAT DR. COUNEY'S EXHIBITS HELPED PROVE THAT PREMATURE BABIES COULD SURVIVE THROUGH THE USE OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY.

AND IN MANY OF THE SMALLER CITIES, THE SHOWS GAVE LOCAL PHYSICIANS THEIR FIRST EXPOSURE TO THE INCUBATOR.

HE SAYS MARTIN COUNEY PAVED THE WAY FOR WIDE ACCEPTANCE OF INCUBATOR USE IN HOSPITALS IN THE 1940s.

AND DURING DR. COUNEY'S 40-YEAR CAREER, HIS SHOWS HAD AN 80% SUCCESS RATE, SAVING THE LIVES OF OVER 6,500 UNDERWEIGHT BABIES.

I TELL DR. RAJU THAT I'M LOOKING FOR RECORDS TO HELP ME FIGURE OUT IF PAT'S SILVER CUP REALLY IS A SOUVENIR FROM HER TIME IN DR. COUNEY'S LIVE BABY SHOW.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE I COULD GO FOR THAT?

THAT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND OUT, BECAUSE COUNEY WAS VERY, VERY PROTECTIVE AND VERY SECRETIVE ABOUT ALL THE PARENTS' INFORMATION AND BABIES' INFORMATION, SO I DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET THAT.

WAS PAT PART OF DR. COUNEY'S EXHIBIT?

I'M HEADED TO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS IN ELK GROVE, ILLINOIS, WHERE THEY HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND ARTIFACTS ON THE HISTORY OF CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE.

I'M MEETING DIRECTOR SUSAN BOLDA MARSHALL.

OKAY, LET'S SEE WHAT YOU'VE GOT.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO GO GET SOME MORE STUFF.

OKAY, I'M GOING TO START LOOKING.

WE DON'T FIND ANY LISTS OF BABIES OR MOTHERS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE I'M NOT THE FIRST ONE TO SEARCH FOR THESE RECORDS.

THIS IS INTERESTING.

THIS IS A LETTER FROM A DOCTOR WHO KNEW DR. COUNEY.

IT SAYS, "AS FOR HIS RECORDS OF THE INFANTS, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM."

IT DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD FOR ME.

JUST WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE WE HIT A DEAD END, SUSAN UNCOVERS A POSSIBLE LEAD.

I'VE FOUND SOMETHING INTERESTING.

OH, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT?

"INFANT REUNION, A CENTURY OF PROGRESS, PUBLICITY DIVISION, CHICAGO, JULY 25th."

"FORTY-ONE TINY TOTS NURSED TO VIGOR "AT THE INFANT INCUBATOR EXPOSITION WERE GUESTS, "TOGETHER WITH THEIR MOTHERS, "AT A COLORFUL HOMECOMING PARTY GIVEN AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.

"PEOPLE PROMINENT IN THE MEDICAL AND NURSING PROFESSION "MINGLED WITH THE INFANTS AS PART OF A NATIONWIDE NBC RADIO BROADCAST."

SO THE REUNION WAS REALLY LIKE A BIG PUBLICITY STUNT.

AND WHAT I FIND NEXT WILL CE RTAINLY INTEREST SUE AND PAT.

ON MY WAY BACK, I GET A CALL I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

RIGHT, OH, GREAT, GREAT!

OKAY, WELL, THEN I'LL MEET YOU AT PAT'S.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL SEE YOU THERE.

WELL, IT WAS CERTAINLY AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.

YES, BABIES WERE ON DISPLAY AT THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR.

I TELL PAT I HAD A HARD TIME LINKING HER SILVER CUP TO COUNEY'S EXHIBIT UNTIL I UNCOVERED THIS: IN A REFERENCE BOOK, I DISCOVER THAT DR. COUNEY'S REUNION PARTIES FEATURED AN IMPORTANT SOUVENIR.

"EACH PARENT WAS PRESENTED WITH A SILVER CUP INSCRIBED WITH THE NAME OF THEIR BABY."

SO THE REUNION AND THE PRESENTATION OF THE SILVER BABY CUPS WERE ALL PART OF A BIG PROMOTION.

IN FACT, COUNEY STAGED THE REUNIONS TO PROVE HOW SUCCESSFUL THE BABIES WERE AND HOW THEY SURVIVED.

PUTTING THESE BABIES IN THESE INCUBATORS WAS ADVERTISING OR TELLING THE MEDICAL WORLD "THIS IS THE WAY YOU HAVE TO GO," RIGHT?

YEAH, AND HE SAVED YOUR LIFE.

RIGHT.

I WISH MY PARENTS WERE HERE TO HEAR THIS.

I TELL PAT IT WAS HARD TO UNCOVER ANY PHOTOS OF THE INCUBATOR WHERE SHE SPENT HER FIRST FEW WEEKS OF LIFE, BUT I LOCATED SOMETHING EVEN BETTER.

SUE AND PAT, I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO NANCY SEIBOLD.

HI, NANCY.

PAT, IT'S SO NICE TO MEET YOU.

SUE, IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU.

NANCY WAS ALSO AN INCUBATOR BABY, AND SHE WAS AT THE WORLD'S FAIR AS WELL, AND SHE WAS ALSO UNDER THE CARE OF DR. COUNEY.

WONDERFUL.

NANCY WAS AN INCUBATOR BABY IN 1934, THE SECOND YEAR OF THE FAIR.

HER FAMILY ALSO KEPT HER INCUBATOR PAST A SECRET, IN HER CASE, UNTIL SHE WAS IN HER 30s.

BUT SHE'S SINCE UNCOVERED A WHOLE COLLECTION OF PHOTOS AND MEMORABILIA FROM HER FIRST MONTHS OF LIFE.

WELL, THESE ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO BE PICTURES OF THE INCUBATORS THAT WERE AT THE FAIR.

THEY WERE LINED UP IN A ROW IN THIS EXHIBIT.

WE COULD'VE BEEN IN THE SAME INCUBATOR A YEAR APART.

EXACTLY.

MY GOODNESS.

ACTUALLY, THIS -- THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE EXHIBIT.

I LOVE THE PICTURE HERE WHERE IT SAYS "WITH LIVING BABIES" AND THE PEOPLE LINED UP IN FRONT TO GO IN.

AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO BUY TICKETS TO GET IN TO SEE US.

THIS HAPPENS TO BE A TICKET FOR A CHILD TO ENTER THE FAIR.

WOW.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

A TICKET TO SEE YOU.

YES, WOW.

IT'S -- IT WAS A GOOD START FOR MANY BABIES, AND IT -- YOU KNOW, THROUGH HIS...FARSIGHTEDNESS THAT THERE ARE BABIES TODAY THAT CAN SURVIVE.

WELL, I FEEL REALLY THANKFUL FOR THIS.

SO YOU'RE HAPPY THAT YOU WERE ON DISPLAY?

YES.

YES, I AM.

EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE CRYING.

EVEN THOUGH I'M CRYING.

I'M HAPPY, BECAUSE IF I HADN'T BEEN, I WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY.

IN 1939, CORNELL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN NEW YORK OPENED THE CITY'S FIRST RESEARCH CENTER FOR PREMATURE INFANTS.

FOUR YEARS LATER, DR. COUNEY SHUT DOWN HIS LAST SURVIVING IN CUBATOR SHOW AT CONEY ISLAND, DECLARING "MY WORK IS DONE."

AS FOR LITTLE ARIEL, THANKS TO HER TIME IN THE INCUBATOR, SHE'S NOW THRIVING, HOME WITH HER PROUD PARENTS.

THE EXHIBITION OF PREMATURE BABIES WAS PART OF A LONG TRADITION OF HUMAN SPECTACLES.

THE 1904 ST. LOUIS WORLD'S FAIR INCLUDED A LARGE EXHIBIT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

MORALLY DISTURBING BY TODAY'S STANDARDS, THESE LIVING DIORAMAS WERE DISPLAYED UNDER THE BANNER "A PARADE OF EVOLUTIONARY PROGRESS."

THE RECENT ACQUISITION OF THE PHILIPPINES INSPIRED A 47-ACRE EXHIBIT OF A THOUSAND FILIPINOS FROM TEN TRIBES.

THE IGOROT TRIBE ATTRACTED GREAT CROWDS, PARTLY BECAUSE THEIR DIET INCLUDED DOGS.

OTA BENGA, A MEMBER OF THE CONGOLESE BATWA TRIBE, WAS DISPLAYED IN THE PYGMY EXHIBIT.

AFTER THE FAIR, WHEN THE OTHER PYGMIES WERE RETURNED TO AFRICA, BENGA WAS BROUGHT TO THE BRONX ZOO.

ATTRACTING UP TO 40,000 SPECTATORS A DAY, BENGA LIVED AND PERFORMED IN THE MONKEY HOUSE, WRESTLING WITH A CAGED ORANGUTAN.

AFTER PROTESTS BY NEW YORK CITY'S BLACK CLERGYMEN, THE EXHIBIT WAS CLOSED.

BENGA MOVED TO THE HOWARD COLORED ORPHAN'S ASYLUM AND THEN TO LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, WHERE HE WORKED IN A TOBACCO FACTORY.

HE TOOK HIS OWN LIFE IN 1916.

Tukufu: OUR NEXT STORY EXAMINES CENTURY-OLD PHOTOS THAT MAY HAVE CAPTURED THE DAWN OF AMERICAN MOVIEMAKING NEARLY 3,000 MILES FROM HOLLYWOOD.

AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY, CURIOUS CITY DWELLERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY GATHERED IN DARK CROWDED ROOMS TO WITNESS SOMETHING ASTOUNDING.

AS LIGHTS DIMMED, THEY STOOD AGAPE AT THE SIGHT THAT FLICKERED BEFORE THEM: PHOTOGRAPHS THAT MOVED.

INTO THESE EARLY DAYS OF EXPERIMENTATION BY ENTREPRENEURS SEEKING FAME AND FORTUNE WALKED ONE VISIONARY IMMIGRANT WITH DREAMS OF BECOMING THE KING OF AMERICAN MOVIES.

NOW BILLIE ROONEY FROM BRANFORD, FLORIDA, HAS A PAIR OF PHOTO ALBUMS THAT MAY REVEAL HOW THE FILM PIONEER STAKED A CLAIM IN THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE.

BILLIE HAS ASKED TO MEET ME AT MY OFFICE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SO WHAT BRINGS YOU ALL THE WAY UP TO PHILADELPHIA?

I HAVE SOME OLD PHOTO ALBUMS.

INSIDE IT SAYS "THE LUBIN'S FILM COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA."

IT SHOWS THAT THERE WAS A SILENT-FILM-ERA PRODUCTION COMPANY HERE IN PHILADELPHIA.

IT HAS PICTURES OF THE PLANT, IT HAS PICTURES OF THE ACTORS, THE OWNERS.

SO WHERE DID YOU GET THESE PHOTO ALBUMS?

MY UNCLE'S MOTHER-IN-LAW WAS MARRIED TO HERBERT LUBIN, AND THESE WERE SOME OF HIS PERSONAL EFFECTS.

I BELIEVE THERE ARE PICTURES OF HIM IN HIS WESTERN GARB WITH HIS HORSE.

BILLIE SAYS THE PHOTOS WERE DISCOVERED BY HER FATHER WHEN A FAMILY HOME WAS RAZED TO BUILD A HIGHWAY.

I'VE LIVED HERE FOR, I THINK, 26, 27 YEARS, AND I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PLACE.

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMPANY.

IT SEEMED TO BE SUCH A THRIVING, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS FOR ITS DAY.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW IF HERBERT WAS IN FACT AN ACTOR, AND WAS HE FAMOUS?

ALL RIGHT, LET ME GET BUSY AND SEE WHAT I CAN FIND OUT.

GREAT, THANKS.

"LUBIN'S STUDIO STOCK."

HERE WE HAVE THE FILM VAULT.

AND LOOK AT THIS, THE CUTTING ROOM.

THERE'S LOTS OF HEADSHOTS OF WHAT LOOK LIKE ACTORS.

HERE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY, MR. SIEGMUND LUBIN.

THE OTHER VOLUME, BETZWOOD RANCH, APPEARS TO BE ON AN ENORMOUS FARM OR ESTATE.

THERE ARE LOTS OF GUYS ON HORSEBACK DRESSED IN WESTERN GEAR.

IMAGINE THAT, COWBOYS IN PHILADELPHIA.

I WONDER IF BILLIE'S RELATIVE WAS RELATED TO THE STUDIO BOSS.

LUBIN IS A FAIRLY COMMON JEWISH NAME.

HE'S LISTED HERE AS THE ASSISTANT PUBLICITY MANAGER, BUT WAS HE AN ACTOR?

MAYBE HE'S JUST A COWBOY ON THIS HUMONGOUS RANCH.

I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LUBIN FILM COMPANY.

HOW IMPORTANT WAS THIS COMPANY IN THE FILM BUSINESS?

I'M HEADED TO THE FILM-MAKERS' COOPERATIVE IN NEW YORK CITY TO MEET FILM ARCHIVISTS AND HISTORIANS JON GARTENBERG AND JEFF CAPP.

HEY, HOW YOU GUYS DOING?

HEY.

JEFF DESCRIBES THE IMAGES IN ONE OF THE ALBUMS AS A WHO'S WHO OF UP-AND-COMING ACTORS AND DIRECTORS OF THE DAY.

THIS IS MAJOR TALENT.

EDGAR JONES, EVELYN NESBIT THAW, AND THIS HERE IS MARIE DRESSLER.

THIS HAS GOT TO BE FROM THE TEENS.

IN THE EARLY '30s, SHE WAS ABOUT THE BIGGEST STAR IN HOLLYWOOD.

WHO WAS THIS SIEGMUND LUBIN?

SIEGMUND LUBIN WAS AN EARLY FILM PIONEER.

HE CAME OVER FROM GERMANY AND HE SET UP AN OPTICIAN SHOP IN PHILADELPHIA, BUT... JON EXPLAINS HOW THE IMMIGRANT FOUND HIMSELF AT THE CENTER OF THE NEW FILM INDUSTRY LOCATED ON THE EAST COAST.

BEFORE HOLLYWOOD STARTED, THERE WAS THE INVENTION OF THE MOTION PICTURES IN THE 1890s, WHICH WAS BASICALLY BASED AROUND NEW YORK, SO YOU HAD STUDIOS LIKE VITAGRAPH AND EDISON IN NEW YORK.

AND VITAGRAPH BUILT A STUDIO IN BROOKLYN, AND ESSANAY WAS IN CHICAGO, AND LUBIN, WHO WAS AN EARLY FILM PIONEER, SET UP SHOP IN PHILLY.

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT PHILADELPHIA WAS PART OF THE BIRTH OF FILM?

ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE HE STARTED IN THE 1890s WITH THIS WHOLE FILM BUSINESS, SO HE WAS REALLY A BIG PART OF WHAT WENT ON.

AND HE WAS ACTUALLY LIKE THE FIRST JEWISH MOVIE PIONEER EVEN 15 YEARS BEFORE GOLDWYN AND OTHER PEOPLE GOT IN THE BUSINESS.

REALLY?

YEAH.

THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE EXPOSED THE OPTICIAN TO SOME CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS.

PHILADELPHIA'S A REAL CENTER OF SORT OF SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY, SO HE SEES, FOR EXAMPLE, THE MOTION EXPERIMENTS THAT EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE DOES FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

HE'S FAMILIAR WITH LENSES, AND HE DECIDED TO GET INTO THE MOVIE BUSINESS.

JON SAYS THE FACES IN THIS ALBUM ALSO REPRESENT A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN CINEMA: THE BIRTH OF THE MOVIE STAR.

AROUND 1910 OR SO, STARS CAME TO BE KNOWN IN THE CINEMA.

SPECTATORS IN THE THEATER WERE STARTING TO RECOGNIZE, "WHO ARE THESE STARS?"

AND THEY WANTED TO SEE THEM IN THE MOVIES.

THE APPETITE FOR CELEBRITY WAS FED BY LUBIN'S INCREASINGLY COMPLEX OPERATION.

HE DID EVERYTHING FROM SHOOTING MOVIES, DISTRIBUTING MOVIES, BUILDING THEATERS TO SHOW MOVIES.

JON EXPLAINS THAT LUBIN'S INTEGRATED OPERATION AND ECONOMIES OF SCALE MADE HIS FILMS FASTER AND CHEAPER TO PRODUCE THAN HIS COMPETITORS.

LUBIN WOULD ALSO COPY FILMS THAT OTHER COMPANIES MADE AND PUT THEM OUT AS HIS OWN.

IT'S VERY ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE; EVERYBODY WANTED TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS AND EVERYBODY WANTED TO MAKE MONEY.

BUT LUBIN WASN'T THE ONLY FI LMMAKER FIGHTING FOR AN EDGE.

EDISON WAS TRYING TO CONTROL EVERYTHING BY CONTROLLING THE PATENTS ON ALL THE CAMERAS AND THE PROJECTORS.

EVENTUALLY, JON SAYS LUBIN, THOMAS EDISON, AND OTHER FILM PIONEERS JOINED FORCES AND CREATED THE MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY.

BASICALLY WHAT THEY SAID IS, "LOOK, WE'RE ALL FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER, "WE'RE ALL LOSING A LOT OF MONEY, "SO LET'S JUST ALL GET TOGETHER AND LET'S CONTROL THE BUSINESS OURSELVES."

SO THEY CREATED A MONOPOLY.

YES.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS FARM SCENES IN OUR ALBUM AND GUYS DECKED OUT IN COWBOY GEAR?

WHAT ABOUT THIS ONE, "FROM THE BETZWOOD RANCH"?

JON EXPLAINS THAT IN 1912, RUNNING OUT OF SPACE, LUBIN BOUGHT BETZWOOD, A SPRAWLING SUBURBAN ESTATE BELONGING TO A LOCAL BREWER.

HE STARTED BUILDING AROUND 1912, AND BY 1914, IT WAS LIKE THE MOST ADVANCED STUDIO OF ALL THE FILM COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

BETZWOOD BECAME THE MOVIE LOT FOR SCORES OF WESTERNS.

JEFF AND JON ARE STAGGERED THAT SUCH A RECORD OF THE LUBIN STUDIO HAS BEEN FOUND.

A FIRE IN 1914 DESTROYED MOST OF LUBIN'S EARLY FILMS.

IN SOME INSTANCES, THESE STILL PHOTOGRAPHS MAY BE THE ONLY RECORD THAT EXISTS OF SOME OF THESE PRODUCTIONS.

I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN HERBERT LUBIN.

WELL, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF HIM, AND IT'S VERY HARD TO TELL FROM THIS BOOK.

I DON'T RECOGNIZE HIM AS A NAME, AND YOU KNOW ACTORS PRETTY WELL.

YEAH, NO, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S EVEN CERTAIN THAT HE WAS AN ACTOR.

TO GET A BETTER SENSE OF LUBIN'S WORK AND MAYBE A GLIMPSE OF BILLIE'S RELATIVE, THEY SUGGEST I TRACK DOWN SOME OF LUBIN'S REMAINING FILMS.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN PENNSYLVANIA HAS A HANDFUL OF SURVIVING REELS THAT WERE DONATED TO THEIR MOVING PICTURE COLLECTION.

IN THE SERVICE OF STATE: THE EXILE.

OH, LET'S CHECK THAT OUT.

THESE WESTERNS ARE ELABORATE SPECTACLES.

AGAIN AND AGAIN, THE OLD BETZWOOD RANCH IS TRANSFORMED.

TRY TO IMAGINE THAT THEY WERE SHOOTING THIS ON THE EAST COAST.

SOMEHOW THEY WERE ABLE TO RE-CREATE THE WESTERN FEEL.

I'M IMPRESSED.

BUT ALTHOUGH THE SCENES AR E OFTEN SPECTACULARLY STAGED, THE ACTING APPEARS FAIRLY SHALLOW, ALMOST COMICAL, AS IF THE ACTING WERE FILLER TO GET TO THE NEXT SHOOTOUT OR CHASE SCENE.

I'M HOPING THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF HERBERT LUBIN IN ONE OF THESE FILMS.

THERE'S A LOT OF COWBOYS IN HERE.

IT'S JUST NOT CLEAR ENOUGH.

I CAN'T REALLY TELL IF IT'S HERBERT LUBIN OR NOT.

MAYBE I'LL GET LUCKY AND SEE HIS NAME IN THE CREDITS.

UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT HAPPENS WITH THESE FILMS IS THEY DETERIORATE FROM THE ENDS, AND SO THE FIRST THING TO GO IS OFTEN THE CREDITS.

SWEETER THAN REVENGE, LET'S CHECK THIS OUT.

REEL AFTER REEL OF PHILADELPHIA COWBOYS, BUT NO CLEAR MATCH TO HERBERT.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS EXTRAORDINARY FILM EMPIRE?

JOSEPH ECKHARDT IS A BIOGRAPHER OF SIEGMUND LUBIN.

HE'S ASKED TO MEET ME AT A LOCATION THAT HE SAYS IS SOMEHOW IMPORTANT TO MY INVESTIGATION.

SO WHERE ARE WE?

YOU'RE AT THE BETZWOOD STUDIO.

RIGHT OVER HERE BEHIND YOU, THAT WAS WHERE THE WESTERN VILLAGE WAS.

THIS WAS ONCE THE BIGGEST MOVIE STUDIO IN THE WORLD.

IT'S NOW AN UNASSUMING OFFICE PARK.

JOE BRINGS ME INSIDE WHAT USED TO BE LUBIN'S FILM PROCESSING PLANT.

IT TOOK 200 EMPLOYEES TO RUN THIS PLANT, AND YOU CAN TELL PERHAPS BY THE SIZE OF IT WHY IT WOULD.

DEVELOPING, EDITING, AND PRINTING OF LUBIN'S FILMS COULD ALL BE CENTRALIZED WITHIN THIS GIANT FACILITY.

SO THE BETZWOOD RANCH WAS THE CENTER OF THE OPERATION.

IT WAS THE KEYSTONE OF LUBIN'S WHOLE EMPIRE, YES.

SO EVERYTHING FLOWED IN HERE AND OUT.

AND OUT, YES.

OUT AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.

ANYTHING SHOT IN JACKSONVILLE, LOS ANGELES, IN THE SOUTHWEST, OR IN PHILADELPHIA ENDED UP BEING PROCESSED RIGHT HERE AND THEN SENT OUT TO RUSSIA, CHINA, GERMANY, YOU NAME IT.

JOE HAS SPENT SEVERAL DECADES STUDYING SIEGMUND LUBIN, AND HE'S NEVER SEEN A COLLECTION OF PHOTOS LIKE BILLIE'S.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING THAT THIS HAS SURVIVED.

JOE SAYS THAT LUBIN'S BETZWOOD OPERATION TURNED OUT MORE THAN JUST WESTERNS.

THEY STAGED CIVIL WAR BATTLES HERE, THEY BUILT AND BURNED SEVERAL TOWNS.

THE PROCESSING PLANT WAS TURNING OUT 6 MILLION FEET OF FILM A WEEK.

IT WAS THE BIGGEST FILM EMPIRE IN THE WORLD AT THAT TIME.

HOW DID BILLIE'S RELATIVE FIT INTO THIS EMPIRE?

HERBERT LUBIN WAS SIEGMUND LUBIN'S NEPHEW.

HE WAS FROM BERLIN, AND SIEGMUND LUBIN BROUGHT HIS NEPHEW OVER IN MAY OF 1914 TO GET HIM OUT OF GERMANY.

ONE MONTH LATER, ARCHDUKE FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA WAS ASSASSINATED.

THE GREAT BLAZE OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR WAS IGNITED.

THEY KNEW THAT A WAR WAS ABOUT TO ERUPT, AND HE PROBABLY SAVED HERBERT'S LIFE QUITE LITERALLY.

HERBERT WAS PLUNKED DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BETZWOOD STUDIO.

WAS HERBERT LUBIN IN ANY OF HIS UNCLE'S FILMS?

WELL, I HAVE SOME OTHER FILMS WITH ME THAT MIGHT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.

THIS FILM WAS MADE IN 1907.

IT'S CALLED THE SILVER KING.

YOU SEE THAT MAN THERE AT THE FAR LEFT END AT THE RACETRACK?

YEAH.

THAT'S SIEGMUND LUBIN.

THAT'S SIEGMUND LUBIN?

SO HE WAS IN HIS OWN FILM.

LUBIN WAS THE FIRST OF THE FILMMAKERS TO APPEAR IN HIS OWN FILMS.

AND HE'S NOT THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY TO END UP IN FILMS EITHER.

NOW, IN THIS PARTICULAR FILM, YOU HAVE TO WATCH.

THERE'S A LITTLE GIRL WHO COMES IN HERE TO RESCUE THE STATION MASTER; THAT'S LUBIN'S DAUGHTER.

SO THIS WAS A FAMILY BUSINESS.

YES.

JOE INTERVIEWED FORMER STUDIO EMPLOYEES.

THEY TOLD HIM THAT SIEGMUND'S HABIT OF PUTTING FAMILY MEMBERS IN HIS MOVIES EXTENDED TO HIS NEPHEW, HERBERT.

I TALKED TO TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO HAD WORKED AT THE STUDIOS IN THOSE DAYS, AND THEY BOTH TOLD ME THE SAME THING.

HERBERT USED TO RIDE IN THE POSSES.

IN THOSE DAYS, YOU COULDN'T MAKE A WESTERN WITHOUT CHASING SOMEBODY, SO HERBERT WAS FREQUENTLY IN THOSE CHASE SCENES.

BILLIE WILL BE HAPPY TO HEAR THAT.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS ENORMOUS OPERATION?

WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

LUBIN RAN INTO AN UNENDING SERIES OF PROBLEMS STARTING IN 1914.

JOE EXPLAINS THAT THE FIRE IN THE FILM VAULT WAS THE FIRST DISASTER.

TWO MONTHS LATER, THE FIRST WORLD WAR BEGAN.

LUBIN, MORE THAN ANY OTHER EARLY FILMMAKER, DEPENDED ON THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS FOR HIS PROFITS, AND THEY WERE GONE OVERNIGHT.

LUBIN'S ROLE IN THE FILMMAKERS MO NOPOLY WITH EDISON AND OTHERS ALSO HURT HIM.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUED THE PATENTS COMPANY AS AN ILLEGAL TRUST, AND THEY WON.

BUT JOE TELLS ME THAT IT WAS THE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING STYLE OF MOVIES THAT SEALED LUBIN'S FATE.

TO ILLUSTRATE, HE SHOWS ME A COPY OF THE LUBIN FILM A PARTNER TO PROVIDENCE.

LOOK AT THAT, WOW!

LUBIN WAS ALREADY LOSING A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY... JOE TELLS ME HOW A TRAIN WRECK -- OF SORTS -- HAD ALSO DERAILED THE LUBIN STUDIOS.

I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL BILLIE.

THIS WAS A FANTASTIC STORY TO INVESTIGATE.

I EXPLAIN THAT ALTHOUGH THE FILMS DON'T SURVIVE, HER RELATIVE HAD ALMOST CERTAINLY PLAYED A BIT PART IN LUBIN MOVIES.

THAT'S EXCITING.

I HAD NO IDEA.

ADDS A LITTLE FLAVOR TO OUR FAMILY HISTORY.

HER ALBUMS CAPTURE A MOMENT AT THE HEIGHT OF SIEGMUND LUBIN'S CAREER.

IN 1916, FIRE AND WAR CRIPPLED HIS BUSINESS, BUT JOE ECKHARDT REVEALED WHAT HAD DRIVEN THE FINAL NAIL IN THE STUDIO'S COFFIN.

IT COST THEM $35,000 TO STAGE THAT SCENE.

YOU HAVE THIS ONE SPECTACULAR EVENT THAT OCCURS; THE REST OF THE FILM WAS FAIRLY MEDIOCRE IN TERMS OF THE STORY, IN TERMS OF THE ACTION, THE DIRECTING, AND THAT WAS THE PROBLEM.

JOE EXPLAINS HOW JUST AS HIS BUSINESS WAS TEETERING ON THE BRINK, A NEW FILM WAS RELEASED THAT WAS EVERYTHING LUBIN'S FILMS WERE NOT.

IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF 1915, D.W. GRIFFITH RELEASED HIS FAMOUS FILM TH E BIRTH OF A NATION, AND THAT CHANGED THE RULES OF MOVIEMAKING OVERNIGHT.

THE ACTING WAS TOP-NOTCH; HE PROVED WHAT THE CINEMA COULD BECOME.

BY 1916, THE LUBIN COMPANY FOLDED.

HE WENT BANKRUPT, AND IN 1923 HE DIED.

I'VE LIVED IN PHILADELPHIA FOR YEARS, AND I HAD NO IDEA OF THE ROLE OF THE CITY IN THE BIRTH OF FILM IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THESE PHOTO ALBUMS ARE AN ESSENTIAL AND IMPORTANT PART OF THAT VALUABLE HISTORY.

I JUST FEEL REALLY GRATEFUL THAT MY DAD HAD THE FORESIGHT TO SAVE THEM RATHER THAN THAT PIECE OF HISTORY BEING LOST.

SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR PHOTO ALBUMS NOW?

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM PLACED SOMEWHERE WHERE THE PUBLIC COULD HAVE ACCESS TO THEM TO WHERE THEY'D REMAIN A PART OF HISTORY.

DURING THE COURSE OF MY INVESTIGATION, I FOUND SEVERAL PEOPLE HERE IN PHILADELPHIA WHO WERE JUST EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN HELPING YOU DO JUST THAT.

THAT SOUNDS GREAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

D.W. GRIFFITH'S 1915 FILM THE BIRTH OF A NATION SET THE STANDARD FOR NARRATIVE FILMMAKING.

ITS USE OF PARALLEL PLOTLINES, SWEEPING BATTLE SCENES, AND INNOVATIONS IN LIGHTING AND EDITING HELPED MAKE IT THE HIGHEST-GROSSING FILM OF ITS DAY.

THE BIRTH OF A NATION IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMS EVER.

GRIFFITH WAS THE SON OF A FORMER CONFEDERATE SOLDIER, AND HIS FILM WAS SET BEFORE AND AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.

IT TELLS THE STORY OF TWO INTERCONNECTED FAMILIES, ONE NORTHERN AND ONE SOUTHERN.

MEMBERS OF THE KU KLUX KLAN ARE PORTRAYED AS HEROES AND SOUTHERN BLACKS AS VILLAINS AND RAPISTS.

THE MOVIE WAS SCREENED IN THE WHITE HOUSE BY WOODROW WILSON.

THE PRESIDENT HAD ATTENDED COLLEGE WITH THE SCREENWRITER, THOMAS DIXON, A FORMER LAWYER TURNED PREACHER.

THE FILM'S RACIST CONTENT PROVOKED RIOTS IN BOSTON AND PHILADELPHIA.

EIGHT CITIES, INCLUDING CHICAGO, DENVER, AND ST. LOUIS REFUSED TO ALLOW THE FILM TO OPEN.

BIRTH OF A NATION IS CREDITED WITH REVIVING THE KKK AFTER ITS MEMBERSHIP HAD DWINDLED.

GRIFFITH ANSWERED HIS CRITICS WITH HIS NEXT FILM, INTOLERANCE, A SWEEPING EPIC INTERWEAVING FOUR STORIES ACROSS 2,500 YEARS OF HISTORY.

THE STORIES WERE UNITED BY A COMMON MORAL THEME, THE TRAGIC COST OF HUMAN PREJUDICE.

Eduardo: OUR FINAL STORY EXAMINES THE MYSTERY BEHIND THIS UNUSUAL NAVAJO RUG.

[ ♪♪♪ ] TO THE NAVAJO, WEAVING IS MORE THAN A SIMPLE CRAFT, IT IS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE CONNECTING THE WEAVER TO THE SPIRITS OF EARTH AND SKY.

THEIR SYMBOLS TELL STORIES FROM NAVAJO BELIEFS.

A CROSS CAN MEAN SPIDER WOMAN, THE DEITY WHO IS SAID TO HAVE BROUGHT THE GIFT OF WEAVING.

A WAVY LINE CAN REPRESENT THE SNAKE, BRINGING DANGER AND THREATENING LIVESTOCK.

BUT TRADITION ALSO HOLDS THAT SOME SYMBOLS ARE TOO SACRED FOR THE LOOM.

TO CAPTURE THEM RISKS HARM TO THE WEAVER OR THEIR FAMILY.

BOB PETERSON OF LOMPOC, CALIFORNIA, HAS UNCOVERED A RUG WITH A SERIES OF BAFFLING SYMBOLS.

WHEN I FIRST SAW THE DESIGN ON THIS RUG, I THOUGHT, "WOW, THIS IS SOMETHING.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT."

I'M EDUARDO PAGAN.

IN MY WORK AS A PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON NAVAJO CULTURE, SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT BOB'S DISCOVERED.

[ knocking ] BOB, I'M EDUARDO.

WELCOME.

BOB, THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY.

TELL ME ABOUT IT.

I AM A COLLECTOR OF NATIVE-AMERICAN BEADED BAGS, AND AS I WAS SEARCHING THE INTERNET, I SAW THIS RUG AND IMMEDIATELY WAS DRAWN TO IT.

WHAT WAS IT THAT CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION?

THAT CENTRAL FIGURE, THE ARROWS, AND THE DESIGN OF IT.

IT LOOKS TO BE SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT, SOMETHING SPECIAL.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THIS RUG CAME FROM?

BOB TELLS ME HE BOUGHT THE RUG FROM A FAMILY WHO INHERITED IT FROM A WYOMING RANCHER.

HE WOULD GO TO THE SOUTHWEST, NEW MEXICO, AND SPEND THE WINTERS THERE.

AND THEY BELIEVE THAT HE PURCHASED THIS RUG SOMETIME BETWEEN 1916 AND PRIOR TO 1930.

SO WHAT CAN I HELP YOU FIND OUT?

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE HISTORY BEHIND THE SYMBOLISM, THE FIGURE IN THE MIDDLE, AND PERHAPS WE COULD PUT AN IDENTITY ON THE WEAVER.

BOB, THESE ARE VERY INTERESTING QUESTIONS.

I'D LIKE TO TAKE THE RUG WITH ME, AND I HOPE I CAN COME BACK WITH SOME INTERESTING ANSWERS.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

THE FABRIC IS PRETTY THICK.

IT CERTAINLY FEELS LIKE IT'S WOOL, BUT I'M NOT A TEXTILE EXPERT AND I'VE NEVER STUDIED RUGS.

BOB BELIEVES THIS IS A TU RN-OF-THE-CENTURY NAVAJO RUG, THOUGH HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY PROOF.

I GREW UP IN ARIZONA AMONG NAVAJO KIDS, AND NAVAJO CULTURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN INTEREST OF MINE, SO I DO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NAVAJO BELIEFS.

AND CERTAINLY SOME OF THE SYMBOLS ON THE RUG -- THE FEATHER, THE ARROW -- THOSE ARE FROM AMERICAN-INDIAN CULTURE.

BUT WHETHER THIS IS A PERIOD NAVAJO RUG, I CAN'T SAY.

THE ONE IMAGE THAT CATCHES MY EYE IS THIS SYMBOL DOWN HERE.

MANY PEOPLE WOULD ASSOCIATE IT WITH THE SWASTIKA, BUT IT'S AN IMAGE THAT PREDATES NAZI GERMANY, AND MANY CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE USED THIS IMAGE.

TO BUDDHISTS, THE SYMBOL REPRESENTS GOOD FORTUNE, AND FOR THE NAVAJO, IT'S KNOWN AS THE WHIRLING LOG AND SYMBOLIZES THE FOUR CARDINAL DIRECTIONS.

THE CENTRAL FIGURE IS CERTAINLY COMPELLING, THOUGH I'M NOT CERTAIN WHAT IT REPRESENTS.

[ ♪♪♪ ] ANTHROPOLOGISTS BELIEVE THE NAVAJO HAVE LIVED IN THE SOUTHWEST SINCE THE EARLY 1300s.

THEIR FIRST WOVEN WORKS WERE LIKELY STRAW BASKETS.

FROM THE BEGINNING, THEIR WEAVING WAS CONNECTED TO THEIR CREATION STORIES.

IN THE NAVAJO CREATION NARRATIVE, THE DINEH, OR THE PEOPLE, WERE LED FROM THE UNDERWORLD TO THE SOUTHWEST BY THE HOLY PEOPLE.

USING SUNSHINE, LIGHTNING, AND RAIN, SPIDER MAN TAUGHT THE NAVAJO HOW TO BUILD A LOOM AND SPIDER WOMAN TAUGHT THEM TO WEAVE.

THROUGH TRADE WITH THE SPANISH IN THE 1600s, THE NAVAJO ACQUIRED SHEEP.

THE NEIGHBORING PUEBLO INDIANS INTRODUCED THEM TO THE UPRIGHT LOOM.

NAVAJO-MADE HORSE BLANKETS AND EVENTUALLY RUGS BECAME THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER IN THE SOUTHWEST.

I'VE DISCOVERED A LOT OF HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT NAVAJO RUGS, BUT I'M NOT FINDING WHAT I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SYMBOLS.

I'M HEADED TO CHINLE, ARIZONA.

THE NAVAJO NATION COVERS 26,000 SQUARE MILES WITH LAND IN THREE STATES.

TODAY THERE ARE OVER 180,000 NAVAJO LIVING HERE.

JOHNSON DENNISON IS A NAVAJO MEDICINE MAN TRAINED IN HEALING SONGS AND PRAYERS.

MR. DENNISON?

YES.

YA'AT'EEH, I'M EDUARDO.

COME ON IN.

THANK YOU.

CAN YOU TELL ME WHETHER THE SYMBOLS ON THIS RUG ARE PART OF NAVAJO CULTURE?

YEAH, THESE ARE THE COMMON SYMBOLS IN THE NAVAJO, BUT IT'S NOT COMMON FOR WEAVERS TO WEAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

BUT A WARRIOR WHO IS HOLDING THE LIGHTNING BOLT, AND IN OUR MYTHOLOGY, THE GREAT WARRIORS OF THE NAVAJO PEOPLE USE THE LIGHTNING BOLT TO DESTROY.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S THREE FEATHERS THAT HE HAS ON THE FOREHEAD, THAT IS THE WARRIOR'S PLUME.

HE SAYS THE FIGURE IS KNOWN AS MONSTER SLAYER, A CHARACTER WHO BATTLES EVIL FORCES IN THE NAVAJO CREATION STORY.

THE MONSTER SLAYER, TOGETHER WITH ARROWS AND SNAKES, ARE OFTEN FOUND IN SAND PAINTINGS, A KEY PART OF NAVAJO HEALING CEREMONIES.

IN THE CEREMONIES, MEDICINE MEN USE COLORED SAND TO DEPICT THESE SYMBOLS IN ELABORATE PAINTINGS.

WHEN THEIR SAND PAINTING IS CONSTRUCTED, THE PATIENT SITS ON THE SAND PAINTING FOR HEALING.

THE SAND PAINTINGS CALL IN PROTECTIVE DEITIES ON BEHALF OF THE SICK, BUT WHEN THE CEREMONY'S COMPLETE, THE PAINTING AND ITS SYMBOLS ARE DESTROYED, RELEASING THE SUMMONED SPIRITS.

MR. DENNISON EXPLAINS THAT THESE IMAGES WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE PERMANENT.

SOME NAVAJO COULD SAY THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THE WEAVERS -- IT'S REALLY UP TO THE WEAVERS TO DECIDE WHAT AND HOW THEY WEAVE.

EVEN THOUGH THE WEAVING OF THE YE'I DESIGN ARE FORBIDDEN IN THE NAVAJO CULTURE, SOME PEOPLE STILL DO, SO... MR. DENNISON SUGGESTS THAT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PROHIBITIONS REGARDING NAVAJO SYMBOLS, I'LL NEED TO TALK TO A TRADITIONAL NAVAJO WEAVER.

CROWNPOINT, NEW MEXICO, HAS BEEN HOME TO NAVAJO WEAVERS FOR DECADES.

HI, BONNIE, I'M EDUARDO.

BONNIE BENALLY YAZZIE IS A TRADITIONAL NAVAJO WEAVER.

WEAVING IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR NAVAJO CULTURE BECAUSE IT TEACHES US THE STORIES, IT TEACHES US THE SONGS AND THE HISTORIES OF THE NAVAJO WEAVING, AND IT ALSO MAKES US A WHOLE PERSON AGAIN.

THAT'S HOW I USUALLY FEEL WHEN I FINISH MY RUG.

I FEEL LIKE I COMPLETED A STORY, I COMPLETED A WORLD.

OKAY, SO NOW YOU CAN... BONNIE HAS OFFERED TO SHOW ME THE BASICS.

SO THEN I JUST SLIDE THAT THROUGH.

YOU MISSED ONE STRING; IT'S OKAY.

DON'T BE AFRAID.

OKAY, HARD?

YES.

UH-HUH.

DID I GET IT?

YOU'RE DOING GOOD.

BONNIE GIVES THE RUG A BLESSING, HONORING ITS WEAVER AND THE GODS OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS.

[ speaking in Navajo language ] BONNIE, WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION AS A WEAVER?

IT'S A VERY POWERFUL RUG TO ME.

WHEN I FIRST SAW IT AT A FIRST GLANCE WAS A BLACK GOD THAT REPRESENTS A PROTECTION WAY.

THE PROTECTION WAY IS ONE OF THE TRADITIONAL NAVAJO HEALING CEREMONIES THAT MR. DENNISON TOLD ME ABOUT.

HE CALLED THE FIGURE A WARRIOR, BUT BONNIE CALLS IT A BLACK GOD REPRESENTING THE NIGHT SKY.

BONNIE SAYS THIS SYMBOL, LIKE MANY OF THE OTHERS, WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE WOVEN INTO A RUG.

THIS WHIRLING LOG, THE WIND WAY, IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN TEMPORARY.

IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN, ERASE, AND BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN, BUT IT'S PERMANENT NOW.

THE BLACK GOD, I CONSIDER IT A HOLY BEING, A HOLY PERSON.

BECAUSE HE'S HOLDING THAT LIGHTNING, THAT IS TOO BOLD FOR A WEAVER TO WEAVE.

BONNIE, DID THE WEAVER BREAK A TABOO IN WEAVING THESE SACRED SYMBOLS IN THIS RUG?

YES, SHE DID BREAK A LOT OF TABOOS.

AND THEY DID SAY THAT WHEN YOU BREAK A TABOO, WHAT NATURE'S LAWS THAT YOU HAVE BROKEN, YOU WILL WALK INTO IT IN THE FUTURE, AND IT WILL HARM YOU.

I ASK BONNIE WHY A WEAVER WOULD CONTRADICT NAVAJO PRACTICES.

SHE TELLS ME THAT HER COMMUNITY'S WEAVING TRADITION SHIFTED OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO AFTER A TRAGIC CHAPTER IN NAVAJO HISTORY.

IN THE MID-1860s, THOUSANDS OF NAVAJO AND APACHE WERE HERDED FROM THEIR LANDS AND HELD CAPTIVE AROUND FORT SUMNER, NEW MEXICO.

I REMEMBER THIS FROM MY READING.

AFTER A FIVE-YEAR ENFORCED EXILE, THE NAVAJO RETURNED TO THEIR HOMELAND TO FIND THEIR HERDS DECIMATED AND FIELDS DESTROYED.

TRADING BECAME AN ECONOMIC NECESSITY, AND BONNIE SAYS THIS HAD AN EFFECT ON WEAVING AND ITS CONNECTION TO THE NAVAJO SPIRITUAL LIFE.

THE TRADERS HAD A LOT TO DO WITH INFLUENCING AND CHANGING THE WAY OF NAVAJO WEAVING.

THEY TOLD THE WEAVERS TO START WEAVING A MORE BOLDER TYPE OF DESIGN THAT WILL SELL.

AS TOURISTS BEGAN ARRIVING ON THE NEWLY COMPLETED SA NTA FE RAILROAD IN THE 1880s, WEAVERS BEGAN PRODUCING MORE COLORFUL PATTERNS, AND EVENTUALLY, AROUND 1910, EVEN RUGS WITH SACRED NAVAJO IMAGES.

LIKE MAYBE EVEN THIS RUG, THE TRADER MAYBE INFLUENCED THIS WEAVER TO BECOME BOLD AND WEAVE IN WHAT SHE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE WOVEN.

BONNIE SAYS THAT WHILE TRADERS VIEWED THESE RUGS AS A PROFITABLE COMMODITY, TO THE WEAVERS, THEIR WORK WAS ALWAYS SACRED.

IS THERE ANY WAY FOR YOU TO KNOW WHO WOVE THE RUG THAT I'M INVESTIGATING?

I WOULD NOT KNOW THE NAME OF THE WEAVER BECAUSE THE WEAVERS FROM BACK THEN, IN THE EARLIER TIME, DID NOT WEAVE FOR RECOGNITION.

SHE SAYS THAT FEW WEAVERS' NAMES WERE REMEMBERED, BUT SHE CAN GUESS SOMETHING ABOUT THE WEAVER.

I THINK OF A WEAVER THAT IS REALLY FEARLESS, SHE'S BOLD.

HER FAMILY WOULD HAVE TOLD HER NOT TO WEAVE THAT.

THAT'S WHY I THINK A TRADER HAS A LOT TO DO WITH IT, A NON-NAVAJO.

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT WEAVER.

NOW I'M REALLY INTRIGUED.

I'M AT THE NOTAH-DINEH TRADING COMPANY AND MUSEUM IN CORTEZ, COLORADO, WHICH SELLS NAVAJO RUGS PURCHASED FROM LOCAL WEAVERS.

THEY ALSO HAVE A SMALL MUSEUM OF RARE ANTIQUE RUGS.

I'M EDUARDO, NICE TO MEET YOU.

LAURIE WEBSTER IS A CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGIST AND SPECIALIST IN NAVAJO TEXTILES.

SHE RECOGNIZES TH E CENTRAL FIGURE IMMEDIATELY.

MOST SCHOLARS IDENTIFY THIS AS A YE'I-BI-CHEI FIGURE.

THE YE'I-BI-CHEI IS A HUMAN WHO IS IMPERSONATING ONE OF THE HOLY PEOPLE IN THE NIGHT WAY CEREMONY.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO DATE THIS?

WELL, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO DATE THIS JUST ON THE MATERIALS IN THE RUG BECAUSE IT'S ALL HAND-SPUN AND THE DYES ARE A SYNTHETIC ANILINE DYE, AND THOSE MATERIALS SHOW UP IN RUGS FROM THE LATE 1800s ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE MID- TO LATE 1900s.

THE BEST WAY TO DATE THIS RUG IS ON THE BASIS OF ITS STYLE.

LAURIE TELLS ME THAT THE WHIRLING LOG MOTIF DISAPPEARED BY WORLD WAR II.

MANY NAVAJOS SERVED IN THE MILITARY, AND THE SYMBOL TOOK ON NAZI CONNOTATIONS.

THIS IS PART OF A GENRE OF RUGS THAT WAS MADE IN THE FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO, AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 1900 AND 1920.

SHE SAYS AFTER 1920, THE STYLE CHANGED.

WEAVERS STOPPED MAKING THE SINGLE-FIGURE RUGS, AND A NEW STYLE FEATURING A WHOLE ROW OF FIGURES BECAME MORE POPULAR WITH TOURISTS AND TRADERS.

THERE'S PROBABLY ONLY ABOUT MAYBE 20 OF THESE THAT WERE MADE, SO THIS IS A REALLY RARE RUG.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO DETERMINE WHO MADE THIS RUG?

THERE'S VERY FEW RUGS THAT ACTUALLY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A KNOWN WEAVER'S NAME.

ONE OF THE EXCEPTIONS IS ACTUALLY RUGS THAT ARE ATTRIBUTED TO A WEAVER NAMED YANAPAH.

SHE IS KNOWN TO HAVE MADE AT LEAST TWO, POSSIBLY FOUR RUGS JUST LIKE THIS.

YANAPAH GREW UP IN THE GALLEGOS CANYON AREA OF NEW MEXICO.

THE DAUGHTER OF HOSH-LESS-NET-SO, A PROMINENT NAVAJO ELDER, SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE SYMBOLS AND STORIES OF THE NAVAJO.

LAURIE TELLS ME THAT WHEN YANAPAH WAS 16, SHE MARRIED RICHARD SIMPSON, AN ENGLISHMAN WHO RAN THE LOCAL INDIAN TRADING POST.

IT'S BELIEVED THAT SHE WOVE HER FIRST YE'I-BI-CHEI RUG SOON AFTER HER WEDDING.

WHY WOULD SHE RISK BREAKING A CULTURAL TABOO TO WEAVE THIS FIGURE?

WELL, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR A NON-NAVAJO OR A NON-WEAVER TO REALLY KNOW, BUT CERTAINLY WE DO KNOW THAT THESE RUGS WERE SELLING FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS, AND SO THEY WERE VERY, VERY VALUABLE RUGS.

NOW, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THEY MODIFIED THE DESIGN IN SOME WAY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.

OTHER SCHOLARS HAVE POINTED OUT THAT PERHAPS IT WAS SAFER FOR WEAVERS TO WEAVE A YE'I-BI-CHEI, A HUMAN IMPERSONATOR OF THE HOLY PEOPLE, AS OPPOSED TO WEAVING THE ACTUAL DEITY.

LAURIE WANTS TO SHOW ME A RUG ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.

THIS IS ONE OF TWO RUGS KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY YANAPAH.

IT'S BELIEVED THIS RUG WAS MADE ABOUT 1911.

SO THESE LOOK VERY SIMILAR.

IS THERE ANY WAY THAT I CAN DETERMINE WHETHER THIS RUG THAT I'M INVESTIGATING WAS WOVEN BY YANAPAH?

LAURIE SAYS THERE ARE SOME TELLTALE SIGNS THAT REVEAL AN INDIVIDUAL WEAVER'S TECHNIQUE.

ONE OF THESE IS THE WAY THE WEAVER TIES HER SELVAGE CORDS.

THESE ARE THESE COLORED CORDS THAT RUN ALONG THE EDGE OF THE RUG.

LAURIE CAREFULLY COMPARES SELVAGE CORDS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE RUG'S CRAFTSMANSHIP.

WHAT LAURIE TELLS ME NEXT WILL THRILL BOB.

BOB, IN A LOT OF WAYS, THIS STORY IS MUCH LARGER THAN JUST THE RUG ITSELF.

IT INVOLVES THE HISTORY OF WEAVING AMONG THE NAVAJO PEOPLE, BOTH FROM AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE BUT ALSO FROM A SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE.

THE FIRST QUESTION YOU ASKED ME TO ANSWER IS WHO IS THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN THIS RUG.

I TELL BOB THAT MR. DENNISON SAW THE FIGURE AS A MONSTER SLAYER, BONNIE INTERPRETED IT AS THE BLACK GOD, AND LAURIE'S VERDICT WAS A YE'I-BI-CHEI DANCER.

ALL ARE CEREMONIAL FIGURES.

VERY INTERESTING.

AND THE WEAVER THAT I SPOKE WITH SHARED WITH ME THAT THE IMAGES IN THIS RUG ARE SO POWERFUL THAT SHE WOULD NEVER WEAVE THEM HERSELF OR DISPLAY THEM IN HER HOME.

AMAZING.

AND YOU ALSO ASKED ME TO DISCOVER WHO WOVE THIS RUG AND WHEN, AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT THESE WERE VERY TOUGH QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.

BUT I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND AN EXPERT IN HISTORIC NAVAJO TEXTILES WHO WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THE ANSWERS.

THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF SIMILAR ATTRIBUTES BETWEEN THESE RUGS: THE LAZY LINES ARE LAID OUT IN THE SAME WAY, THE END CORDS AND SIDE CORDS ARE TWISTED IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

AND WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

IT TELLS US THAT WE CAN'T RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THESE RUGS WERE MADE BY THE SAME PERSON, AND THAT THAT PERSON WOULD HAVE BEEN YANAPAH.

LAURIE TELLS ME EVEN IF THE RUG BOB FOUND WASN'T MADE BY YANAPAH, IT WAS PROBABLY MADE BY SOMEONE CLOSE TO HER.

I TELL BOB THAT THIS RUG ILLUSTRATES A UNIQUE MOMENT IN NAVAJO HISTORY.

THE INFLUENCE OF NON-NAVAJO TRADERS CHANGED THE CRAFT OF WEAVING, BUT RUGS MADE FOR SALE HAD ALSO PROVIDED A COMMERCIAL LIFELINE AT A TIME WHEN THE TRADITIONAL NAVAJO WAY OF LIFE WAS UNDER SIEGE.

WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT PIECE OF HISTORY.

WHEW.

I AM SPEECHLESS, YEAH.

IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS.

THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ARTIFACT.

YANAPAH IS ONLY KNOWN TO HAVE MADE FOUR RUGS IN HER SHORT LIFETIME.

SHE DIED AT 24 OF TUBERCULOSIS, ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF DEATH AT THE TIME.

NATIVE AMERICANS ARE OFTEN DIVIDED ON WHAT TO DO WITH THESE RARE RUGS.

SOME BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE REPATRIATED, OR RETURNED, TO TRIBAL REPRESENTATIVES.

OTHERS FEEL APPROPRIATE MUSEUMS ARE A GOOD HOME WHERE THEY CAN BE CARED FOR AND EXHIBITED AS EXAMPLES OF NATIVE-AMERICAN ARTISTRY.

CONTEMPORARY WEAVERS FACE THEIR OWN COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR WORK.

SOME BELIEVE SPIDER WOMAN HAS ENDOWED THEM WITH THE TALENT TO PROVIDE FOR TH EIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.

OTHERS HOLD THAT THE COMMERCIAL MARKETPLACE IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR A SPIRITUAL GIFT.

FOR MORE OF MY INTERVIEW WITH JOHNSON DENNISON, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

THE FIRST U.S.

RESTAURANT CHAIN, HARVEY HOUSE, SERVED UP NATIVE-AMERICAN ART AND CULTURE AS WELL AS TASTY FOOD.

FRED HARVEY PARTNERED WITH THE SANTA FE RAILROAD TO BUILD AN EMPIRE OF GOOD TASTE.

IN WHAT SOUNDS LIKE THE WORK OF HIS P.R.

DEPARTMENT, HARVEY WAS NICKNAMED THE CIVILIZER OF THE WEST.

STARTING IN 1876, HARVEY OPENED 84 RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS FROM CHICAGO TO LOS ANGELES.

TO LURE TOURISTS TO THE LARGELY UNFAMILIAR SOUTHWEST, THE HARVEY/SANTA FE PARTNERSHIP CREATED ELABORATE AD CAMPAIGNS MARKETING THE SOUTHWEST'S EXOTIC NATIVE-AMERICAN CULTURE.

THE RESTAURANTS ALSO TOUTED HARVEY GIRLS, WHOLESOME WAITRESSES IMPORTED FROM THE EAST, AGED 15 TO 20, WHO WERE FORBIDDEN TO MARRY DURING THEIR EMPLOYMENT.

AT RAILWAY STOPS, PASSENGERS WOULD DESCEND FROM THE TRAIN INTO A SHOWROOM OF NATIVE-AMERICAN CRAFTS.

THEY'D CONTINUE INTO A DEMONSTRATION AREA TO WATCH LOCAL ARTISANS AND END IN A HARVEY-OWNED GIFT SHOP SELLING THOSE VERY SAME WARES.

WHEN THE AUTOMOBILE CUT IN ON TRAIN TRAVEL, THE HARVEY COMPANY ADAPTED, PACKAGING GUIDED CAR EXCURSIONS CALLED INDIAN DETOURS.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE UBIQUITY OF THE AUTOMOBILE FURTHER DIMINISHED THE USE OF PASSENGER TRAINS, BUT A FEW HARVEY HOUSE HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS REMAIN TODAY.

HISTORY DETECTIVES WILL RETURN IN A MOMENT, BUT FIRST... 10,000.

15?

15, YOU THINK?

20-, 21,000.

600.

20.

18,500.

24.

IT'S AT LEAST 40.

FORTY-FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND.

650.

20.

650.

This textile would be worth about a half a million dollars.

HALF A MILLION?

NO WAY!

I KNEW IT.

IT'S JUST A BLANKET.

Laying on the back of a chair.

Well, sir, you have a national treasure.

Wow.

A national treasure.

Congratulations.

I can't believe this.

ON THE NEXT HISTORY DETECTIVES: WHAT DOES THIS RECORD REVEAL ABOUT THE INFAMOUS TRIAL OF TOKYO ROSE?

IT WAS ALL A LIE.

IT BECAME A COVER-UP.

IS THIS THE ONLY KNOWN PHOTOGRAPH OF CRAZY HORSE?

NOBODY'S EVER PRODUCED A PHOTOGRAPH OF CRAZY HORSE EVER.

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WWII BOMBER PILOT WHO WROTE THIS DIARY?

Man: "THE ONLY THING THAT I FEARED WAS LEAVING JAYNE."

NO SECRET IS SAFE, NEXT TIME ON HISTORY DETECTIVES.

Tukufu: BE A HISTORY DETECTIVE YOURSELF.

GO TO pbs.org AND LEARN MORE ABOUT INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES OR SUBMIT YOUR OWN MYSTERY TO THE TEAM.

YOU CAN ALSO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TONIGHT'S INVESTIGATIONS ONLY AT pbs.org.

THIS EPISODE OF HISTORY DETECTIVES IS AVAILABLE ON DVD.

THE COMPANION BOOK TO THE PROGRAM IS ALSO AVAILABLE.

TO ORDER, CALL PBS HOME VIDEO AT... OR VISIT US ONLINE AT... Captions by LNS Captioning Portland, Oregon www.LNScaptioning.com Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ Gwendolyn: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

WE ARE PBS.

[ New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" plays ]