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I
recently attended a friend’s funeral in Mesa. He was
a wonderful father, husband, and friend. He had four
children. They were Alan, Robert, David and Susan.
He was a world renowned photographer. His photos
have appeared in major magazines world-wide. Several
years ago he retired from the Arizona Republic &
Gazette after thirty-two years. But he never did
lay his camera down. The camera was his ticket to
seeing the world.
I first met this man and his wife while hiking the
Superstition Mountains in the late1940’s or early
1950’s with my father. We met again on a trip down
the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead.
Nyle was doing a photo story for the
Arizona Republic
about rafting on the Colorado River.
I was teaching an introduction course to the Geology
of the Grand Canyon with Jim Palmer for Arizona
State University. Shortly after this trip Nyle
Leatham made several trips into the Superstition
Wilderness on photo assignments for the
Arizona Republic.
Nyle Burnham Leatham was born in Mesa, Arizona on
July 27, 1930. He grew up in Mesa and attended Mesa
Public Schools. He was a life-long member of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Nyle
and his lovely wife Carol met at Mesa High School
and began dating when they where sophomores. He was
already interested in photography. Nyle and Carol
graduated in June of 1948 and were married in the
Arizona Temple on September 17 of that same year.
Nyle and Carol spent much their leisure time hiking
in the Superstition Mountains, camping, fishing and
taking lots of pictures.
 Nyle’s
introduction to professional photography came when
he entered the United State Air Force. He attended
aerial photography school in Colorado. He was then
transferred to California were he studied still
photography. He traveled to North Africa, Japan and
other exotic places around the world as a military
photographer. Nyle loved Japan and his many flights
over the Orient. He saw many unique and interesting
places. He even climbed the world famous Mount Fuji
in Japan!
Upon his return from the Far East, he and his wife
Carol traveled around the Western part of the United
States. They stopped in Montana to visit their old
friends Clay and Muriel Worst. Nyle and Carol had
met Clay along the trail between First Water and
Aylor’s Camp in East Boulder Canyon in the
Superstition Wilderness Area east of Apache
Junction. The four have been friends for more than
sixty years. After his military career Nyle went to
work for the
Arizona Republic
as a photojournalist. He loved his work. He
photographed countless people, places, and events.
He photographed the rich, the poor, the famous and
the not so famous. He was published in many major
national and international magazines and books. His
photographs of the Superstition Mountain area and
Arizona have appeared in the pages of the Arizona
Highways on several occasions.
Nyle retired from the
Arizona Republic
after thirty-two years. He then started another
career photographing shooting matches. Nyle called
his camera his “Magic Carpet to the World,” and the
camera has certainly served that purpose for him. He
has photographed from hot air balloons, airplanes,
helicopters, trains and ships. He has taken his
cameras into operating rooms, forest fires, mountain
tops, deep mines, scuba diving, and mountain
climbing.
Nyle made many trips into the Superstition
Wilderness Area with me over the years because of
his love for the area.
 He
traveled to and photographed Circlestone and Roger’s
Canyon for the
Arizona Republic.
He photographed several of my classroom horseback
trips in the Superstition Wilderness Area. He
enjoyed working with children. One of his classic
photographs was a photo of Kendra McKinney, 12 years
old and Sammy Marquez, 13 years old both of Apache
Junction, on a horseback trip in the mountains in
1975. At the time they were students at the Apache
Junction Jr. High School known today as Desert
Shadows Middle School.
Early in December 1975, Nyle accompanied a group of
horsemen into the Superstition Mountains to visit
the old Reavis Ranch. The group experienced a
blizzard that dumped about ten inches of snow in the
area. The plan was to return to Apache Junction in
five days, but the group was delayed because of deep
snow drifts and dangerous trail conditions. This
caused a bit of concern among families members that
knew the group was in the mountains. The weather was
extreme, however they were prepared. The tired
riders finally arrived at Tortilla Ranch on the six
day and rode out the following day to the Apache
Trail. Nyle’s photographs of this trip recorded the
anxiety of several riders that made this trip. Nyle’s
photographs of the pack trip were featured in a
special
Arizona Republic
tabloid called the
Arizona Adventure.
The
Arizona Republic
followed this article up with a spectacular display
of Nyle’s photos of Roger’s Canyon Cliff Dwellings.
His photos emphasized detail rather than dimension.
Shortly after this trip Nyle Leatham rode to the top
of Superstition Mountain with me. I believe, at
first, he had his doubt about how a horse could make
it to the top of Summit 5024. After that ride Nyle
told me he would never doubt me again. I warned him
we were lucky this time. Shortly after the ride to
the top of the mountain we hiked up Monument Canyon
with his sons Allan and Rob to inspect an old AT-6
plane crash. Nyle and I discussed a variety of
project over the years that were important to the
preservation of Arizona history. I have always
respected his knowledge of Arizona History and its
preservation. Early in October of 2006 I invited
Nyle to be a speaker for the Arizona Lecture Series.
I knew without a doubt who he would like to talk
about. He put together an excellent program on
Edward David Newcomer, the first photojournalist for
the
Arizona Republican.
He made that presentation on February 23, 2007.
The Arizona Republican was the forerunner
of the
Arizona Republic.
From the rapids of the Colorado, to the mountain
tops of Japan, to the trails of the Superstition
Wilderness Area, to national shooting competitions,
or lecturing on his favorite topic Nyle Leatham was
a scholar, an intellect, a man of integrity, a man
of his word and most of all a wonderful human being
that anyone should be proud to have known. His
photographs and his face were known by many in the
Apache Junction area. Nyle thanks for introducing
me, so long ago, to the world of photography and its
importance in preserving history.
I
would like to thank Nyle’s wife Carol for her
assistance with this story.
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