Unlocking the Archive: Track photos from 1969 pose a small mystery

Chillicothe Gazette
·1 min read

This week's photos come with a small mystery.

We digitized a packet of negatives which was marked as COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969.

There was a selection of track photos in it.

This unmarked photo from the Chillicothe Gazette archive came from a negative file marked COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969. No other information was given so the Gazette does not know who is in the photo.
This unmarked photo from the Chillicothe Gazette archive came from a negative file marked COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969. No other information was given so the Gazette does not know who is in the photo.

However, the mystery is that we don't know who is in the photos. Checking in our archive, the Chillicothe Gazette printed some photos and an article in the May 12, 1969 edition. The two photos that were in print that day are not any of the negatives that were digitized. That isn't that unusual. Photographers always take more photos than what are used in print, or even online in today's age.

Now, there could be an easy explanation for this. Back when the film was originally developed, it's possible the two photos that were in print never made it into the negative file. Or what is also possible is that the negative file was mislabeled or that the wrong negatives were put in it.

This unmarked photo from the Chillicothe Gazette archive came from a negative file marked COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969. No other information was given so the Gazette does not know who is in the photo.
This unmarked photo from the Chillicothe Gazette archive came from a negative file marked COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969. No other information was given so the Gazette does not know who is in the photo.

It is quite possible these photos are from the meet, but perhaps have never before been seen by the public as they were stored as negatives in the Gazette office for years.

What we do know from the story in the paper is that weather played a factor in the meet and it was postponed. The photos do appear to show a dreary May day.

Take a look at the photos, and if you recognize anyone in them, let us know.

This unmarked photo from the Chillicothe Gazette archive came from a negative file marked COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969. No other information was given so the Gazette does not know who is in the photo.
This unmarked photo from the Chillicothe Gazette archive came from a negative file marked COL track meet (dist) May 11, 1969. No other information was given so the Gazette does not know who is in the photo.

To see more of our local archive photos from previous weeks, go to www.ChillicotheGazette.com and search for the keyword: Archive.

If you have suggestions of what you would like to see from our archive, let us know at tshipley@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Unlocking the Archive: Track photos from 1969 pose a small mystery