William M. Claypool III

William M. Claypool III graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Pomona College in 1948. Bill was CEO of True Value Hardware, and created the first commercially successful recycling business in California . This is in addition to running the very successful department store and grocery business his grandfather began in Needles, which he greatly expanded throughout the eastern desert regions of Southern California . Bill realized early on that the Colorado River was an important part of Needles' identity, and started joining committees and collecting government reports and books about the river. Many times he has said "we need to understand the river's past in order to chart its future."

Bill's collection includes historic books, historic government documents such as the Whipple Survey of the transcontinental railroad route, John Wesley Powell's survey of the Colorado River, many documents related to the Bureau of Reclamation's operation of the Colorado River and the Bureau of Land Management's maintenance of lands adjacent to the river, newspaper and magazine articles, old Metropolitan Water District newsletters and brochures, and historical photos of the river and Needles.

His collection was started by his grandfather, who was the territorial geologist for Arizona . Bill's deep interest in western history and water caused him to add to the collection over the past few decades. The Claypool collection is primarily related to the Colorado River , but includes many documents on the Grand Canyon , the Mojave Desert, and the Mojave Indians.