14 Facts About Sallie Wagner

Sarah Roberts "Sallie" Wagner was an American anthropologist, businesswoman, activist, filmmaker, and arts patron.

Sallie Wagner was one of the founding members of the Society for American Archaeology in 1934.

Sarah Roberts "Sallie" Wagner was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, the daughter of Dwight Wagner and Elsie Whitaker Wagner.

Sallie Wagner began amateur archaeological explorations in her youth, collecting artifacts from her family's farm and along the Ohio River.

Sallie Wagner attended boarding school in Washington, DC, and earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology at the University of Chicago in 1936.

Sallie Wagner made 16mm films documenting their lives at the trading post.

Sallie Wagner wrote a memoir of those years, Wide Ruins: Memories from a Navajo Trading Post.

Sallie Wagner promoted and supported the work of local and indigenous artists, including Navajo painter Beatien Yazz, composer Lucia Dlugoszewski, and dancer Erick Hawkins.

Sallie Wagner served on boards of trustees and boards of directors for many cultural and educational organizations based in Santa Fe, including the Santa Fe Preparatory School, the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, the Southwestern Association on Indian Affairs, the International Folk Art Foundation, and the School of Advanced Research.

Sallie Wagner organized the photograph files of the Museum of New Mexico and the New Mexico State Records Center.

Sallie Wagner created a 19-acre easement called "Sallie's Hill", and donated the land to the Santa Fe Conservation Trust.

In 1990 Sallie Wagner was honored as a Guardian of Cultural Heritage by Santa Fe Living Treasures.

At least two of Sallie Wagner's homes were recognized for their architectural significance.

Sallie Wagner died from cancer in 2006, aged 93 years, in Santa Fe.