THIS
FIRST PAGE of the
MCRC Photograph Collection
features the first 15 of 70 photos of
Nicaragua from
the collection of Captain George F.
Stockes, housed here on the first five
MCRC Photos pages.
Captain George F. Stockes was one of the most capable and
savvy Marine Corps officers to operate
in Las Segovias during the period of US
military intervention. A veteran
of the Great War in France, Capt.
Stockes was stationed in Somoto from
around August 1927 to April 1929. On his
efforts to hunt down Sandinista General
Carlos Salgado & other rebel chieftains
in the Honduran borderlands in
March-April 1929, see the
TOP 100, PAGE 33; on
his savvy biography of EDSN Gen. José
León Díaz, see
TOP 100, PAGE 44.
The Stockes photographs appear in
what seems to be random sequence in
folder 7 of archival box 1 of the
Stockes Collection in the Archives &
Special Collections Room of the Marine
Corps Research Center;
here they are clustered by general
theme. Most have no identifying
captions; a few have writing on the
back. When they do the writing is
also shown. The Stockes
photos are especially revealing for
their depiction of the rural landscape
in the Honduran border region of the
Western Segovias; of the Voluntarios
(with whom Stockes operated during the
first half of 1929); and of Marines on
patrol. (Right: Captain
George F. Stockes).
Click on the thumbnails
on the right side of the photo
banners for full-size, high-resolution
copies of the photos on the page.
I thank the staff of the Marine Corps
Research Center in Quantico, VA for
their kind assistance in digitizing
these photos. Grateful
appreciation is also extended to Lebanon
Valley College student researchers
Olivia Edwards, Morgan Yealey, and Nikki
Wilhelm for their help in digitizing
these photographs.
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Photo MCRC-1.1.
Marine patrol crossing stream
near Somoto.

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Caption reads: "Crossing stream in
the 'Heart of the Segovias'.
Captain Stockes patrol from Somoto.
1st Lts. McHenry & Shaw with patrol from
P. Nuevo [Pueblo Nuevo]"

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Photo MCRC-1.2.
Patrol on Hillside near Somoto,
28 Sept. 1928.

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Caption on rear reads: "'In the
wilds of Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.'
Capt. Stockes patrol after taking
possession [of] hill held by bandit
[General Miguel Angel] Ortez. Sept. 28,
1928".

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Photo MCRC-1.3.
Patrol near La Palanca,
Nicaragua, 28 Sept. 1928.

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A second photo taken in the same context
as the one above (MCRC-1.2).
Caption on rear reads, "Communicating
with airplanes after attack by the
'panel system'. Capt. Stockes
patrol at Las Palanca [sic], Nic.
Sept. 28, 1928".

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Photo MCRC-1.4.
Marines making camp at Mylote,
Nic. near Honduran border.

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Caption on rear: "Captain Stockes patrol
in camp at Maylote Nic. Riding 40
miles in one night to attack bandits at
5:00 a.m. next morning. Pictures
made at 11:00 a.m. same day."

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Photo MCRC-1.5.
Three well-fed patrol leaders
posing on hillside, including
Capt. Stockes.

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Caption on rear: "[Nupely?], Shaw,
Stockes. Three well fed Patrol
leaders Lapalanca Nic. aug 28, 1927."

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Photo MCRC-1.6.
Marine patrol marching up
hillside in the Western
Segovias.

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Marine patrol marching up hillside in
the Western Segovias. No caption,
no date.
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Photo MCRC-1.7.
Marine Corps biplane parked on
airfield.

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Marine Corps biplane parked on airfield,
with Marines and civilians garthered
around, including women and children.
No caption, no date.
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Photo MCRC-1.8.
Three Marines posing by a tree.

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Three Marines posing by a tree in a
wooded area. No caption, no date.
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Photo MCRC-1.9.
Campesino in a field overlooking
valley.

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Campesino in a field overlooking a broad
valley, perhaps Somoto. No
caption, no date.
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Photo MCRC-1.10.
Marines on patrol.

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Marines on patrol. No caption, no
date.
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Photo MCRC-1.11.
Capt. Stockes with gathering of
Marines & civilians.

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Captain Stockes is the Marine officer at
left in the front row. This
appears to have been a gathering of
local eminences (the three men in the
front row, two holding their hats) and
local inhabitants, perhaps in Somoto.
Note the children's, and some of the
adults' bare feet. No caption, no
date.
Photo MCRC-1.12.
Marines conferring near their
barracks.

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Marines conferring near their barracks
(signified by flagpole and US flag in
background), perhaps in Somoto. No
caption, no date.
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Photo MCRC-1.13.
Native man dressed in white.

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Native man dressed in white posing for
photo. No caption, no date.
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Photo MCRC-1.14.
"George the water burro"
tethered to a tree in San Lucas.

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Caption on rear: "'George' the
water burro - San Lucas Nicaragua 1928". Note the laundry drying in
background.

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Photo MCRC-1.15.
"The Land God Forgot".
Mylote, Nicaragua, near Honduran
border, Sept. 1928.

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Caption on rear: "'The land God
forgot' Maylote, Nic. - on the
Honduranian border, Sept. 1928."

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