A photocopied diary in which Colvin recorded his daily activites while in military training from May-August 1942. Also photocopied articles that were with the diary exist which span circa 1942-1959.

The bulk of the collection consist of black and white photographs Colvin took for advertising purposes, roughly spanning from 1960-1962. Businesses of La Crescent, Minnesota, and of La Crosse, Wisconsin, as well as churches in La Crosse.

An index to the La Crescent photographs was created by a team of volunteers along with some historical facts. La Crescent, Minnesota, photographs include an index and map of La Crescent (2010) to help the researcher get geographically oriented. La Crescent businesses are arranged geographically, starting with some establishments on the edge of town, then working out from Chestnut Street. Other scenes include a motel near Dresbach, Minn., that became a nursing home; a street paving project on Oak Street; the post office; lastly a landscape scene looking down from an apple orchard onto the west side of La Crescent from Apple Blossom Drive.

Photographs of La Crosse include businesses alphabetically arranged and religious structures (churches and a synogogue) which are arranged by denomination. Some other scenes include a building under construction located at 2442 State Road that housed a Woolworth Store (1962-1988) inthe Village Shopping Center; Stoffel Court apartment complex operated by the city's La Crosse Housing Authority at 333 7th St. So.; and the YWCA building, the former 'Pasadena' or Abner Gile house at 110 West Avenue South.