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Friday, September 11, 2026
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Memories that make me a wealthy soul
Up with the sun, gone with the wind
She always said I was lazy
Leavin' my home, leavin' my friends
Runnin' when things get too crazy
__ Bob Seagar , "Traveling Man"
It started out interesting,
and progressed from there
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail,com
Truth is, I have spent most of my entire life trying to call attention to things found, that are personally interesting to me. Though I have fought the notion at times, it is a conclusion in this late state of the game, that this cat was lucky to have grown up in Dolores, Colorado. It was bushels of "interesting," and still is.
Time moved slower there.
Slower pace, but also, with the benefits of positive energy.
The thing is, I can look at photos taken in 1945, and still recognize the same advantage elements of my experience there. Posted a photo today, of a nice-looking caboose, a few hundred feet from my boyhood home on 7th Street. A person can see Bud's Auto, (later other businesses) and the "hill-side "of town, in the background.
Partial to good-looking cabooses, as I am, it is still recognizable as the distinctive, one-of-kind, never to be duplicated elements of history for Dolores folk, shared only with those from the 'river city' of my youth.
And most of us weren't even born in 1945.
James Biard, Charles Berry, Keith Moore, Shiela Roseberry, Brent Hamilton, Wanda Maras, Kendall Hall Allen, Ellis Miller, Nick Randall, Lenetta Shull, Lenore Goode, Dorothy Delatorre, Gail Bash Butler, Bill Butler, and thousands more ... know precisely what we are talking about.
Sometimes at night I see their faces
I feel the traces they've left on my soul
Those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul
Photo Information:
Rio Grande Southern narrow gauge caboose number 0401
Creator: Richardson, Robert W.
Date:1945: Three-quarter view, with flatcar and two boxcars.
Photographed: Dolores, Colorado, October 10, 1945.
Friday, September 4, 2026
Pound out photos on the new frontier
Creator: Collier, Joseph
Not all that far from smith to photographer
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
Perhaps it it was not that long of a way from blacksmith — to pioneer master photographer — 100 years ago, in the style of the great Scott, and later Denver, and Central City resident Joseph Collier.
Becoming a blacksmith mostly takes a lot of practice of the basics of smithing. Today most users on Reddit, agree that starting out requires minimal equipment, and you can even improvise an anvil from a piece of railroad track or a forklift tine if needed.
Core Forging Techniques
- Drawing out: Hammering metal to make it longer and thinner.
- Upsetting: Hammering the end of heated metal to make it thicker and shorter.
- Bending and twisting: Shaping hot stock over the anvil horn or using tongs to create curves and twists.
- Punching and slitting: Piercing holes or splitting hot metal without drilling.
- Forge welding:Heating separate pieces of metal until they bond together under hammer blows.
Knowledge and Soft Skills:
Metallurgy: Understanding how different types of metal (like iron and steel) behave at various temperatures and how to heat-treat or quench them.
Fire management: Controlling and maintaining the precise temperature of the forge.
Physical stamina: Enduring intense heat and heavy, repetitive physical labor.
Precision and timing: Working quickly while the metal is at the correct temperature—knowing when to "strike while the iron is hot"
Truth is, Pioneer Photography was not that different than Blacksmithing.
"Joseph Collier took up photography in Scotland, though it wasn’t until his move to Colorado that his fame took off. He lived in Central City and was well known at the time. In 1873, he presented stereographic images of Colorado to the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady of the United States, Julia Grant.
Newspapers of the day called his work "some of the finest specimens of stereoscopic views" ever seen.
"Joseph Collier was one of the early Great American Photographers and he started off his career running a photography business in North Street, Fraserburgh (Scotland) in 1860.
"Joseph Collier was born in New Deer (Scotland) in 1826 and as a young man he was working as a blacksmith when he injured his back and had to take time off. During his recuperation he read some books on photography, became hooked and totally absorbed by the subject and made a life changing decision, he wasn’t going back to the smithy - because he was going to be a photographer!"
He started off in premises in North Street in Fraserburgh in 1860, when the Broch already had two very good photographic businesses ran by Alexander Gray and James Shivas.
"Joseph’s talent showed through and he did a roaring trade for a few years before moving to larger premises in Peterhead. He still made arrangements to come to the Broch on special occasions and worked along with John Trail, who gave him space to use as a studio, and would display his photographs in the shop window."
"After a few years in Peterhead he moved to larger premises in Inverness and then in 1871 he made the life changing decision to move his family and career to America. His friends in Inverness gave him a rifle as a going away present," writes Billy Watson in 2026.
"Joseph arrived in Central City, Colorado, and at the invitation of his cousin, D. C. Collier, the owner of the Daily Central City Register he initially established his first photography studio in the back room of his cousin's newspaper office. "
"He had only been there a few weeks when he made his first photographic trip to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with his huge cumbersome wet plate camera and camp wagon and began documenting the Great American Landscape, one of the first photographic pioneers to do so, and certainly the first in Colorado," writes Watson.
"Joseph’s work soon became highly regarded for capturing the rugged landscapes and pioneer life of Colorado during a period of rapid westward expansion."
His lens took a candid look at 19th-century life, capturing images of mining operations, ranches, hunting parties, and social gatherings.
In 1873, he presented stereographic images of Colorado to the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady of the United States, Julia Grant. Newspapers of the day called his work "some of the finest specimens of stereoscopic views" ever seen.
He settled in Denver where he became known for his technical skill, managing his own studio and training others, like his long-time assistant Amelia Norder who became a famous photographer in her own right.
Collier’s photographs are an important historical record of Colorado's development. Many of his works, including albumen silver prints, are held in prestigious collections such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
"Joseph Collier died at the age of 75 on the 23rd of December 1911, in Denver Colorado - a Great American Photographer, the ex-Broch blacksmith had came a long way since first changing his career and opening a studio in North Street in Fraserburgh in 1860," says Watson.
Thing of the past ... Joseph Collier, Creator:Collier, Joseph: Date1890-1910:
Photographer Joseph Collier poses for a self-portrait, probably in his studio on Larimer Street in downtown Denver, Colorado. He sits on a low stool and has a camera tripod leaning against his right leg. An equipment case is behind his left leg in the right background. Collier has a thick, gray beard and wears a tweed cap and suit. He holds a pair of spectacles in his left hand and a satchel hangs from his right shoulder. The panel behind him is painted with flowers.
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Two Million Pageviews
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Colorado Restless Native
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Thing of the past ...
The Ave., Golden
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
McKee became authority on Ute culture, customs
Friend to Utes, Ouray and Chipeta
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
One of my favorite photographers is a fellow like me, born 100-plus years too late, roots in the 'Ole Sod,' hill billy sentiments and background. odd sense of humor — but lucky enough to wind up in Dolores, Colorado, near the railroad and the river.
Thomas Michael McKee was born in Scary Creek, West Virginia on March 17, 1854. When he was a baby, his parents traveled to Louisville, Kentucky by steamboat and from there took a stagecoach to Nashville, Tennessee, where the family remained for several years. During his boyhood, his leisure time was spent traveling throughout the South and painting landscapes along the way. He went to St. Louis to become a photographer's apprentice and later traveled to Texas to work as a railroad express messenger, according to Denver Public Library.
"After a jaunt to Sitka, Alaska in 1887, Mr. McKee received a letter from family friend A. E. Buddecke, who owned an opera house in Montrose, Colorado. When learning the town had no photographic studios, he and his family moved again and settled in the small southwestern town," says the library.
"There, Mr. McKee had no shortage of subjects to photograph - the scenic valleys, the ranchers, the miners, and the Native Americans. Long fascinated with science, he experimented for oil shale and discovered their commercial potential. He also was one of the first scientists to employ uranium nitrates instead of gold and to use carnotite, a radioactive ore, as a source of light. "
Mr. McKee is also believed to be one of the first photographers to take X-ray pictures. In 1892, when the Rio Grande Southern Railroad began laying tracks in the Lost Canyon region between Dolores and Mancos, Mr. McKee resumed his earlier job as express messenger. This provided the amateur paleontologist with an opportunity to collect fossils well as to capture images with the wet-plate camera that was always by his side. Always the innovator, he also introduced the region to motion picture equipment, taking the first moving pictures of Western Colorado in 1895.
"As the twentieth century dawned, Mr. McKee began concentrating on what had become his favorite photographic subjects - the Ute Indians. He befriended them, gained their trust, and then painstakingly documented their everyday lives."
Mr. McKee became an authority on Ute culture and customs, and in an interview with a local newspaper, he admitted, "Probably I have a greater knowledge of the Ute Indians than any other man living and my experience comes from personal contact."
"After his wife Amanda died in 1919, Mr. McKee sought solace in his adopted Ute family, after previously becoming a close confidant to Chief Ouray," (who died in 1880) and his wife Chipeta (who lived on until 1924.) He photographed Chipeta standing in front of her Utah teepee in 1924, less than one year before her death. Thomas McKee died in 1939, and was buried next to his wife in his beloved Montrose. Many of his photographs and artifacts were donated to the state of Colorado and are now on display in Montrose's Ute Indian Museum," says Ancient American Indians: Their Origins, Civilizations & Old World Connections.
###
Monday, August 10, 2026
Another hardware man makes good
Governor Mansion pays homage to
Boettcher and Cheesman families
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrrigan1@gmail.com
Years ago, when I was more active in Colorado Press Association, I loved the annual visit to the Governor's Mansion during convention. It was the former home of the Charles Boettcher and his desendents.
"The Governor's Residence at the Boettcher Mansion, located at 400 E. 8th Avenue in Denver, CO, is the official executive residence for Colorado's governor, in use since 1960. Built in 1908 for the Cheesman family, this Georgian Revival-style mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a historical home and official function space," according to the Mansion site.
Charles Boettcher (1852 РJuly 1948) was a businessman in Colorado in the hardware, mining, cement and sugar beet businesses. He was one of the founders of the Ideal Cement Company. Born in K̦lleda, Kingdom of Prussia, he came to the US at age 17 and worked with his brother Herman, first in Wyoming. He moved to Colorado and pursued various business projects, often partnering with John F. Campion. His family fortune has funded many philanthropic enterprises.
"Situated atop Logan Hill, the magnificent Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion and its one-acre grounds has entered its second century of helping to create Colorado history. Since 1908, this engaging 27-room red brick mansion has stood serenely in a neighborhood once referred to as Quality Hill. In 1959, when the Boettcher Foundation gave the property to the State of Colorado, it became the official residence of the Governor’s family. The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
"Today the Governor's Residence at the Boettcher Mansion is a treasure that stands as one of our finest symbols for Colorado's state civic heritage.Years of stewardship have served as “stepping stones” to the current and expanded preservation efforts," notes the The Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund.
Charles Boettcher
Born in Kölleda, Germany in 1852, Charles Boettcher, began his career in a hardware store, quickly mastering the tinner's trade and making a name for himself.
H. Boettcher and Company
By 1870, Herman Boettcher owned H. Boettcher and Company, which included a Greeley, Colorado store that was managed by Charles. The successful business expanded to Fort Collins, where Charles arrived in 1872. In 1873, he met and married Fannie Augusta Cowan. The couple moved Boulder in 1874 to open another hardware store. After a partnership change, Charles gained control of multiple businesses, securing a near-monopoly on blasting powder sales by 1876, a much coveted mining supply.
Family Life
During Colorado's early boom, Charles and Fannie settled in Boulder, building their first home and raising their son Claude (born 1875). Despite his strict Prussian upbringing, Charles was a devoted father who often brought his family along on train trips to Denver.
Boulder
Charles built a grand two-story hardware store at Broadway and Pearl in Boulder, marked by a keystone with the inscription C. Boettcher A.D. 1878 and is currently the Häagen-Dazs ice cream store. Opened in 1879, it was hailed as one of Colorado's largest and finest hardware stores. Recognizing the booming silver market in Leadville, Charles quickly shifted focus, leaving Boulder to seize new opportunities in mining.
Opportunities and Expansions
By March 1879, Herman managed the Boulder store while Charles pursued mining opportunities in Leadville, quickly building a business that grew to nearly $40,000 monthly. Although he later regretted moving his family at such a happy time in their life. In 1882, during a family trip, he stopped in North Park, Colorado, where they filed a homestead claim that eventually blossomed into the 180 square mile Bighorn Ranch. Managed by family, it once served as home to about 600 horses, some of which were purebreds imported from Europe.
In 1884, Charles purchased a wholesale hardware business in Denver, renaming it Boettcher Hardware Company. He later moved it to 402 Lawrence Street, expanding the inventory and positioning it next to the iconic Daniels & Fisher store, later known as May D&F.
As business slowed in Leadville and grew in Denver, the Boettcher's shifted their focus to the city. By the early 1890s, they joined many prominent residents in Capitol Hill, Denver’s most fashionable neighborhood. Landmark buildings like the Brown Palace Hotel had already begun shaping the city's skyline.
A Home on Millionaire's Row
Charles and Fannie soon built their home at 1201 Grant Street in Denver. Though modest compared to some neighbors, Charles considered it “complete in every detail.” The house was proudly situated along the prestigious “Millionaire’s Row.”
New Ventures
By 1900, Charles was nearly 50. Having tried and rejected retirement, he went on to work almost 50 more years, he turned to his native Germany for new business ideas. Always the entrepreneur, Charles returned from a "grand tour" of Europe, which he took with Fannie, 25-year-old Claude and 10-year-old Ruth, with visions of starting sugar beet and cement industries. Shortly thereafter, two extremely lucrative enterprises, The Great Western Sugar Company and the Portland Cement Company, were launched in Colorado.
Boettcher's hunting lodge, the Boettcher House (also sometimes referred to as Lorraine Lodge; National Register of Historic Places listed building #84000858, Charles Boettcher Summer Home and the Jefferson County Conference & Nature Center) was built in 1917 as a summer home and seasonal hunting lodge. It sits on 110-acres donated to Jefferson County, Colorado, in the 1970s and has been used for weddings and other public events since 1975. It was designed by Denver architect John J. Huddart.
The foundation bearing his family name has supported numerous projects in Colorado such as the Boettcher Concert Hall and the Denver Botanic Gardens. In 1963, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and was also a rancher.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
An eye for William Henry Jackson's Cameras
Dolores, Mesa Verde, U. S. Geological Survey, Wyoming, Colorado and the World
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
The iconic "Stage to the San Juan" W.H. Jackson photos must have been taken in Dolores in front of the old J..J. Harris building between 1891, and the fall of 1893, when the Silver Panic that year, slowed activity of the second San Juan rush and boosterism of that period. That building would later become Taylor Hardware, where I worked for seven of my formative years in the late 1970s, and early 1980s.
William Henry Jackson roamed the American West (and other places) taking photographs, painting, guiding other artists, documenting progress and promoting the western experience for more than 80 years. In just photographic negatives, an excess of 80,000 images attributed to Jackson, capture the essence of the period and space and time.
"When William Henry Jackson was mustered out of the Army of the Potomac after the battle of Gettysburg, he drifted west, finally settled in Omaha. There he started a flourishing business in tintypes and stereopticon views. When the U. S. Geological Survey decided to chart the badlands of Wyoming, Photographer Jackson was asked to go along to take pictures. The pictures he took, of Wyoming’s geysers and waterfalls, were directly responsible for Congress’ decision to put the small rectangle of Yellowstone National Park on the map of the U. S.," notes TIME magazine on April 14, 1940.
"By the 1870s Jackson had become the best-known and most successful landscape photographer in the U. S. He crisscrossed the Rockies on pack mules and in covered wagons, took the first photographs ever made of the Mountain of the Holy Cross in western Colorado, of the Pueblo ruins of New Mexico and Arizona. In the 18903 he got the job of official photographer for Harper’s Weekly, which sent him abroad, from Australia to Russia, photographing Chinese sampans and Siberian droshkies," says the TIME story.
"Last week the museum on the first floor of Secretary Harold Ickes’ new, white, boxlike Department of the Interior Building in Washington was given over to an exhibition of Pioneer Jackson’s aged photographs. Admired by public and connoisseurs alike were the vivid detail and panoramic scope of the mountain and forest views that Old Master Jackson had snapped with his battered, wooden 6½-by-8½ camera in days when photography was scarcely more than a stunt. Best exhibit of all was spry Oldster Jackson himself, stooped and white-bearded but talkative and effervescent at 97."
"William
Henry Jackson still takes pictures, but with an up-to-date Leica, does a
little sketching on the side, spends his spare time polishing his
autobiography, which is due next month. Says he: “A fellow has to keep
busy or he gets bored. I’m never bored.” Three years ago, when his
cronies of the G. A. R. hobbled bravely down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue in
their Memorial-Day parade, Veteran Jackson failed to march. “Poor old
Bill!” sighed his aged brothers-in-arms. Later they discovered that Bill
Jackson had been dodging in & out of the crowds all along the
route, taking pictures of the parade.
In
a 1941 interview with Department of the Interior employee Shannon
Allen, William Henry Jackson was a day away from his 98th birthday
according to research and text by Samantha Ford, Jackson Hole Historical
Society and Museum.
"Jackson was asked to reflect on his long life; from an early childhood education in art, service in the Civil War, life on the trail as a bullwhacker, survey work in the West, documentation of the railroads, and international travel spanning three continents. When prompted to compare the scenery of the United States to that of the rest of the world, it was Jackson Hole, the Tetons and Yellowstone that jumped to the front of Jackson’s memory. He described that this corner of the country cannot be paralleled elsewhere. He credited the nine years he spent with Ferdinand V. Hayden in the 1870s as the most interesting period of his life, despite his two-year contract with the World’s Transportation Commission in Australia, China, Russia, and eastern Europe, " writes Samantha Ford.Photo Courtesy of the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center
"When Jackson first started out on the Hayden Expedition in 1870, he traveled with two assistants, several pack mules and 400 pounds of equipment. The animals often could not reach the peaks he was determined to document, so he and his assistants would haul everything up themselves. It was a delicate process, over the steepest and most hazardous terrain of the survey, and they had to be especially careful with their fragile pieces of equipment necessary for the photography technology of the time – the wet collodion process. Jackson described early photographers as chemists, needing several vials of chemicals including nitric acid and silver nitrate. From start to finish, Jackson and his assistants could get the entire process down to about 20 minutes, from preparing the glass plate negative, to the exposure, and development process. The entire team clung to mountainsides in their “dark tent” and stored their glass negatives in cloth and rawhide bags. Sometimes they would be stranded an entire day waiting for a storm to pass. Jackson’s skill, perseverance, and fortitude would create the first photographic images of the future Yellowstone National Park and the Teton mountain range.
"In 1889, the Kodak Company introduced rolled film and the box camera. Jackson adopted this revolutionary piece of technology, glad to leave his heavy entourage behind. Following the end of the Hayden Survey in 1878, Jackson settled in Denver, CO until the economic panic of 1893 forced him to close his studio. In a lucky break, the Detroit Publishing Company purchased his collection of 20,000 images and hired him on as a colorist. Eventually becoming the manager, Jackson was one of the early pioneers of the postcard industry. After his retirement in 1924, Jackson remained busy as an artist, creating narrative depictions of Old West history. He wrote two autobiographies and toured the West for public appearances at historical societies, history conventions, festivals and other events. When Jackson embarked on his trips west in his 80s and 90s, he brought with him his 35mm Leica handheld camera. He died at the age of 99, commemorated as one of the last survivors of the Civil War, as a Western pioneer, and as one of the country’s most influential early photographers," says Ford.
Scotts Bluff National Monument calls attention to thef act that photographers of his time didn't have it easy.
Of his large-format camera in 1875, Jackson noted "Packing... so large a camera (not the compact, folding ones of today) with the necessary plates and chemicals over hazardous mountain trails, but also the difficulties in manipulation of wet plates magnified many times—it is a wonder to me even now that I had the temerity to undertake it.” While the results were spectacular, the camera proved too unwieldy to use after the 1875 season. To more efficiently cover the long distances from the San Juan Mountains to the Hopi pueblos, Jackson used a smaller camera and more portable "dark box" rather than his usual dark tent.
William Henry Jackson used heavy large-format view cameras, most notably custom 18x22-inch "mammoth plate" and 8x10-inch glass-plate cameras, requiring pack mules and a mobile darkroom tent to capture the American West.
Camera and Equipment Details
Mammoth Plate Camera: Used large glass negatives measuring up to 20x24 inches (commonly 18x22 inches), yielding extraordinary landscape detail.
8x10-inch Camera: Used for standard field work during the Hayden Geological Surveys.
Wet-Plate Collodion Process: Required coating, exposing, and developing glass plates inside a darkroom tent while the chemicals were still wet.
Pack Mule Transport: Heavy tripods, darkroom chemical kits, glass plates, and camera bodies were transported across rugged mountain terrain via mules.
William Henry Jackson's original Eastman View no. 2 Improved Model Century View and Empire State no. 2 (Eastman Kodak Co.) camera, circa 1915. From the William Henry Jackson Collection, WH1677, Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.
William Henry Jackson’s cameras were essential tools in documenting early chapters in Colorado’s history. Jackson created a visual record of Colorado’s people, natural landscape, and built environment with his photographs. While Jackson took many images of Colorado for the Hayden Survey, his work continued when he opened a commercial photography studio in Denver in 1879. This artifact, an Eastman View no. 2 Improved Model Century View and Empire State no. 2 (Eastman Kodak Co.) camera, is representative of Jackson’s involvement in commercial photography and publishing—work that brought images of Colorado’s people and landscapes to audiences around the world.
"William Henry Jackson’s photographs introduced a vision of the American West to an international audience. In 1868, Jackson opened a studio in Omaha and began photographing Pawnee and Omaha Indians and the landscapes along the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. During the 1870s, Jackson achieved notoriety while working for the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories and photographing Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Jackson’s photographs were essential in prompting the United States government to establish Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Jackson returned to commercial photography for several years before joining the Detroit Photographic Company, a publishing firm, in 1897. Thousands of Jackson’s photographs were reproduced and distributed widely by the firm, according to info from Denver Public Library, 10 W. Fourteenth, Ave. Pkwy. Denver, CO 80204.
"Jackson was asked to reflect on his long life; from an early childhood education in art, service in the Civil War, life on the trail as a bullwhacker, survey work in the West, documentation of the railroads, and international travel spanning three continents. When prompted to compare the scenery of the United States to that of the rest of the world, it was Jackson Hole, the Tetons and Yellowstone that jumped to the front of Jackson’s memory. He described that this corner of the country cannot be paralleled elsewhere. He credited the nine years he spent with Ferdinand V. Hayden in the 1870s as the most interesting period of his life, despite his two-year contract with the World’s Transportation Commission in Australia, China, Russia, and eastern Europe, " writes Samantha Ford.Photo Courtesy of the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center
"When Jackson first started out on the Hayden Expedition in 1870, he traveled with two assistants, several pack mules and 400 pounds of equipment. The animals often could not reach the peaks he was determined to document, so he and his assistants would haul everything up themselves. It was a delicate process, over the steepest and most hazardous terrain of the survey, and they had to be especially careful with their fragile pieces of equipment necessary for the photography technology of the time – the wet collodion process. Jackson described early photographers as chemists, needing several vials of chemicals including nitric acid and silver nitrate. From start to finish, Jackson and his assistants could get the entire process down to about 20 minutes, from preparing the glass plate negative, to the exposure, and development process. The entire team clung to mountainsides in their “dark tent” and stored their glass negatives in cloth and rawhide bags. Sometimes they would be stranded an entire day waiting for a storm to pass. Jackson’s skill, perseverance, and fortitude would create the first photographic images of the future Yellowstone National Park and the Teton mountain range.
"In 1889, the Kodak Company introduced rolled film and the box camera. Jackson adopted this revolutionary piece of technology, glad to leave his heavy entourage behind. Following the end of the Hayden Survey in 1878, Jackson settled in Denver, CO until the economic panic of 1893 forced him to close his studio. In a lucky break, the Detroit Publishing Company purchased his collection of 20,000 images and hired him on as a colorist. Eventually becoming the manager, Jackson was one of the early pioneers of the postcard industry. After his retirement in 1924, Jackson remained busy as an artist, creating narrative depictions of Old West history. He wrote two autobiographies and toured the West for public appearances at historical societies, history conventions, festivals and other events. When Jackson embarked on his trips west in his 80s and 90s, he brought with him his 35mm Leica handheld camera. He died at the age of 99, commemorated as one of the last survivors of the Civil War, as a Western pioneer, and as one of the country’s most influential early photographers," says Ford.
Scotts Bluff National Monument calls attention to thef act that photographers of his time didn't have it easy.
Of his large-format camera in 1875, Jackson noted "Packing... so large a camera (not the compact, folding ones of today) with the necessary plates and chemicals over hazardous mountain trails, but also the difficulties in manipulation of wet plates magnified many times—it is a wonder to me even now that I had the temerity to undertake it.” While the results were spectacular, the camera proved too unwieldy to use after the 1875 season. To more efficiently cover the long distances from the San Juan Mountains to the Hopi pueblos, Jackson used a smaller camera and more portable "dark box" rather than his usual dark tent.
William Henry Jackson used heavy large-format view cameras, most notably custom 18x22-inch "mammoth plate" and 8x10-inch glass-plate cameras, requiring pack mules and a mobile darkroom tent to capture the American West.
Camera and Equipment Details
Mammoth Plate Camera: Used large glass negatives measuring up to 20x24 inches (commonly 18x22 inches), yielding extraordinary landscape detail.
8x10-inch Camera: Used for standard field work during the Hayden Geological Surveys.
Wet-Plate Collodion Process: Required coating, exposing, and developing glass plates inside a darkroom tent while the chemicals were still wet.
Pack Mule Transport: Heavy tripods, darkroom chemical kits, glass plates, and camera bodies were transported across rugged mountain terrain via mules.
William Henry Jackson's original Eastman View no. 2 Improved Model Century View and Empire State no. 2 (Eastman Kodak Co.) camera, circa 1915. From the William Henry Jackson Collection, WH1677, Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.
William Henry Jackson’s cameras were essential tools in documenting early chapters in Colorado’s history. Jackson created a visual record of Colorado’s people, natural landscape, and built environment with his photographs. While Jackson took many images of Colorado for the Hayden Survey, his work continued when he opened a commercial photography studio in Denver in 1879. This artifact, an Eastman View no. 2 Improved Model Century View and Empire State no. 2 (Eastman Kodak Co.) camera, is representative of Jackson’s involvement in commercial photography and publishing—work that brought images of Colorado’s people and landscapes to audiences around the world.
"William Henry Jackson’s photographs introduced a vision of the American West to an international audience. In 1868, Jackson opened a studio in Omaha and began photographing Pawnee and Omaha Indians and the landscapes along the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. During the 1870s, Jackson achieved notoriety while working for the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories and photographing Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Jackson’s photographs were essential in prompting the United States government to establish Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Jackson returned to commercial photography for several years before joining the Detroit Photographic Company, a publishing firm, in 1897. Thousands of Jackson’s photographs were reproduced and distributed widely by the firm, according to info from Denver Public Library, 10 W. Fourteenth, Ave. Pkwy. Denver, CO 80204.
