Rare Books

Summits of the Sierras

Description: In 1879, Watkins was commissioned to travel to the peaks of California's Sierra Nevada mountains to photograph the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey led by George Davidson (1825-1911). The photographs in this album were made during that commission, in the summer of 1879. The album opens with a scene of people positioned in front of a hotel on the shore of Lake Independence, followed by views across the lake looking up toward Mount Lola. Watkins then ascended to the survey base at the top of Mount Lola (9,148 ft.), where he made several photographs of the vistas and details of the rocky terrain, including trees, rivers, canyons, and lakes. He also climbed to the summit of Round Top (10,381 ft.), and made several photographs from that viewpoint, including one carefully orchestrated view of Davidson and his team posed with their instruments and an observation hut on the craggy summit. Occasional figures appear on ridgelines in the photographs, and tents and wooden huts erected by the survey team are seen in some views.
Type: Rare Books(Opens in new tab)
Date

Summits of the Sierras

Rare Books

An album of 41 mammoth plate photographs by Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) of the peaks, lakes, and topography of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and views of surveyors and their mountain camp. In 1879, Watkins was commissioned to travel to the peaks of California's Sierra Nevada mountains to photograph the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey led by George Davidson (1825-1911). The photographs in this album were made during that commission, in the summer of 1879. The album opens with a scene of people positioned in front of a hotel on the shore of Lake Independence, followed by views across the lake looking up toward Mount Lola. Watkins then ascended to the survey base at the top of Mount Lola (9,148 ft.), where he made several photographs of the vistas and details of the rocky terrain, including trees, rivers, canyons, and lakes. He also climbed to the summit of Round Top (10,381 ft.), and made several photographs from that viewpoint, including one carefully orchestrated view of Davidson and his team posed with their instruments and an observation hut on the craggy summit. Occasional figures appear on ridgelines in the photographs, and tents and wooden huts erected by the survey team are seen in some views.

RB 137502

Image not available

Round Top. / Azimuth from west across chasm. Instruments from left as follows:—Man holding bitimeter rod; Solar Radiator; Plane table; Verticle [sic] Circle House; Prof. Davidson with large Heliotrope; Reconnoitering Telescope; The Odolete House, Azimuth; Refraction Station; Astronomical Observatory. In lower right corner are steps leading to bridge over chasm with life lines

Rare Books

Image size: 14 1/8 x 21 1/8 in. Note: Prof. George Davidson and five other members of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey are positioned with instruments on the summit. Naef no. 863.

137500; 137501; 137502; 137503

Topanga Canyon summit

Visual Materials

Image of automobiles parked at the summit of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Topanga, California, with a view of the San Fernando Valley. A sign at left reads "The summit elevation 1560 ft." and "Drink famous Arrowhead beverages ... Distributed for the same old Schiltz in brown bottles. Arrowhead Springs Co., Los Angeles."

photCL_555_01_1742

Image not available

El Gobernador. Built at S.P.R.R. Shops, Sac., Cal

Rare Books

Image size: 14 1/4 x 21 in. Note: View of men posed with a steam locomotive. Printed on label after title: "Drain of Cylinder, 21 inch. Stroke, 36 inch. Total weight of engine, 73 tons. Weight on drivers, 64 tons. Diam. of drivers, 4 ft., 9 in. Weight of tender, light, 50, 650 lbs. Total length of engine and tender, 65 ft., 5 in. Driving Wheel Base, 19 ft., 7 in. Rigid Wheel Base, 14 ft., 7 in. Water capacity of tender, 3600 gals." The label for this print does not have Watkins' photograph number and none is given in Naef, dated 1887-1889; Green dates 1886-1889 in correspondence June 12, 2019.

137500; 137501; 137502; 137503

Image not available

Central Pacific Railroad and Views Adjacent

Rare Books

This album contains photographs made along the California-Nevada route of the Central Pacific Railroad, from ports in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada mountain passes. The majority of views were made in 1876, with a few made later, approximately 1879-1880s. The album begins with a photograph of a locomotive that has just traveled across the continent and has arrived at the Oakland Long Wharf, followed by scenes of a train and its passengers being transported on a railroad ferry. Other Central Pacific Railroad views depict a massive wooden bridge being built over the American River, with one view prominently featuring Chinese workers hauling rock in wheelbarrows. Trains are shown navigating through a mountain pass at Cape Horn, and railroad workers are seen posed with locomotives. Other scenes on the Central Pacific route include Soda Springs recreation area, with views of Mark Hopkins' cabin, a man and two women under a gazebo, and a croquet game set up in a meadow. There are a series of views of Lake Tahoe, including two hotels with people posed outside; scenic views of the mountains, lake and surroundings from multiple viewpoints; Emerald Bay; Fallen Leaf Lake; boats and docks; and a lumber mill on the shore at Glenbrook. A narrow-gauge lumber railroad is shown in the mountains near Spooner Summit, and there are two bird's-eye-views of the town of Reno, Nevada, that include the train station, buildings and boardwalks. It is unclear whether these photographs were made under commission from the Central Pacific, but many of the 1876 railroad and landscape views were used, uncredited, in the railroad's official guidebook, The Pacific Tourist (Green, p. 323).

137500; 137501; 137502; 137503

Image not available

Carleton E. Watkins Mammoth Plate Photograph Albums

Rare Books

This collection contains four albums of mammoth plate photographs made approximately 1876-1889 by photographer Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916). Prints are mounted on boards and are accompanied by labels with titles, descriptions, and Watkins' imprint. The albums are described briefly here, with expanded descriptions and photograph titles in the contents list: Photographic Views of Kern County, California (39 prints), approximately 1881-1889, focuses on agricultural production in California's Central Valley. Views include crops, details of irrigation dams built on a river, livestock, farm workers in the field, farming company ranch houses, and farm owners. Some views depict everyday farm work, such as men harvesting wheat and alfalfa with the aid of horses, tools, and large machinery. The Central Pacific Railroad and Views Adjacent (48 prints), approximately 1876-1880s, contains photographs of trains, lodging and scenery along the California-Nevada route of the Central Pacific Railroad, from ports in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Summits of the Sierra (41 prints), 1879, contains photographs of the vistas, mountain peaks, lakes, and topography of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Watkins took the photographs in the summer of 1879 while accompanying a government survey team. Arizona and Views Adjacent to the Southern Pacific Railroad (46 prints), 1880, includes views of mining camps, railroad depots, towns, desert landscapes, cactus, and the Spanish colonial mission San Xavier del Bac. There are several views of mines near Tombstone, Arizona, and the railroad bridge spanning the Colorado River at Fort Yuma. Native Americans and others are seen posed with a large steam locomotive in the desert, and there are several views of the ancient stone ruins at Casa Grande.

137500; 137501; 137502; 137503

Summits of the Sierras

Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets

You might also be interested in

Summits of the Sierras

Topanga Canyon summit

El Gobernador. Built at S.P.R.R. Shops, Sac., Cal

Central Pacific Railroad and Views Adjacent

Carleton E. Watkins Mammoth Plate Photograph Albums