Rare Books
Summits of the Sierras
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Summits of the Sierras
Rare Books
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.
137500; 137501; 137502; 137503
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[Summit Valley.]
Visual Materials
This collection contains 430 albumen photographs by photographer Carleton E. Watkins that chiefly depict buildings, points of interest, and locales in Northern and Southern California in the 1870s and 1880s, as well as 223 card photographs by photographer Alfred A. Hart documenting the construction of the western half of the transcontinental railroad by the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) in the 1860s, which were later published by Watkins under his own imprint. Images by Watkins depict locations in Arizona and California including: Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, the Mammoth Tree Grove, Paso Robles, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Soda Springs, Wilmington, and Yosemite, as well as views related to the Southern Pacific Railroad and of the Colorado River. There are a few images of Native Americans in Arizona and California, and several images related to trains and railroads. The photographs have been removed from the original album, which is a large leather album with brass bindings (Box 10). There are some handwritten identifications in the album pages, most likely written after if was received by the Library.
photCL 74
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[Lake Mary - Summit.]
Visual Materials
This collection contains 430 albumen photographs by photographer Carleton E. Watkins that chiefly depict buildings, points of interest, and locales in Northern and Southern California in the 1870s and 1880s, as well as 223 card photographs by photographer Alfred A. Hart documenting the construction of the western half of the transcontinental railroad by the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) in the 1860s, which were later published by Watkins under his own imprint. Images by Watkins depict locations in Arizona and California including: Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, the Mammoth Tree Grove, Paso Robles, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Soda Springs, Wilmington, and Yosemite, as well as views related to the Southern Pacific Railroad and of the Colorado River. There are a few images of Native Americans in Arizona and California, and several images related to trains and railroads. The photographs have been removed from the original album, which is a large leather album with brass bindings (Box 10). There are some handwritten identifications in the album pages, most likely written after if was received by the Library.
photCL 74
Photographic Views of Kern County, California
Rare Books
An album of 39 mammoth plate photographs by Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) illustrating the agricultural industry of Kern County, California. The photographs were made by Watkins on multiple trips to the area between 1881 and 1889. The album itself is not dated, but based on the dates of the photographs, it was most likely assembled in the early 1890s. Views include landscapes of agricultural 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. Other photographs of note are a detail view of peaches in a crate, and men posed with a steam locomotive built at the Southern Pacific Railroad Shops in Kern County. The first two photographs in the album are interior views of promotional displays of Kern County produce and grains, exhibited in San Francisco in 1889.
RB 137500
Central Pacific R.R. and views adjacent
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An album of 48 mammoth plate photographs by Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) of scenes 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 birds-eye-views of the town of Reno, Nevada, that include the train station, buildings and boardwalks.
RB 137501
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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