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Mount Holy Cross White River National Forest ca 1885
Narrow Gauge Railroad Near Silverton CO. 1882
U.S. Capitol 1918
Jackson also went to Mexico. Cathedral de Guadalajara. Late 1800s
And Havana Cuba. Inglaterra Hotel ca. 1900
Jackson then went on a three-year journey working for the World Transportation Commission from 1894-1896. His 900 negatives are now part of the Library of Congress and are available on-line. Here are three of them:
William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) was an exceptional photographer, painter, and explorer. He was the first to photograph the wonders of Yellowstone, which helped to establish that area as a national park in 1872. He was the first person to use a large-format 20 X 24 inch camera in the field. It took up to five men to carry his developing equipment on burros since developing had to be done right after the camera exposed the shot. In 1897 he went to work for Detroit Publishing and donated 10,000 of his negatives The company is now part of the Library of Congress. To know all about Jackson, check out the recently published William Henry Jackson’s Lens by Tim McNeese. It is superbly researched and well written.
Jackson, who owned a studio in Denver, had a particular fondness for Colorado, feeling it exemplified what was happening throughout the West, and, accordingly, he took an abundance of photos there. Here are several sites he photographed:
Brown Palace Hotel
The Brown Palace opened in Denver in 1892. It is the second fireproof building built in the US. The first is the aptly named The Fireproof Building from 1827 in Charleston SC. The first photo is dated ca.1905.
Spanish Peaks
The Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado were a landmark for early travelers on the Santa Fe Trail as the Peaks indicated they were approaching the Rocky Mountains. The first photo is dated ca.1880.
Roxborough Park, near Platte Canyon CO
Roxborough Park is a 4,000-acre state park located twenty miles south of Denver. The first photo is dated ca. 1870. The site is now the Arrowhead Golf Course.
Silverton CO
The first photo is dated ca. 1895.
Castle Geyser Yellowstone National Park
Castle Geyser has the largest cone of all the geysers in Upper Geyser Basin. It erupts every fourteen hours and often reaches 90 ft. The first photo is dated 1871.
The Carnegie library in Denver opened in 1910 thanks to a six-million-dollar donation (today’s $). It operated until 1956 and is now used for offices and special events. The first photo is undated.
Dodge City KS
The Carnegie Library in Dodge City opened in 1907 and served until 1970, after which it housed two restaurants, then three private clubs. It narrowly avoided demolition and is now the Carnegie Center for the Arts. The first photo is undated.
Lewiston ID
Construction began on the Lewiston Carnegie Library in 1905, but quickly incurred financial problems. It finally opened in 1908 and served until 1999. It is now occupied by Children’s House Montessori School. The first photo is dated 1906.
Carnegie Hall
The most famous non-library Carnegie building in the U.S. is the 3,671-seat Carnegie Hall. The world famous concert venue open in 1891, eventually hosting 250 performances annually in its three auditoriums. The first photo shows opening day and the second is undated.
Carnegie Mansion
The 64-room, 56,000 sq.ft. Carnegie Mansion was completed in 1902. It was the first house in the U.S. using a structural steel frame. It was also the first to have central heating and a private elevator. A custom-built railroad supplied the two tons of coal needed every day to heat the home. An extensive garden was planted by the street so passersby could enjoy it. Today it is open, free to the public . The home is now the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The first photo is dated 1901.
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was one of the richest men in American history. He sold his Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan, which became the basis for U.S. Steel. He also endowed Carnegie-Mellon Institute. In the end, he gave away 90% of his six billion dollar fortune to charities and institutions worldwide. However, he is probably best known for Carnegie Hall and the more than 2,500 libraries he funded. Of that total, 1,689 were established in the U.S. in 47 states. Here are a few of them:
Jacksonville FL
Construction began on the Jacksonville library in 1902, and the library opened two years later. The young girl in the first photo dated 1903 is Francesca Perry, who lived an additional 85 years after the photo was taken. The building has been renovated and now houses law offices.
Lusk WY.
There were 16 libraries built between 1899 and 1917, ten of which are still standing although only five are still used as libraries. Lusk WY, opened in 1919, is one of those. The first photo is from the 1920s.
Petosky MI
The Petoskey Carnegie Library was dedicated in 1909. It was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway while he was living in Petoskey in 1919 and is now used for community meetings. The first photo shows the laying of the cornerstone in 1908. The second shows a beer wagon parked in front later that year.
Willits CA.
The Carnegie Library in Willits CA is seen here at its dedication in 1915. Like so many other library districts that outgrew the original building, it has been repurposed, in this case as a public radio station.
Oakland CA
The Margaret Carnegie Library in Oakland CA was named for Andrew Carnegie’s daughter. It is located on the campus of Mills College and is now used for administrative offices. The first photo shows the dedication in 1906.
Watkins Glen State Park is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Although privately owned, the area was opened to the public in 1863. The State took over administration of the 778 acres in 1911. The main attractions are the 400-ft.-deep gorge and 19 waterfalls along a two-mile trail. The first photo of Frowning Cliff is undated.
Jones Beach
Jones Beach State Park is located along the south shore of Long Island NY. There are 65 miles of beach in the 2,400-acre park. It opened in 1929 and now has six-million visitors annually. The two then photos are dated 1930s.
Red Rock Canyon
Located 80 miles east of Bakersfield CA, Red Rock Canyon State Park consists of 27,000 acres of desert ecosystem. It opened in 1968 and is the site of numerous western movies and TV shows. In addition, such blockbuster movies as Battlestar Galactica, Jurassic Park, and Planet of the Apes were made there. The first photo from the 1930s shows The Pillars of Hercules. Note the large rock in the center has eroded some, but is still there.
Spring Mill
Spring Mill State Park is located in southern Indiana near the town of Mitchell. It has about 1,400 acres and opened in the 1920s. However, settlers came to the area in the early 1800s due to the abundant flow of water from nearby springs. Since the water never freezes, a grist mill was built in 1817 and is still operating today. The first photo is undated.
Palisades Interstate Park
Palisades Interstate Park is 12 miles long and a 1/2-mile wide and consists of 2,500 acres along the Hudson River in Bergen County NJ. It has 30 miles of hiking trails and superb views of New York City. At one point, too many quarries threatened the natural setting, so in the 1890s the New Jersey State Federation of Womens Clubs campaigned to protect the area, which succeeded in 1900. In recognition of their efforts, the Womens Federation Monument was erected in 1929. It is seen at the dedication in the first photo.
There are 6,792 state parks in the U.S. The first was Niagara Falls in 1885. California has the most at 270 and Rhode Island the fewest at 15. For August and September, we will visit eight of these parks. The first three show just how diverse state parks can be.
Crowley’s Ridge
Consisting of only 291 acres, Crowley’s Ridge is located in southeast Arkansas. It is one of the six original Arkansas state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the lodge and the Park opened in 1933. The first photo is dated 1948.
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes State Park is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Consisting of 2,182 acres, it is 10 times the size of Crowley’s Ridge. The Park was established in 1925 and should not be confused with Indiana Dunes National Park, which was established in 2019 and occupies a total of 13,000 acres on the east and west sides of the State Park. The first photo shows the parking lot side of the Pavilion in 1935, and the second photo shows the beach side in 1933.
Custer State Park
Custer State Park is located near Deadwood South Dakota. Established in 1912, it consists of 71,000 acres, making it 32 times the size of Indiana Dunes State Park. The current State Game Lodge was built in 1920. It served as the summer White House for Calvin Coolidge. The first photo is undated.
The original Sylvan Lake Lodge was built in 1893 and was destroyed by fire in 1935. It was replaced near the site by the current lodge in 1937. The first photo is dated 1906 and the second is undated.
There is abundant wildlife in the Park that can be viewed from your car on the 18-mile Wildlife Loop. Chances are you will see some of the 1,500 bison; all of the 15 burros will find you.
San Francisco’s cable car system is the last manually operated system in the country. It started in 1873 and is one of only two moving landmarks in the U.S. (St Charles line in New Orleans is the other). The very popular turnaround at Powell and Market is seen here in a photo dated in the 1930s.
Golden Gate Bridge
Another internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. After four years of construction, it opened in 1937 at a cost of $76m (1.7b today) and was under budget and ahead of schedule. The first photo shows opening day.
Lombard Street
Another quintessential San Francisco landmark is Lombard Street. It is one block long yet has eight hairpin turns. Every year, over 2 million people visit it, with up to 17,000 per day in summer. The first photo is dated 1920 and the third is 1922 when it first opened. Note the layered building right of center in the third and fourth photos–the very same curve.
The Presidio
The Presidio was established in 1776 by Spain, then passed to Mexico in 1820, and then became part of the U.S. in 1848. It ceased military operations in 1994 and now is administered by the National Park Service. On its 1,480 acres are 800 buildings ranging from the very historic to the present, e.g. the $300m Lucas Films Corp. headquarters. The first photo shows the Light Battery Full Dress Inspection in 1902. The third photo (courtesy of The Presidio) shows Pershing Hall (formerly bachelor officers quarters) in 1913. It is now a boutique hotel.
San Francisco has 820,000 people in an area of 47 square miles, making it second only to New York City in most densely populated, large U.S. cities. It is first in per capita income and also has a cost of living 170% of the national average and housing cost at 500% of the national average. On the other hand, one would be hard pressed to find a city with more landmarks and attractions. Some of these are:
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park began as 1,000 acres of sand dunes in 1870. Today it has 680 acres of forest, 130 acres of meadows, and 33 lakes. The Park draws more than 26 million visitors per year. The first photo is undated.
Alvord Lake Bridge
The Alvord Lake Bridge is located at the pedestrian entrance to Golden Gate Park. It was built in 1889 and survived the 1906 earthquake largely because it was the first reinforced concrete bridge built in the U.S. The first photo is dated 1890s. In the third photo, note the cave-like effect created by the stalactites, which are concrete!
Alamo Square
Alamo Square is a four-city-block area on a hill overlooking downtown San Francisco. It is famous for a row of Victorian houses known as the Painted Ladies. They face the park and have been featured in numerous movies and TV. The first photo is dated 1906.
Market Street
Market Street has been a main thoroughfare in San Francisco since the days of horse-drawn carts. A two-mile section is now car-free. The first picture is pre-earthquake 1906. It comes from an 8.31 minute film entitled “A Trip Down Market Street” and can be found at the Library of Congress–LOC/gov/item/00694408.
Fairmont Hotel
The Fairmont Hotel is located atop Nob Hill. It opened in 1906 shortly before the earthquake. The structure survived but the ensuing fire totally destroyed the interior. It was rebuilt and re-opened a year later. In addition to being featured in many movies and TV shows, the Fairmont is also where:
the Fairmont chain of hotels began
the first bar in San Francisco opened after repeal of Prohibition
the UN charter was approved in 1945
Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “duh shay”) is located in NE Arizona. It consists of 83 million acres, all owned by the Navajo Tribal Trust. Visitors must be accompanied by a park ranger to access the valley floor. However, most visitors come by car and view the Canyon on the North Rim and South Rim drives. Two of the most viewed sites are White House Ruins and Spider Rock, seen here in 1873 photos by Timothy O’Sullivan.
Heaps Canyon
Heaps Canyon, named for an early settler, is located in Zion National Park, Utah. While the first photo is dated 1871, it was not until 110 years later that the first descent into the Canyon was made! This may be due to the 12-24 hours it takes to make the descent, the last 290 feet of which is free hanging as seen in the third photo.
Sabino Canyon
Sabino Canyon is located in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. It is a desert environment with extremely diverse plant and animal life. Sabino Creek’s headwaters are at 9,000 feet. The boulders in the creek came from an 1887 earthquake in Mexico that sent them tumbling down the shear cliffs into the creek. The first photo is dated late 1800s.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is located near Montrose in western Colorado. The tall, narrow rock walls make for almost constant shadows; hence, the name. The first photo by Timothy O’Sullivan is dated 1871. For much more, see this blog August 2017.
Bronson Canyon is located near L.A. in 4,200-acre Griffith Park–the largest urban wilderness park in the U.S. A stone quarry operation worked in the canyon from 1903 to the 1920s. It left behind a cave, known as Bronson Cave, that attracted early film studios. Filming had to be done at an angle because the cave is not really a cave, just a short tunnel with three openings. Nonetheless, that did not stop it from becoming the Bat Cave! The first photo is dated 1925.
Hundreds of TV shows and movies, mostly westerns and sci-fi, have been filmed there. Here is John Wayne in The Searchers:
and my personal favorite–It Conquered the World.
Boulder Canyon
Boulder Canyon is located eleven miles west of Boulder CO. An easy 100-yard trail leads to 70-foot-high Boulder Falls. In 1914, local banker Charles Buckingham donated the area around the Falls to the City of Boulder. The first photo is dated 1910.
Box Canyon
Box Canyon is located in Ouray CO, 40 miles south of Montrose. It is home to Box Canyon Falls, which cascades 85 feet through the narrow Canyon’s 100-foot walls. The first photo is dated 1901.
Keystone Canyon
Keystone Canyon is located near Valdez, AK. Three miles in length, it is home to 328-foot Horsetail Falls and the spectacular 600-foot Bridal Veil Falls. The first photo is dated early 1900s and the third is ca.1915.
Santa Elena Canyon
Santa Elena Canyon is located on the Rio Grande River in Big Bend National Park, TX. It is eight miles long and 1500 feet deep. The first photo is undated. The middle of the Rio Grande is the border between Mexico on the left and the U.S. on the right in both photos.
Welcome to Then & Now Pics where history comes alive through side-by-side comparisons of old photos of sites with those taken recently. Entries will include Old West towns, National Park lodges, scenic byways, lighthouses, taverns, churches etc. so check back often and see what’s new. We welcome your comments and questions.
