INTRODUCTION
By Marian Albright Schenk
FOREWORD
By Dean Knudsen
SECTION 1
Primary Themes of Jackson's Art
SECTION 2
Paintings of the Oregon Trail
SECTION 3
Historic Scenes From the West
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| William Henry Jackson in his element. Here Jackson is photographing E.W. Deming, J. Hare and Stephen Horgan. (SCBL 2700) |
Section 3: Historic Scenes from the West
A LEGENDARY MOUNTAIN
If William Henry Jackson's photographs of Yellowstone established him as a one of America's premier photographers, his photographs of the Mount of the Holy Cross made him a household name. Ever since the early days of the fur trade, stories about a snow-capped Colorado mountain with a huge cross etched in its side circulated throughout the West. Many people claimed to have seen the fabled cross, but proof of its existence was always elusive.
Jackson's instincts told him that if he were able to capture the snowy cross on film that he would be able to sell thousands of prints. Therefore, in 1873, when the U.S. Geological Survey was scheduled to explore and map Colorado, one of Jackson's goals was to find the mythic mountain. On May 14, 1873, the survey's photographic division, led by Jackson, arrived in the survey's headquarters near Denver and received its final instructions. Jackson was to explore the Snowy Range and make his way south to Pikes Peak. From Pikes Peak, they were to cross the Sawatch Range and explore the Elk Mountains.
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| A note on the back of this drawing simply reads, "Camera in High Places." This caption could well be used to describe not only William Henry Jackson's efforts at the Mount of the Holy Cross, but also his career as an explorer and an innovator. (SCBL 52) |
After spending three months photographing the mountains of central Colorado, Jackson finally approached the Elk Mountains, where the Mount of the Holy Cross was reportedly located. On August 23 Jackson began an ascent of Notch Mountain, which he hoped would provide a view of the mountain with a snowy cross. The going was difficult, as all the equipment had to be carried on the men's backs.
As Jackson later told the story:
When prospecting for views it was my custom to keep well ahead of my companions, for in that way they could often be spared the meanderings that I had to make. On this day, as usual, I pushed on ahead, and thus it was that I became the first member of the Survey to sight the cross. Near the top of the ridge I emerged above the timber line and the clouds, and suddenly, as I clambered over a vast mass of jagged rocks, I discovered the great shining cross dead before me, tilted against the mountainside.1
Unfortunately, by the time Jackson and his comrades had all arrived at the summit, there was not enough light to make an exposure. Rather than climb back down and return the next day, they decided to spend the night on the mountain and take the pictures they wanted so desperately in the morning. Without food, coats or blankets, the men returned to the timberline and spent a cold, sleepless the night huddled around a fire—hoping the next day's weather would allow them to successfully photograph the cross.
1. Jackson, Time Exposure, 217.
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| The Mount of the Holy Cross. Signed and undated. 75.0 x 62.0 cm. (SCBL 2130) |
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scbl/knudsen/sec3k.htm Last Updated: 14-Apr-2006 |
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