I am a sucker for photos of the old west. This offers a great view of the amazing scenery in the mountains of Colorado. The mountains almost look like a movie set or something man-made. In fact it reminds me a bit of the Thunder Mountain Express ride at Disneyland. Cool photo.

Shorpy :: History in HD – High-Definition Historical Photos

via Cripple Creek Short Line: 1901.

Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell

I really enjoy reading historical books and especially those about the Old West.  Journal of a Trapper is one of my favorite such books.  As the title suggests, this book is the journal of fur trapper Osborne Russell which documents the 9 years he spent in the Rocky Mountains trapping and hunting.  I am envious of those who got to see this region in it’s nearly pristine state and Russell does an excellent job describing the experience.  One amazing passage describes how he had to wait on the trail for a couple of hours while a massive herd of bison migrates in front of him.  Sadly towards the end of his writings he notes the absence of these great herds and how it is less and less common to even see a bison.  I also enjoyed his entries about winter in what is now Ogden, UT and how, when he needed me, he would just hike up to the foothills of the Wasatch mountains and shoot a big horn sheep.  It sounds that they were plentiful in his day and of course now, I doubt there are even any transplanted sheep in the hills above Ogden.  Interestingly, at the time I read this book, I happened to travel to Yellowstone and fished at the site of one of his encampments at the confluence of the Lewis Fork of the Snake River and the Snake River (it was full of whitefish by the way).  It was cool to be standing right where he did some 170 years earlier.

I marvel that hearty souls like Osborne Russel could make a living … Continue Reading

Thanks to Shorpy for posting another great photo of early life in the Rockies.  This time they feature Ouray.  Not much to add here.  Click over for the high resolution version.

Ouray, Colorado: as it once was...and pretty much still is

Here is a current photo of Ouray from roughly the same location.

Click here to find out more about Ouray.

Hopefully you are enjoying the historical photos from Shorpy I have posted the last few days.  If not, you will have to suffer through another. This time the photo features Saltair which is in my neck of the woods and is another by William Henry Jackson.  It captures the beauty of what Saltair used to be.  Back around the turn of the last century, Saltair was the THE place to go for a good time.  It had its own rail line from Salt Lake City and people would spend time swimming, eating, and listening to all the latest bands of the day.  Sort of a land locked Atlantic City boardwalk without the gambling. These days, Saltair is a mockery of its former self.  After the original building burned down a couple of times, it was rebuilt using mostly concrete.  They still do concerts out there, but no one sticks around to swim.  In fact, being on the shore of a brine lake it often smells badly due to the marshy edges.  I have seen a few shows there including the Stone Temple Pilots on their first tour, Shawn Colvin, and Big Head and the Monsters.  Guess I haven’t seen a show there for a while.Here is a link to another cool old photo from the glory days.

Silverton, Colorado - the early years

The folks at Shorpy have posted another cool photo of a Colorado mining town from the turn of the last century.  This time the subject is Silverton.  Having visited Silverton last summer I can say that things don’t look to have changed much except for the addition of paved roads and a bunch of tourists.  While there we parked near the old jail and ate lunch at a former brothel, I promise it is a restaurant now-a-days.  I will say that this photo isn’t as cool as the Eureka one, but still pretty cool.  I imagine those folks in Eureka must have referred to a trip to Silverton as “goin’ to town” if you can imagine that.  If you ever get a chance to drive the road from Durango to Silverton and Ouray, also called the Million Dollar Highway, I highly encourage it.  There are several passes at or near 11,000 feet above sea level.  A visit to wikipedia reveals that “Silverton is one of the highest towns in the United States, at 9,305 feet (2836 m) above sea level.”  Pretty amazing that folks could establish a lasting community in such harsh conditions, that is something to be admired.

Eureka, Colorado - the early years

The historical photo blog Shorpy has a great photo today of the Colorado mining town, Eureka which can be seen here in high resolution Eureka: 1900.  The photo is just really striking.  It is amazing to me to see how people scratched out a life in the rugged west, particularly so high up in the Colorado mountains.  There are some really cool details in the photo, I like the kid in the background wearing the 10 gallon hat.  The four miners in the foreground look like they are in the opening scene of a movie.  I spent some time in Southwestern Colorado last summer and was astounded by the beauty.  I got to Silverton which is near Eureka.  The character of those small mining towns remains.  I thought it was really cool to see how they have preserved their main streets; something we have sadly lost in many of the towns around Utah.

The photo is by renowned photographer William Henry Jackson who was among the first to photo document some of the West’s greatest treasures, especially the greater Yellowstone region including early life in Jackson Hole.

Great photo.