Along with William Henry Jackson, Timothy O'Sullivan and other 'frontier' photographers of the 1860s and 1870s, Watkins overcame the difficulties of cumbersome equipment and rough terrain to produce awe-inspiring views of the western American landscape. Accompanying various geological survey expeditions, Watkins photographed throughout California, Oregon and Nevada; in 1890 his images helped persuade Congress to set aside the Yosemite Valley as a national park. In a letter to his wife, Frances, Watkins writes:
Portland, Oregon
September 19, 1882
I never had the time seem so long to me on
any trip that I ever made from home, and I am not
half done my work, in fact barely commenced. It
drags along awful slow, between the smoke and the
rain and the wind, and as if the elements were not
enough to worry me, a spark from a passing engine
set fire to my dark[room] tent last week and burned
it half up, and it was the merest chance that it did
ruin the whole outfit.
I was where I could not see it but some men
working near called out to me and I got to it in time
to prevent it doing any damage except to the tent. It
took a couple of days to repair damages, and of
course money. Talking about money....
From Photography Speaks
By Brooks Johnson, 1989
The Aperture Foundation/The Chrysler Museum,
Norfolk, Virginia
Retriever's notes: For our readers living outside the lovely Pacific Northwest, local residents can attest that little has changed in 113 years.