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Photograph Album of Colorado Frontier Towns
photCL 216
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library Photo Archives
Title: Photograph album of Colorado frontier towns
Identifier/Call Number: photCL 216
Physical Description:
1 Volume
(113 photographs)
Date (inclusive): 1860s-1871
Abstract: A photograph album of early Colorado
towns, buildings, scenery, and some carte-de-visite portraits, 1860s-1871.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Photograph album of Colorado frontier towns, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Sotheby's, June 1977.
A photograph album containing 113 images of frontier towns, scenery, and residents of
Colorado, 1860s-1871. The album is inscribed: "Photos brought home from Colorado - U.S. by
J. V. Smedley, May 1871" and contains handwritten captions. Georgetown, Denver, Blackhawk,
and other frontier towns are seen in bird's-eye-views and street scenes, along with some
portraits dating from the 1860s. Views of Denver include the first buildings, streets with
storefronts, and an 1868 photograph by Williams & McDonald of a covered wagon train
lined up in a circle with several teams of horses. Landscape photographs depict the Rocky
Mountains, Garden of the Gods, Pike's Peak, and two images of a farm and small town titled
"Maxwell Land Grant, New Mexico." A few Native Americans are seen in carte-de-visite
portraits captioned: "Spotted Tail, Chief of the Cheyennes"; "Pia, Chief of the Utes, a
notorious scalp taker"; and "Jack & Pop. Utes." Other portraits are identified as
"Mariano Modena - A Mexican"; "Jim Baker"; and "James P. Beckwourth" (a.k.a. Beckwirth,
Beckwith), the African American frontiersman and adventurer.
Processed by Huntington Library staff, circa late-20th century. In 2020, Suzanne Oatey
created a finding aid derived from a collection file.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century
Cheyenne Indians
Frontier and pioneer life --
Colorado
Indians of North America -- West (U.S.)
-- History -- 19th century
Ute Indians
Wagon trains
Colorado -- History
Maxwell Land Grant (N.M. and
Colo.)
Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
Photographs
Photograph albums
Portraits
Beckwourth, James Pierson,
1798-1866
Medina, Mariano,
1812-1878
Williams & McDonald
(Denver, Colo.)