Distinctly Montana Magazine

67 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m T HE WEST!—THAT ROMANTICALLY UNKNOWN REGION BEYOND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. By the beginning of the second half of the nineteenth century, stories filtered back east of mighty moun- tains, expansive plains filled with millions of buffalo, plains Indians that were very dif- ferent to the eastern tribes, and wild, lawless mining towns. All this fed the voracious ap- petite of a populace weary from a long, brutal civil war. One place in particular seemed to capture the national imagination more than others—Yellowstone. Early accounts from trappers and mountain men, such as Jim Bridger, painted a picture of a place so different, so bizarre and ex- treme, that they could scarcely be believed. The government needed to find out what was this vast territory that they controlled, about which little was known for sure. One agency they looked to was the the United States Geo- logical and Geographical Survey of the Terri- tories, established in 1867, the predecessor of today's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). They chose Dr. Ferdinand Hayden as its "geolo- gist-in-charge." Hayden was well educated and trained as a medical doctor. However, prior to the Civ- il War, his interests turned to the new field of geology. By his 1867 appointment, he was already a trusted, veteran survey/expedition leader, and by 1869, he began his summer expeditions into the western territories where he explored and mapped the Colorado Front Range. In 1870, he led an expedition into Wy- oming's Wind River Range and the Henry's Fork region of Idaho. Accompanying him on that trip was a young photographer by the name of William Henry Jackson. Jackson was originally from upstate New York. At an early age his mother taught him how to sketch and paint. He became a prolific sketch artist, sketching everywhere he went, which made for a good companion to the extensive diary he kept. After enlisting in the army during the Civil War, he endeared himself to his platoon mates by providing sketches of them, camp life, and his experiences. He "discovered" photography after the war, working as a pho- to colorer in photography studios in Vermont. However, wan- derlust for the gold fields of Montana finally got the best of him. In 1866 he made his way to Nebraska City, where he signed on as a bullwhacker on a team headed for Vir- ginia City. By Salt Lake City he had changed his mind and now dreamt of the new paradise known as "California," making it to Los Ange- les by the end of January, 1867. But, like for Dust Bowlers who would follow 70 years later, California was not for Jackson the Garden of Eden it had been portrayed to be. Now feeling very homesick, he signed on to another wagon train heading east and ended up in Omaha by August of that year, where he decided to stay and return to photography. His travels had been grueling and at times degrading, but he had learned valuable life skills along the way. One day in the summer of 1870, Hayden ap- peared looking for a photographer to accom- pany him on his next surveying expedition to the wilds of Wyoming. Jackson's wife, Mollie, saw how much her husband wanted to join Hayden, so she offered to look after the busi- ness during the summer months while he was gone. Jackso n would remain a vital member of Hayden's team for the next eight years and Mollie diligently watched over the business in his absences. Two privately funded expeditions ventured into the Yellowstone region in 1869 and 1870. The first was the small prospecting expedition of Cook, Folsom and Peterson, and the next year, a larger one was led by Henry Washburn and Nathaniel Langford, with Lt. Gustavus Doane providing military protection and sup- ported by Helena financier Samual Hauser. The Washburn expedition provided the first "credible" account of the extraordinary fea- tures of Yellowstone. Upon their return, Langford approached the new but respect- ed periodical, Scribner's Monthly, to publish his account of the expedition, "Wonders of Yellowstone." Accompanying the ar- ticle were sketches made by two expedition members, Charles Moore and Walter Trumbull. The sketches were crude, ama- teurish and not up to Scribner's standards. The editor assigned the magazine's well-regarded illustrator to rework the drawings, a gifted artist by the name of Thomas Moran. Moran had led a city life in Philadelphia, but inside he yearned to break out for scenery of greater majesty and gran- deur. For about four weeks in the summer of 1860 (age 23), he had ventured out into the "wilds"—a trip to the Pictured Rocks area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was probably his first by DOUG STEVENS William Jackson Thomas Moran YELLOWSTONE'S PHOTO COLLECTION, NPS

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