A Southwest Photographic Expedition, 1898-99

from Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, Number 3, 1966

Utah Labor Before Statehood

A Southwest Photographic Expedition, 1898-99

by Kathryn D. Groesbeck

During the time from July 27, 1898, until July 10, 1899—when automobiles, superhighways, and tourism belonged to the remote future — Thomas E. Hinshaw and Orson Pratt Huish, early Utah photographers, and Mr. Huish's 10-year-old son Dave wound their way from Payson, through other parts of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona on a commercial photographing tour. They drove a span of horses hitched to a small wagon carrying not only the photographers themselves and Dave, but all their photographic supplies, food, clothing, tents, bedding, Mr. Huish's cornet, and Mr. Hinshaw's violin. Attached to the side of the wagon was a barrel of valuable drinking water, replenished, wherever possible, with good water.

Up and down canyons, through sagebrush and cactus, down river valleys, over mountains on gutted dugways, and along rutted roads to ranches and towns they traveled, moving at a snail's pace, for the wagon was no gasoline-powered means of locomotion. Everything was new to these travelers, and they photographed everything they thought might be of interest to others in these faraway places — faraway they were as measured by wagon travel of 1898-99.

Their route was not an ordinary one. First up Spanish Fork Canyon to Clinton and Indianola, on to Gunnison, and next through Salina Canyon the wagon worked its leisurely way. August 16 came before the group reached Green River, there to be ferried across. At their camp near Thompson, Utah, they had to wait 10 days for additional photographic supplies to arrive.

The wanderers' route took them to the Grand River, the La Sal Mountains, and Geyser Creek (where Dave and Mr. Hinshaw caught frogs for dinner), then into Colorado — Paradox, Dry Creek, Shenandoah, lumber camps of the Dolores area, and Pagosa Springs. By October 30 they reached Albuquerque. January found them in San Marcial, New Mexico, which Dave remembers well for it was there one of the horses, Ol'June, "took sick."

They visited Cochillo, Los Palomas, Hillsboro, and Santa Rita. Their gallery was set up in these places, as well as in all others where they stopped, for the business of taking pictures.

When June and July arrived, a year had passed and the trio were in Arizona, still busily working at their job to catch the West with their camera. After Clifton, Fort Carlis, and Globe, Arizona, were visited, Huish and Hinshaw had a photo-history of what they believed people would like to see. In addition they had left along their route portrait work which they had finished inside their mobile photo-gallery.

The whole, unusual journey held fascination and interest for these three, whether their way led into villages, ranches, lumber camps of Colorado, adobe Indian and Mexican villages of the Southwest, old Santa Fe, canyons, churches, people, or Indian ceremonials. Occasionally they photographed scenes depicting their mode of living and traveling and showing the seemingly impossible obstacles in their path. Pictures of their gallery were taken at various places where they were photographed with Mr. Huish's Century portrait camera and stereoscopic camera for the business of inside photography.

Woven into their pictures is the history of transportation, road building, river crossing, Indian culture, timber and lumbering, dress styles, photography, and even medicine — for their pictures show life truly as it was. Huish and Hinshaw's detailed ledger — pertaining to their business affairs, personal expenses, and places where they set up their gallery for business — has been preserved. Dave Huish has it in his possession as well as the still usable old Century camera of his father's. He displays this antique instrument along with his ultra-modern photographic equipment in his drugstore at Roosevelt, Utah.

Wagon travel was not easy for this touring trio. They were ferried across the Green River where there were no bridges for wagons and traversed roads that had begun as burro trails to hill country, often finding them so steep it was necessary to use a juniper log as a drag to hold the wagon back with its load. Much of the country was rough, vast, wild, inhospitable, and lonely.

Sometimes, in towns where the gallery was set up for business, Dave sought customers of his own and took pictures with his small camera. He once photographed two ladies on a burro. Another time he photographed some miners and later an Indian bread oven. When he sold his pictures, he had $25.00 — a fortune for a boy of his years. With so much money in his purse, he was ready to quit photography, seek a quiet fishing hole, and sit out the rest of his days. However, this was not to be — Dave became a druggist with photography his main hobby.

On the Southwest trek, wind and other elements often gave the three travelers much trouble. In Black Cut the wind, ever restless, blew so hard it threatened disaster. Only by stacking their priceless equipment and taking down their gallery were they able to save them from destruction.

Finding good drinking water, too, was often difficult. Yet they managed to keep plenty in their barrel, boiling that portion used for drinking and using any other sparingly. All welcomed the luxury of a river bath.

Collecting pay for photographs was sometimes impossible. On one occasion they were hired to photograph two miles of pipeline at various points in a canyon. They were never able to collect for this service. The preserved stereoscopic views of this pipeline are excellent.

The ledger indicates that occasionally the two men supplemented their income by playing for dances at $1.50 per evening — Mr. Hinshaw on his violin and Mr. Huish on his horn. The latter even marched with bands during celebrations, adding his music to that of the other players. Though the trio's income was not large, they never were discouraged. They enjoyed their work and travels.

Dave has returned many times to the picturesque country he first visited, following whenever possible the route he traversed in 1898-99. And always he takes pictures, excellent colored pictures for his stereoscopes. Occasionally Dave gets out the old ledger and his many photographs, two large boxes filled with almost 500 stereoscopic views made years ago. He delights in showing the photographs to anyone interested. He reminisces about the 64 stereographs still in his possession of the trip in 1898-99. The Huish and Hinshaw scenes of the West were popular at the turn of the century, and they enjoyed a tremendous sale.

Dave recalls the time his father spent 50 cents for his son's smallpox vaccination in Santa Fe when he learned there were cases of it in the area, and the time he bought him a hat for 5 cents. The entire expenditure for the year and two weeks of travel amounted to $35.85.

At the end of their journey, the two photographers sold the tent, team, and wagon at Clifton, Arizona. They hired a man to take them to Globe with their heavy, valuable photographic equipment. The trio checked their light-weight bags of clothing, as excess baggage had to be paid for, and with their pictures, plates, and cameras they boarded a train for Payson.

Now there are smooth-riding highways where once rutted trails marked the way. Building booms and housing projects have come. Steel bridges span the rivers. Indians are "civilized," and tourism is changing the land. The world as Dave viewed it in 1898-99 seems distant and unreal, but nothing can change the memories of his boyhood trek or his desire to return again to the places he visited during that unforgettable year.

JOURNAL OF COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR*