The collection consists of ten
leather-bound albums containing scenic photographs collected by the Burlington
Northern Railroad Company. Locales include Rainier National Park, Mt. Baker,
Lake Chelan, Wenatchee, Yakima, Spokane, North Idaho and the Alaska Panhandle.
The albums also contain photographs related to the apple industry, tourism and
the 1925 National Indian Congress in Spokane, Washington.
Repository:
Museum of History &
Industry Sophie Frye Bass
Library
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Historical Note
The Burlington Northern Railroad was formed in 1970 by the merger of
the Great Northern; the Northern Pacific; the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy;
and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railroads. Many of the photographs in
this collection were taken for and acquired by the Great Northern Railroad
(financed by railroad tycoon James J. Hill) to depict destinations and
industries served by the railroad.
Other Descriptive Information
Fred H. Kiser (1878-1955), a mountain and landscape photographer based
in Portland, was Great Northern's official photographer from 1906-1912. He went
on to launch a studio based at Crater Lake in 1921 and was one of the prominent
scenic photographers of his era.
During this same period Seattle's Asahel Curtis (1874-1947) was busily
documenting the historical events, natural resources and impressive scenery of
the Pacific Northwest. A noted landscape photographer, Curtis was also one of
the founding members of the Mountaineers and was instrumental in the
development of Mt. Rainier National Park.
Asahel was the brother of Edward S. Curtis, who was most renowned for
his numerous portraits of Native Americans. Of note in regards to this
collection is the fact that Asahel documented the 1925 National Indian Congress
in Spokane, including in his coverage not only shots of war dances, night
parades and encampments but also portraits of Native American dignitaries,
mothers with their children, and Princess America (a beauty pageant for young
Native American women) contestants.
Content Description
The collection consists of ten leather-bound albums containing scenic
photographs collected by the Burlington Northern Railroad Company. Locales
include Rainier National Park, Mt. Baker, Lake Chelan, Wenatchee, Yakima,
Spokane, North Idaho and the Alaska Panhandle.
There are ten leather-covered albums, featuring gray or black pages
and bound with metal posts, all containing black and white photographs ranging
from 4x6 in. to 8x10 in. Four of the albums contain work attributed to Fred H.
Kiser (1878-1955) and the Kiser Photo Co. of Portland, Oregon. These albums
have gold lettering on the spines spelling out "Kiser," and then the studio's
number for the album (10, 15, 27 and 28 in this case). The photographs are of
various scenic locales throughout the Pacific Northwest (for instance, Mt.
Rainier, Mt. Baker, Mt. St. Helens and Lake Chelan) and are hand-captioned in
white lettering. The six remaining albums contain photographs by Asahel Curtis,
Ranapar Studios and Rolphe Dauphin. Images include the 1925 National Indian
Congress in Spokane, Wenatchee and Yakima valley orchards, individual apple
specimens, tourist expeditions to coastal Alaska on board the S.S. Aleutian and
the S.S. Yukon, and scenic locales of the Northwest, including Mt. Rainier
National Park, the Naches River, Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and the
Olympic Peninsula.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
Restrictions on Use :
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in
the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research,
publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI
before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to
all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may
require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation :
The Burlington Northern Railroad Photograph Albums, Museum of History
& Industry, Seattle
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information :
Donated by the Burlington Northern Railroad Company in 1984.
Processing Note :
Removed and foldered loose photographs; transcribed captions on
folders where caption was still glued to the page but the photo had come
loose.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Box
1
1984.84.1: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Fred H. Kiser or the
Kiser Photograph Co.
Photographic subjects include Lake Chelan, the Hotel Field,
glaciers, Bridge Creek, Mt. Sahale, Doubtful Lake, Horseshoe Basin, Whistler
Mts., Rainbow Falls, Rainy Lake, the Stehekin River, and Chelan Canyon.
Embossed spine reads "Kiser 10."
circa 1909
1
1984.84.2: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Fred H. Kiser or the
Kiser Photographic Co.
Subjects include Mt. Baker, Roosevelt Glacier, Twin Lakes, Mt.
Shuksan, Deming Glacier, the Skykomish River, crevasses and the 1909 Mazamas
Expedition (Mazamas being the name of a mountaineering group from Oregon).
Embossed spine reads "Kiser 15."
1909
1
1984.84.3: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Fred H. Kiser or the
Kiser Photographic Co.
Subjects include a 45-year-old apple tree, a panoramic view of
Wenatchee, shots of commercial orchards, an Epsom salt-producing lake near
Oroville, the Smilakameen River, Osoyoos Lake, and Pogues Flat. Embossed spine
reads "Kiser 27."
1910
1
1984.84.4: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Fred H. Kiser or the
Kiser Photographic Co.
Subjects include the Columbia River between Wenatchee and Chelan
Falls, the Wenatchee River, individual ranches and orchards, peach trees, apple
blossoms, peach blossoms, apple packing sheds and specimens of specific apple
varieties (including Black Arkansas, Delaware Red, Spitzenberg, Winter Banana,
Winesap, and Ben Davis). Embossed spine reads "Kiser 28."
1910
2
1984.84.5: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Asahel Curtis and
Ranapar Studios.
Subjects include scenic views of Mt. Rainier peaks, roads and
native plants, Nisqually Glacier, Paradise Inn, the National Park Inn at
Longmire Springs, hiking parties, and wildlife (deer, bears) interacting with
visitors. There are also photographs intended to convey the playful side of Mt.
Rainier, including images of "alpine nymphs" dancing in a meadow; "nature
coasting," in which participants wore tin breeches and scooted down icy hills,
and skiing and sledding in bathing suits and other summer attire. Tag on spine
reads "Rainier Park Photos from Rainier National Park Co."
circa 1923
2
1984.84.6: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Asahel Curtis.
Subjects include the Naches River, the Naches Highway, White
River, Yakima River, Tipsoo Lake, State Road #5, Naches Peak at Chinook Pass, a
Douglas fir measuring 383 in. in diameter, the Honorable Stephen T. Mather in
Rainier National Park, several shots of downtown Yakima, Emmons Glacier and
early 20th century landscape painter Sydney Lawrence at Mt. Rainier.
circa 1923
2
1984.84.7: Photograph Album
Asahel Curtis photographed the 1925 Northwest Indian Congress in
Spokane. Images include an encampment of teepees in Glover Stadium (present-day
Peaceful Valley), teepees alongside the Spokane River with the Monroe Street
Bridge in the distance, many group shots of Princess America contestants,
including Alice Garry (daughter of Chief Spokane Garry), Jane Eaglefeather, and
Margaret and Annie Moses. There are also photographs from the Masonic Temple of
Congress meetings involving representatives from the Nez Perce, Colville,
Blackfoot, Flathead, Coeur d'Alene and Spokane tribes, and several shots of
Teepees arranged along Riverside in front of the Spokane Club and the Masonic
Temple. Curtis also photographed visiting dignitaries and chiefs at the
Davenport Hotel, and captured several images of young Indian families or
mothers with babies. Finally, Curtis documented the crowning of the first
Princess America, Alice Garry, at Glover Stadium.
1925
2
1984.84.8: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Asahel Curtis.
Subjects are scenes of the Inland Northwest region, including
Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Images include Lake Coeur d'Alene and Wolf
Lodge Bay, Rock Lake, Mt. Spokane, regional family farms, threshing wheat at
Rathdrum, Id., Newman Lake, Reardan, Wash., and an expedition of local
businessmen and civic leaders (including Louis Davenport and William H. Cowles)
to Mt. Spokane to survey the area for a potential state park site. There is
also one photograph of Mt. Rainier and the "Columbus Tree," a large, 400 year
old Douglas Fir.
circa 1925
2
1984.84.9: Photograph Album
Images photographed by
Asahel Curtis.
This album contains photographs of the Inland Northwest region,
including Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Spokane area images include
Rimrock Drive, Manito Park, Downriver Dam, the Washington Water Power dam on
the Spokane River, the William H. Cowles Residence, Hutton Settlement, Loon
Lake, the Little Spokane River, strawberry farms in Greenacres, irrigation
pipes in the Spokane Valley. North Idaho images include the Albeni Falls on the
Pend Oreille River, sunset views of the Pend Oreille River, Bead Lake, Spirit
Lake and Lake Coeur d'Alene.
circa 1925
3
Loose photographs removed from
Albums 1984.84.5-1984.84.9
4
1984.84.10: Photograph Album
Most images photographed by
Rolphe Dauphin, several by
Asahel Curtis.
Album chronicles cruise boat trips from Seattle to Alaska, circa
1930. Ships include the S.S. Aleutian, the S.S. Yukon and the S.S.
Northwestern. Photographs document shipboard activities like deck tennis, deck
golf and shuffleboard. Alaska photos include totem poles in Sitka and
Ketchikan, Native Americans drying fish, and visitors interacting with
villagers and panning for gold. The latter part of the album contains
photographs by Asahel Curtis of the Olympic Peninsula, including La Cross, the
Elwha River, Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery.
circa 1930
Subjects
Corporate Names :
Burlington
Northern Railroad Company--Photographs
Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company--Photographs
Great
Northern Railroad Company (U.S.)--Photographs
Spokane,
Portland and Seattle Railway --Photographs
Geographical Names :
Baker,
Mount (Wash.)-- Photographs
Idaho
Panhandle (Idaho) -- Photographs
Ketchikan
(Alaska) --Photographs
Rainier,
Mount (Wash.) -- Photographs
Sitka
(Alaska) --Photographs
Spokane
(Wash.) --Photographs
Wenatchee
(Wash.) --Photographs
Yakima
(Wash.) --Photographs
Form or Genre Terms :
Panoramic
photographs
Photograph
Albums
Photographic
prints
Subject Terms :
Mount Rainier National Park
(Wash) --Photographs
Railroad Companies--
Washington (State) --Photographs
