Early Photographers

"In the mid-nineteenth century, as the Northwest was poised on the brink of a mass westward migration, a few visionary artists were inspired to begin capturing the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge on film. Their work helped create a mystique surrounding the gorge even before the first roads penetrated the chasm. ... These and other prominent photographers introduced the world to a romantic vision of the gorge even before most Portland residents had seen firsthand the scenic glories of the gorge."

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"In the Columbia River Gorge, interest for exploration expanded in part because of the building of the Columbia River Highway, which began in 1913. Recreational pursuits in northwest Oregon have continued to become focused and energized ever since. First came turn-of-the-century pioneer photographers and explorer geologists of the Gorge, men like Benjamin Gifford, G. M. Weister, the Kister brothers, and Ira A. Williams who reached places that are extremely difficult to access even today."

Olson 1

Carleton E. Watkins

"Photographer Carleton E. Watkins arrived from San Francisco in the 1860s and traveled by steamship up and down the Columbia. Using a small stereo camera and another camera capable of making glass plate negatives, he made some of the earliest images of the gorge, which are still considered among the greatest landscape photographs ever made."

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Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times: Carleton Watkins' really big picture

...a mammoth plate camera, the kind Watkins hauled by mule cart from San Francisco and Sacramento into Yosemite Valley to make his photographs. All told, his equipment weighed close to a ton.

...

In photography's early days, a 1-to-1 ratio described the relationship between a negative and a printed photograph. Watkins wanted his landscapes to rival paintings, which meant they had to be big. Really, really big. His mammoth photographs, some of which you can see framed in the background, are nearly 2 feet on the longest side.

Knight, Christopher. "Carleton Watkins' really big picture." Los Angeles Times. October 13, 2008. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2008/10/carleton-watkin.html. Accessed May 17, 2020.

Sarah Hull Ladd & Lily White

"In the Early 1900s, photographers Sarah Hull Ladd and Lily White, members of wealthy Portland families, lived aboard a large houseboat in the Columbia and made photographs of gorge landscapes filled with soft light, clouds, and dreamy atmosphere. The women also photographed Indians who lived in the gorge. Their photos, used in travel brochures and magazines, attracted some of the first waves of tourists."

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Benjamin Gifford

"Benjamin Gifford, an accomplished photographer, lived in The Dalles in 1897. He took photos of the gorge for railroad murals that were displayed in train stations across the country."

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Past and Present Views Along the Columbia River Highway

Posted by Ben Carscallen (www.bencarscallen.com) on April 15, 2020:

Gifford postcards were the 20s, and the road never had any center lines etc in his photos. Ralph Gifford took over his dad’s business (Benjamin Gifford) in 1920.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/483015922488601/permalink/696490874474437

Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc.

Western Set No. 3

Western Set No. 3 Columbia HighwaySawyer Scenic Photos, Inc. Western Set No. 3 Columbia Highway. Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc, c. 1920.Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Libraryhttp://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3524669

Photos from this set are on the pages for the appropriate locations across the website.

Columbia River Highway Set (1)Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc. Columbia River Highway Set. Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc, c. 1920.Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Libraryhttp://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3524670

Columbia River Highway Set (2)Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc. Columbia River Highway Set. Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc, c. 1920.Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Libraryhttp://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3524670

I've been wrong before, but this looks to me like the old Mt. Hood Highway somewhere around Parkdale rather than the Columbia River Highway... Placed in the collection between Mitchell Point and Inspiration Point, I know where to look for a view like this on the HCRH, but no place comes to mind... Until I can verify the location of this photo, I am going to place it here.

Mt. Hood, Oregon, perpetually snowcapped, elevation 11,225 ftSawyer Scenic Photos, Inc. Mt. Hood, Oregon, Perpetually Snowcapped, Elevation 11,225 Ft. Sawyer Scenic Photos, Inc, c. 1920.Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Libraryhttp://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3524688

Eddy

"Ralph Eddy and his Camera - circa 1914. This self-portrait of a young Ralph Eddy with his glass plate camera was taken about the time he opened his first portrait studio in Oregon City. He went on to a long career in photography, and today is best known for the scenic postcards he created and sold from the 1920s through the 1940s."

Ralph Eddy and his Camera - circa 1914Posted by Old Oregon Photos on February 15, 2020https://www.facebook.com/oldoregonphotos/photos/a.748717045336076/1020840851457026 https://www.oldoregonphotos.com/ralph-eddy-and-his-camera-circa-1914.html

Past and Present Views Along the Columbia River Highway Facebook Group

Post by Ben Carscallen (www.BenCarscallen.com) on February 17, 2020:

One of my favorite photographers who shot throughout the Columbia River Highway, Ralph Eddy. Not only did he photograph the road, but he photographed the newly finished trails that were in the area as well.

Past and Present Views Along the Columbia River Highway Facebook Grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/483015922488601/permalink/717811432342381/

Cross & Dimmitt

PORT ORFORD HISTORICAL PHOTOS: Cross & Dimmit

Arthur B. Cross partnered with Edward L. Dimmitt to sell real photo post cards of the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood and Portland. Cross opened his Electric Studio in Portland in 1909. Dimmitt was born in 1881 in Columbia, Missouri. In 1909, Dimmitt was first listed in the Portland City Directory as a waiter. In 1914, he began working for Cross at the Electric Studio. In 1916, they became partners and named their business Cross & Dimmitt.

Cross & Dimmitt sold post cards off the running boards of their Model T at Crown Point. A set of 20 views, which are fairly common today, sold for $1.

PORT ORFORD HISTORICAL PHOTOS: Cross & Dimmithttps://blog.portorfordhistoricalphotos.org/cross-dimmit