Visions of America: The Stephen White Collection

"Castle Rock." 1866. 8 1/8 x 6 1/8 in. oval albumen photograph on gilt-ruled 12 x 10 in. mount, with Whitney's Gallery credit and a paper credit label on mount recto, and various period notations, in pencil, on mount verso. Castle Rock was a 45-foot-tall natural sandstone formation located in Castle Rock, MN, approx. 30 miles from St. Paul. Prior to white settlement of the area, the Dakota viewed the natural formation as a place of reverence. This photograph, taken by Joel Whitney around 1866, shows Castle Rock at its best before time and erosion took its toll on the sandstone rock formation.

[With:] View of a dog train, including two Native American men and a child standing near a dog sled. Four dogs are seen tied to the sled. Although captioned "Fort Garry," research indicates that this may have been taken at Pembina, ND. However, it is possible that the dog train had ventured to Pembina by way of the Pembina Trail, which was used by Métis and European settlers throughout the 19th century to travel between Forts Garry and Pembina in what is today Manitoba and North Dakota. 5 3/4 x 8 in. albumen photograph on 6 1/2 x 8 1/4 in. mount. Unmarked, but known to have been taken by Whitney.

Joel Ellis Whitney (1822-1886) is considered Minnesota's finest pioneer photographer. He successfully operated his business in St. Paul during the years 1851-1871, before selling his studio and negatives to Charles Zimmerman, who in turn became the most prominent photographer in the state.