Photos of the West before it was ‘civilized’

One of many stunning images in this article, taken by Timothy O’Sullivan, which were the first ever captured of the rocky landscapes of the American West. He likely inspired one of my favorite photographers, Ansel Adams. With the state of the environment today it is bittersweet to see the West when it was pristine and unpolluted by the “civilized”.

Photo: Shoshone Falls, Idaho near present-day Twin Falls, Idaho, is 212 feet high, and flows over a rim 1,000 feet wide. it is pictured in 1868. These were some of the first iconic pictures of the western expeditions that O’Sullivan took on the United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel.