Collection 2324 - H.B. Calfee Stereographs of Yellowstone National Park, ca. 1875-1880

Creator: Calfee, H. B. (Henry Bird), b. 1848

Provenance Note: Original stereograph prints created by Henry B. Calfee were purchased by Special Collections from Susan and Jack Davis of Bozeman, Montana on February 23 and March 30, 1995.

Historical Note: Henry Bird Calfee was a native of Arkansas and was born January 3, 1848. His boyhood was spent in the southern and eastern states. He came to Montana territory in 1867 where he worked as a painter and prospector for several years. Calfee first settled in Bozeman, but by 1885 he was living in Missoula where he remained the rest of his life. He first began taking photographs in Yellowstone during the 1870s and then marketed the images nationwide. Calfee also toured the country giving illustrated lectures on the park with the assistance of lantern slides.

Content Description Note: The stereographs in this collection are, with one exception, views of Yellowstone National Park showing natural features such as geysers, rock formations, and watercourses. The stereographs have been divided into three series. "The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park," are images Calfee produced while also promoting his magic lantern lectures and are identified as such by his stamp on the green colored mounting of each image. "Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park," are perhaps Calfee's earliest images, made while he still resided in Bozeman. These images are mounted on yellow board which also bears Calfee's stamp on the verso, or another identifying the firm as "Calfee and Catlin." The final series of stereographs are not stamped and mounted on orange or beige colored mounts and have been attributed to Calfee. Calfee numbered the images in the first two groups, and the stereographs appear to have retained the same numbers in both with the exception of numbers 66 and 76. The titles of the last group were taken from the information handwritten on the mounts and bear no numbers at all.

Contents

Series 1	"The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park"
Series 2	"Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park"
Series 3	Unmarked Calfee stereographs

Series 1: "The Enchanted Land; or, Wonders of the Yellowstone National Park"

Stereograph images of natural features taken by Calfee. Titles were taken from information included on the mounts, and the numbers preceding the titles are those assigned by Calfee.

Box 1

#5. Crystal Forest

#7. Liberty Cap 47 feet high

#11. Scrollwork in Bottom of Periodical Lake

#14. Cove Spring

#15. Stairway up Debri Hill

#24. Coral Pools

#39. Pearl Pool, Mammoth Springs

#41. Cascade West Fork of Gardiner River

#46. Looking down Gardiner Canyon

#49. Petrified Tree

#55. Tower Fall 128 ft.

#56. Looking over Tower Fall

#57. Tower Rocks

#59. Upper Fall of Yellowstone from Lower Fall

#60. Crystal Cascade

#63. Upper Terrace pools Hot Springs

#66. Eagle Cliff from Lovers Leap

#73. Section of Upper Fall Yellowstone

#76. Old Faithful Geyser

#80. Old Faithful Geyser

#83. Craters of the Tree Jokers

#84. Crater of Giantess Geyser

#89. Bee Hive Geyser

#90. Fountain Geyser

#94. Section of Crater of the Castle Geyser

#95. Giantess Group of Geysers

#104. Morning View in the Geyser Basin

#105. Monument Park

#108. Fire Hole Falls

#109. Crater of Giant Geyser

#127. Annies Lake and Pyramid Mountain reflected

#134. Hermit Mountain Perpetual Snow Arches

#148. Summer in the Rocky Mountains

#149. Fishing in the Park

#164. Camel Cliff Hoodoo Basin

#167. Leaf formation in Bottom of Periodical Lake

#173. Hoodoo Sentinel

#177. Pluto's Terraces

#202. Giantess Geyser

#206. Grand Canyon

#209. Grand Canyon from the Falls

#211. Great Falls from Red Butte

#215. Dismal view, Looking in Grand Canyon

#220. Great Falls near view

#234. Mt' Sheridan Reflected

#237. Boulder Falls, Tower Creek

#275. Pluto's Bath Tub

Contents | Special Collections

Series 2: "Views of the Wonderland; or, Yellowstone National Park"

Stereograph images of natural features taken by Calfee. Titles were taken from information included on the mounts, and the numbers preceding the titles are those assigned by Calfee. The last three images have no assigned number, but still bear the Calfee stamp.

Box 1 (cont.)

#28. Grotto in the Glen, Mammoth Springs

#55. Tower Falls, 220 feet high

#66. Scene on the Yellowstone

#67. Yellowstone Canyon

#76. Old Faithful Geyser, in Eruption

#89. Bee Hive Geyser in action

#94. Section of the Crater of Castle Geyser

#104. Morning View in the Upper Geyser Basin

#107. Fire Hole River, and Crater of Riverside

#119. Fairies' Falls, on Specimen Creek

#127. Annie's Lake

#128. A View on Lake Agnes

#148. Summer in the Rocky Mountains

unm. Lower Basins East Side Mammoth Springs

unm. View on Soda Creek

unm. Twin towers

Contents | Special Collections

Series 3: Unmarked Calfee stereographs

Stereographs on orange or beige unmarked mounts attributed to Calfee. Titles taken from handwritten notations on the mounts.

Box 2

The Spring in Yellowstone Lake

Upper Falls

Cone of the Grotto Geyser

Mammoth Hot Springs

Group of Geysers take from Old Faithful Geyser Basin

Bee Hive Geyser

Mammoth Hot Springs

Old Faithful

Boiling Pool in Yellowstone Lake

Bath Pools of Diana, Mammoth Hot Springs

Grand Geyser

Natural Bridge

Cone of River Side Geyser

Tower Creek Falls

Mammoth Hot Springs

Giant Geyser in action

Corinthian Bath Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs

Egyptian Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs

Castle Geyser in action

Geyser Basin

Canon Fire Hole River

Coral Bath Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs

Liberty Cap

Gibbon River Falls

Uncle Sams Wash Bowl

Rapids on the Yellowstone above the falls

Unmarked beige mounts

Chinese Pools, Mammoth Hot Springs

Crater of Beehive Geyser

Nelson Story Residence, Bozeman, MT

Contents | Special Collections

Updated: 5/28/09