Wonder Places

“THE MOST PERFECT PICTURES OF MAGNIFICIENT SCENES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND ELSEWHERE” [Preface]

“Wonder-Places abound in the fastness [sic] of the Rocky Mountains, where the splintered pinnacles pierce the heavens and abysmal chasms seem to sink to the very foundations of the world. Among such scenes as these, the magicians of the camera, the world-famed artists in scenic photography, have found subjects for immortalizing, and through years of patient search, and by the expenditure of time and money, have accumulated thousands of negative reproducing the magnificence of every known Wonder-Place in this country and Old Mexico…

The beauty which nature presented to their view has been imbued with life, and in the works of art herein presented, were have no stolid, insensate creations of mere technique, but so strong was the artists’ love for these chosen pictures that they won the prize of life for that upon which they had already conferred the crown of beauty.” [Introduction].

This magnificent collection of reproduction photographs was published in Denver by the H.H. Tammen Curio Company in 1896. A brief introduction highlights the precarious efforts of mountain photographers and recognizes three local Native American leaders – Savaro, Ignacio, and Buckskin Charlie – with a brief and sad statement. “The red man will pass into oblivion before many years have flown, but the glory of the scenes they dwelt in will never be eclipsed, and is beautifully reproduced in the series of perfect pictures contained in this volume.”

Immediately following are dozens of spectacular captioned images that show the jagged, snowcapped peaks, rushing waterfalls, dusty trails, and bustling cities across Colorado. Of particular interest are a panorama of Denver, dramatic views of the Garden of the Gods, and a composite of Cripple Creek, ‘Colorado’s Greatest Gold Camp.’ The volume concludes with a table of Valuable Statistics that show the heights of mountain peaks, distances of various cities from Denver, and the proper pronunciation of certain place names.