The Ely miner., 1932-06-03

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49, New Yorker will be setting out upon
III a romantic journey. For William
81 h. Jackson, eighty-nine-y -year-old
pioneer photographer" and at pres
ent research secretary Of the Ore
gon Trail Memorial association, is
going TO back-track on the trail Of
youth. Here is the way he told
about il recently in announcing his
plans:
About the end Of June the SHOWS of the
Rocky mountains viii subside for another season
and the roads will again be passable. Then
will start out on my annual trek over the Old
Trail. You know, l first went over the trail back
in the days OF the Indians and the covered
wagons with my little mule 'Hypo' for company.
III use an auto this trip. 1t won't be much like
an oZ-cart for seeing the country, but it's be
some better than the train. And l guess man
who could 'bullwhack' can handle a steering
wheel on the Old Trail, even if he is close TO
four-score and ten This time shall go alone.
But probably will pick up various friends along
the way folk we have interested in
project Of placing monuments and markers at the
historic spots on the Trail Last year we placed
100 from the Missouri river to the Pacific coast,
and 60 more on the pony express trail of 81"
Indebted as the posterity of America will be
10 this association and its active gray-haired
search secretary for their work in marking his
toric spots on the famous highway Of a west
terity is even more indebted to the work which
William H Jackson did many years ago with his
camera in preserving scenes which soon passed
away forever and for the work which he is
still doing in preserving more Of those scenes
through another medium-that of brush and
canvas.
For it was this same Jackson who took in
Vulnerable photographs in the sixties and seven
ties which are authentic records of past era
in American history, the value of which il Is
almost impossible 10 overestimate. And to sup
plement that work, in recent years he has been
making series of paintings from his notes and
sketches Of that colorful past which are equally
valuable.
jackson was born in Keesville, little town
In the Adirondacks of New York state, in 1S43
The travelling which was to characterize his
whole life started early. for when he was just
one year old his family moved to Georgia. They
soon returned 10 New York but so strong was
the wanderlust which became inbred in young
Jackson that he refused TO go to school after
he had finished the eighth grade. At the age
of fifteen he had only one desire and that
TO draw and paint He came naturally by that
ambition. for his mother landscape artist
and his father an experimenter in the making Of
daguerreotypes, the forerunners Of modern
photography
Various kinds Of picture making occupied my
time for WHILE" says Mr.. Jackson At made
family portraits; painted landscapes on win
dow screens, fashion in those early days; and
painted row of big jars as part Of the scenery
for play about The Forty Thieves of the Old
Arabian Nights. The chief scenic artist for the
local theaters gave approving slap on the
back for my good drawing in this first attempt at
scene painting.
None Of these beginnings brought in much
money but they were good practice. To this hit
and-1niss art training added few months
work IN the studio Of portrait painter which
improved my technique somewhat My ambition
was TO study art for the sake of art, but was
soon forced to turn to the humber work Of
coloring photographs for a more dependable in
come. AT length l found steady work with a
photographer named Mowry in Rutland, Vt Ny
pay was six dollars a week.
~Mowry had recently advanced from making
daguerreotypes TO making tintypes and the pop
ular cartes de viste which were portrait photo
graphs somewhat larger than visiting card.
Now, with my assistance. he undertook the MAX
ing Of oil painting enlargements and I also
helped him in the regular work Of the gallery"
But the opening of the Civil war put an end
to this work and when Lincoln issued his call for
10000 more" Jackson joined the Rutland Light
Guards. later entering Company f. Twelfth yer-
mont Infantry which with other troops became
the Second Vermont Brigade. As soon as Jack
SOP. commander discovered his talent for draw
ing he was detailed to sketch maps of picket
lines along Bull Run so at the age Of nineteen
he held an important and dangerous post in the
Union army After the war was over, Jackson