The Daily Mail has published a fascinating series of photographs of the truly Wild West, before it was tamed and settled. They were taken by Timothy O’Sullivan during the 1860’s and 1870’s. Here are a few examples, substantially reduced in size to fit this blog.
The Shoshone Falls on the Snake River in Idaho in 1874
Tents mark the site of Camp Beauty in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, in 1873
Rock formations in what was then known as the Washakie Badlands, Wyoming, in 1872
There are many more (and much larger) images at the link. Highly recommended viewing from both an historical and a photographic perspective.
You can read more about the life and work of Timothy O’Sullivan here. It’s a very interesting story.
Peter
After seeing some of the early settlements with buildings made out of adobe and clay, I thought: "They look familiar".
Then I thought: "They look very much like the Afghanistan villages seen in photographs taken today (2012).