Life from the Land

Photos of Life from the Land
We have gathered a collection of some of the best and most interesting photos taken during the American frontier days. They are from the National Archives in Washington D.C.
Please browse at your leisure. Meditate on the humble beginnings of the United States of America.
This page is dedicated to showing photos of Life from the Land in the American West

"This picture, taken by [Eadweard] Muybridge, of San Francisco, at Buena Vista Vineyard, Sonoma, California, in the early 1870's, was captioned `Champagne Corking.' It shows a shed where various processes of disgorging, perfecting the fill and recorking were carried on. The man inspecting the labeled bottle is B. E. Auger for many years an officer and trustee of the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society. Wicker baskets shown were woven by Chinese employees of the vineyard society; the finished champagne was packed in them for the market. The box near the disgorging apparatus bears the words, 'National Grape' the name of one of Buena Vista's champagnes. The building at the rear of the shed is the brandy distillery operated in conjunction with the winery." 208-CN-8644 "Interior of Sawtell's Ranch." Men gathered around fireplace, Henry's Lake, Fremont County, Idaho Territory, 1872. By Jackson. 57-HS-950
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"A Montana ranch, comfortable if not elegant, and the home of many well-to-do persons engaged in mining or stock-raising." By Jackson, 1872. 57-HS-15. "Trail of the hide hunters." Buffalo lying dead in the snow, 1872. 79-M-1B-4
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"Rath & Wright's buffalo hide yard in 1878, showing 40,000 buffalo hides, Dodge City, Kansas." 79-M-1B-3 "Irrigation ditch under construction at San Carlos Indian Agency, Arizona-1 886." 111-SC-83712
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"Mormons at Mormon Dairy." Two women and their small children pose before a building at what is now known as Mormon Lake, Ariz. Territory By E. A. Ames, 1887--89. 108-FAA-40B "Some of Aztec's Punchers." Aztec Land & Cattle Company, Holbrook, Arizona Territory By Ames, 1877--89. 106-FAA-92B
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"Lamon's log cabin, the first built in Yosemite Valley, Calif." Their work completed, two men sit on stumps in front of the finished product, ca. 1895. 200-M-15 A family group poses with dog, Indian domestic, and young children outside a log cabin in New Mexico Territory, ca. 1895. 111-SC-89608
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"Cattle Ranch, Graham Co. Ariz." Dude with his lassoed steer ca. 1896--97. 48-RST-3B-1 "Oklahoma Cotton Field." Overseer and Negro cottonpickers, ca. 1897--98. 48-RST-7B-41
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"Cattle Round Up." Close view of a steer downed for branding, ca. 1896--99, Arizona Territory. 48-RST-3B-6 "Residence of G. L. Rule Feb. 18, 1898. Have lived here since Sept. 1893." Family stands in foreground; sod building and cabin in background, Arizona Territory. 48-RST-7B-4
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"Picking cherries on an Oklahoma Fruit Ranch." A baby in a stroller watches the busy family at work, ca. 1900. Copy of halftone. 48-RST-7B-23 "Gathering the Fruits of an Oklahoma Farm--Apples, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Grapes, and Melons." Children at their chores, ca. 1900. 48-RST-7B-28
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Roundup on the Sherman Ranch, Genesee, Kans. Cowboy with lasso readied looks beyond the herd on the open range to his fellow cowpunchers waiting on the horizon, ca. 1902. 165-XS-27 Panoramic view of California wheatfield, windmill, and ranch buildings at foot of mountains. By C. Hart Merriam, 1903. 22-WB-6681
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"Inside view of Cold Springs reservoir." A panoramic view of men at work on the Umatilla reclamation project in Oregon. Horsedrawn carts, a train, and a crane are diverse technological applications in this irrigation project. By William J. Lubkin, September 17, 1907. 115-JAE-239 "Trappers and hunters in the Four Peaks country on Brown's Basin Arizona Territory. Two Crab Tree boys, their father and the dogs and burrows [sic] which they hunt with. Their cabin is located on Long Creek, at the entrance of Hell's Hip Pocket in Brown's Basin, between Four Peaks and Salt River." By Lubkin, January 1908. 115-JAA-2667
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Buffalo grazing near buffalo yards, Wichita National Forest, Oklahoma, March 11, 1908. 95-G-76223 "Turning over first sod on homestead." Sun River Mont. By Lubkin, November 5, 1908. 115-JA~D-176
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