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The Millers Photography Business in Trinidad, Colorado
Richard B. Miller was born in September 1853 in Illinois to Robert B. Miller and Mary Ann Austin Miller. His father was a grocer, and Richard also worked in the grocery business. The 1880 census recorded him as working in the grocery field in Prairie, Illinois, and noted that he was lame from a broken […]
The Final Years of Dana B. Chase’s Career
My last post looked at D. B. Chase’s early career in Trinidad, Colorado, and New Mexico. This post examines the final years of his career. In 1891, Dana B. Chase opened a studio in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Belle. In the capital city, they concentrated on portrait photography, rather than views. They acquired new backgrounds from […]
Dana B. Chase’s Early Career in Trinidad, Colorado
Dana Boardman Chase was born on September 20, 1847, in Waldo, Maine, to John A. Chase and Lydia Sylvester Lane Chase. By 1860, the family was living in Atchison, Kansas, where John A. Chase operated a photography gallery. His son, Henry A. Chase, also practiced photography in that city. Dana most likely learned the trade […]
How to Photograph a Burro
I was on the road last week, visiting a couple of archives in southern Colorado, and thought I would share one of my favorite photographs from the trip. This photo by William E. Hook is from the collections of the Trinidad Carnegie Public Library. It seems the photographer was having trouble getting the burro to […]
Rosa Davis’ Short-Lived Studio In Walsenburg
Rosamund (Rosa) Goerke immigrated to the United States from Prussia in 1876 at the age of twenty. On September 11, 1878, she married Theodore F. Braun, a prosperous assayer and business associate of her brother Paul, in Pueblo, Colorado. In October 1880, after the birth of their first child and while pregnant with their second, […]
A Giant Potato–Was It Real or A Hoax?
A photograph of a giant potato grown in Colorado became an international sensation in the 1890s. It started innocently enough. Joseph B. Swan was a successful potato farmer in southeast Loveland. In October 1894, a committee appointed by the Larimer County Commissioners visited the Swan farm, measured an acre of the land, and watched as […]
A. H. Jones, Grand Junction Photographer
Archie Hull Jones was born in Davenport, Iowa, on March 3, 1873, to Theodore M. Jones, a photographer, and Mary Eliza Rice Jones. The family moved to Moline, Illinois, in the late 1870s, where T. M. Jones continued working as a photographer. A decade later, the Jones family moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. Archie’s […]
Scenes Along the Colorado Midland Railway by J. L. Clinton and W. I. Rudy
The 222-mile Colorado Midland Railway ran between Colorado Springs and Aspen via Leadville, providing access to remote mining areas. The train also offered tourist excursions, often highlighting wildflowers along the route. Completed in 20 months, it was the first train to use standard-gauge rails over the Continental Divide in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Passenger service began […]
Oliver Aultman’s Portrait of a Buffalo Soldier
The Aultman Studio was a fixture in Trinidad, Colorado, for more than 100 years. It was started by Oliver E. Aultman in 1890, and he was later joined by his brother, Otis. After Oliver Aultman’s death in 1954, his son Glen ran the studio until his own death in 2000. The Aultmans produced very artistic […]
Bates & Nye’s Photographs of Women Held Hostage by Native Americans
Tension At White River Reservation In the late 1870s, white settlers began to increasingly populate western Colorado, unsettling the approximately 800 Utes who resided on a reservation in the northwestern part of the state. Ute warriors led raids against the settlers. Their threats and intimidation made national headlines. The government appointed Nathanial Meeker, a journalist […]

Cindy MotZ on How to Photograph a BurroJune 16, 2026
Love this...!
Cindy MotZ on Rosa Davis’ Short-Lived Studio In WalsenburgMay 5, 2026
Very interesting!! A resourceful woman...
19thcenturycoloradophotographers_d5uooh on Scenes Along the Colorado Midland Railway by J. L. Clinton and W. I. RudyMarch 26, 2026
Dear John, Thank you for your e-mail. Several photographers worked for the railroad. If you would like to send me…
John Rogers on Scenes Along the Colorado Midland Railway by J. L. Clinton and W. I. RudyMarch 25, 2026
I have 24 photos from the 1880's-1890's all have the Colorado Midland Railway Pike's Peak Route stamp on back.would these…
19thcenturycoloradophotographers_d5uooh on Researching George Mellen’s Journey to ColoradoNovember 1, 2025
Hi Kathy, I'm co-authoring a longer article about Mellen's stereoviews. I'll let you know what we find out about the…

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