Winkels in Corinne, Utah 1868

This albumen silver print of shops in Corinne, Utah, was created by William Henry Jackson during the expansion of the American West. Jackson, who participated in several geological surveys, offers us a glimpse of this boomtown that was nicknamed ‘the Burg on the Bear’. Corinne emerged in 1869 as a non-Mormon settlement strategically positioned along the transcontinental railroad. Notice the hustle and bustle; a deliberate contrast to Salt Lake City. Jackson presents a narrative of a lawless, commercial hub fueled by railway workers, miners, and merchants. Yet, this perspective obscures the experiences of the Indigenous peoples whose land was being encroached upon. This photograph complicates the romanticized notion of the West, urging us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are silenced in the grand narrative of American expansion. What remains, is an evocative picture of a town and its residents during a pivotal moment in American history.