Buildings of Sutro Tunnel 1875

Carleton E. Watkins, a prominent American photographer known for his landscape documentation of the American West, captured the stark beauty of the Sutro Tunnel construction in this 1875 photograph. The image showcases the tunnel's buildings nestled amongst the dry landscape, with a mountain range rising in the distance. Watkins, using a large-format camera and wet collodion process, created a detailed image highlighting the scale of the project and the rugged environment in which it was built. This photograph serves as a valuable historical document of the engineering advancements and westward expansion of the late 19th century.