Hon. Geo. Burt's Traction Engine, Montana

EVELYN CAMERON (1868-1928)

Hon. Geo. Burt's Traction Engine, Montana

1904

The upper-class Cameron and her husband emigrated from Britain to Terry, Montana, in 1889 to try their hand at ranching. Cameron learned photography there and, when ranching proved unprofitable, was able to sell her photographic work locally to make ends meet. State legislator George Burt hired Cameron in 1904 to photograph all aspects of his annual sheep-shearing operations twenty-six miles outside of Terry. Here Burt's newly-acquired steam engine hauls the equivalent of five wagon loads of wool to the railroad depot in Terry, forcefully demonstrating the mechanization of agricultural processes.

Gelatin silver print

Princeton Collections of Western Americana, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Purchase, J. Monroe Thorington Fund.