William H. Jackson, born April 4th, 1843. Educated 
in common schools of Troy, N. Y. but left class rooms at an 
early age to enter the studio of a local artist for instruc¬ 
tion in painting. At 17 entered upon a self-sustaining course 
of portrait painting for photographers, finally locating in 
Rutland, Vermont. In 1862 enlisted in the 12th Vermont 
regiment of Inftry of 9 mos. troops and saw active service in 
Northern Virginia and with the Army of the Potomac. Returning 
to Vermont continued painting until 1866 when a journey of 
adventure to the far west was undertaken which included among 
other things the driving of an ox team in an overland freight 
ti'dln from the Missouri to Salt Lake City and then by mule 
train to the Pacific coast near Dos Angeles. The following 
/ 
year a return trip was made by driving a band of horses over 
the deserts and plains to Omaha, Neb. Resumed painting here 
for a while but soon gave it up for out door photography--devoting 
himself chiefly to the scenery along the line of the Union 
Pacific Ry, then under construction across the Continent. 
Success in this undertaking led to his engagement with the 
Hayden Geological Survey of the territories in 1870 as photo¬ 
grapher and to his continuance with that organization until Its 
dissolution in 1879. Noteworthy achievements while with the 
Survey were the series of photographs of the Yellowstone region, 
the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and the Ancient Cliff Dwellers 
Ruins in s.w. Colorado and adjoining territory, field reports 
of which appeared in the publications of the Survey. 
