JW Bledsoe, California Photographer

Late 19th and Early 20th Century Photography of the California Wilderness

Category: Vegetation

Relationship between snow melt in the Sierra Nevada and irrigation of cropland.

Summer Scene in the Sierras Back of Reedley, Vinyard Scene near Reedley

Summer Scene in the Sierras Back of Reedley, and Vinyard Scene near Reedley

Diptych image showing water storage in the Sierra Nevada and its role in supplying water to agriculture. Captions read: “Summer scene in the Sierras back of Reedley, showing a part of the water shed of Kings River and the storage of water in the form of snow which, gradually melting, furnishes the water for irrigating a half a million acres in the great San Joaquin Valley,” and; “Vineyard scene near Reedley, showing what the water which falls in the lofty Sierras does when it reaches the plain, transforming a desert into a garden. Photo taken near the High School Building at Reedley.”

Text on photographs reads: “Kaweah [landscape?] Sierra Nevada Range looking East from Alta Meadows. Sequoia National Park as seen July 1, 1907. Copyright J.W. Bledsoe Photo,” and “Smith Ferry Sight, Kings River, Calif., copyright ’07 J.W. Bledsoe Photo.” 

Thanks to Ken Zech I was already familiar with the Smith Ferry image, but I have not seen the Kaweah panorama before. It would be wonderful to find the original! I suspect that this diptych might have been produced for the L.A. Aqueduct project, but have no direct evidence of that.

Photographs by J. W. Bledsoe

Upper photo dated July 1, 1907, lower photo also dated to 1907, but day is not given.

Courtesy Reedley Historical Society, Reedley, California

Original diptych of Sierra and Kings River

Original diptych of Sierra and Kings River

Mountain Scene Alone

Mountain Scene Alone

 

Mt. Whitney

Mount Whitney, California from the Inyo Mountains near Lone Pine, 1913.

Mount Whitney, California, 1913.

Mount Whitney, California, 1913.

Labeled “Mt. Whitney Elev. 14502 Ft” and “Cop’R. 1913 by Bledsoe Photo Co. L.A. CA”.

Photograph by J. W. Bledsoe

Thanks to David Weaver for the scan.

DSC_6974ed

 

DSC_6973-ed

Trees

JW Bledsoe Nr 3a

Road through a redwood grove.

Road through a redwood grove, titled: “Trees” Gods Creation, Redwood Highway, Cal., and #638.

Precise location unknown, date unknown.

Photograph by J. W. Bledsoe.

Thanks to Keith Moore.

Another Yucca

Yucca in bloom, with a man with glasses and hat to left, holding a leaf of the Yucca.

Yucca in bloom, with a man with glasses and hat to left, holding a leaf of the Yucca.

Yucca in bloom, with a man in glasses and a hat to left, holding a leaf of the Yucca. Location unknown, date unknown.

Photograph by J. W. Bledsoe.

Thanks to Keith Moore.

LA Aqueduct Cascades, 1913

Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascade Opening Ceremony, Nov. 5, 1913

Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascade Opening Ceremony, Nov. 5, 1913

Panoramic photo of the opening ceremony (November 5, 1913) for the Los Angeles Aqueduct, held at the Cascades. This is where the modern Interstate 5 crosses Balboa Blvd, around here: Google Map Location

Photograph taken by J.W. Bledsoe. Label on lower left corner reads “Cascades L.A.A. Nov. 5 1913 (c) 1913 by Bledsoe Photo Co.”

Part of the collection of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, this image was stitched together from four photographs of a print.

Victory Boulevard 1915

Victory Boulevard, 1915.

Victory Boulevard, 1915.

Victory Boulevard, 1915. This is now in the heart of greater Los Angeles.

Photograph by J.W. Bledsoe

Image courtesy Jim Smart at CSUSB, from an 8×10 glass plate.

Gerrard Country Club, Dec. 4 1925

scan636 Bledsoe Gerrard County Club Dec 4 1925

Gerrard County Club, Dec 4 1925, by J.W. Bledsoe. Identities of the individuals in the photo are unknown, as is the precise location of the Gerrard Country Club. Any additional information would be welcome.

Image courtesy Jim Smart at CSUSB, from an 8×10 negative.

Arrowhead Springs 1915

scan638 Lake Arrowhead Hotel Bledsoe 1915

 

Arrowhead Springs Hotel, 1915, by JW Bledsoe.  The “arrowhead” landslide for which the region is named is easily visible on the upper left side of the image. This is Arrowhead Springs Hotel #3, it was destroyed by wildfire in 1938 and replaced in 1939 (the 1939 version survives to the present, but is abandoned).

More information on the Hotel is here: https://www.ci.san-bernardino.ca.us/about/history/arrowhead_springs_hotels.asp

And here: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/hotels-arrowhead-112008

Image courtesy Jim Smart at CSUSB, from an 8×10 negative.

Sequoiadendron giganteum in 1890

Men on Sequoiadendron

This is the Boole Tree in Converse Basin Grove, photographed in 1890. To my astonishment, the tree is still alive (in the photo it looks like they are preparing to cut it down). Image in the holdings of the San Joaquin Valley Library.

Yucca in Bloom

Yucca in b.loom

Yucca in Bloom

Yucca in bloom, by JW Bledsoe, year unknown, location unknown.

Skip to toolbar