William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Item set

Title: William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection
Description: Capturing the rich history of the early twentieth century, the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection (Identification #96-07-08) highlights well-known landmarks, historic events, and scenic vistas from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, from the Deep South to Canada, and from Mexico to Cuba. Scenes across the Golden State are captured in stunning shots from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and the Central Coast to Southern California cities. The collection features nearly 3,000 photographs taken by native Californians William M. and Grace McCarthy from approximately 1905 to 1938. The McCarthys traveled extensively during the early years of automobile travel, as newly constructed highways connected people and places throughout the United States and beyond, providing pictorial documentation of a pivotal period in our nation's history.

William M. McCarthy (1876 – 1956) and Grace C. Kane (1878 – 1957) wed in the early 1900s and lived in San Francisco for most of their lives where William was stationed as an armament expert for the U.S. War Department. The collection features photographs of the McCarthys' travels, as well as the many family members and friends they encountered along the way. Always ready with his camera, William McCarthy also captured remarkable images of significant events, including shots of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake, the fire that destroyed that city's iconic Cliff House in 1907, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and their 1938 journey into Mexico along the newly constructed Pan American Highway. The original black and white photographs, mounted in eleven albums, make up one of the few private collections preserved by the California State Archives. The entire collection was digitized by the State Archives' curatorial staff.

To request a high-resolution scan of one or more of these images, contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246. Please include the Title or Identifier for each photograph in which you are interested, as well as the desired format (tiff, jpg, pdf) and resolution (DPI) for the requested scan. Duplication fees will apply.

DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the creators of the materials presented (William and Grace McCarthy) are theirs alone. As noted in image descriptions, certain photographs are restricted or have been cropped due to sensitive content deemed unsuitable for online distribution.
Date: 1905-1938
Contributor: Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996.
Creator: William M. McCarthy
Publisher: California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Rights: The California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State’s Office, owns the copyright to the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection. The images and content may be used for personal use, research, or educational purposes. For any use of these materials, please credit the “California State Archives, William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection, Identification #96-07-08.” Commercial use or distribution of the images or content is not permitted without prior written permission from the California State Archives. Please note that the materials contained in this collection may include copyrighted material (such as postcards) not held by the California State Archives. Additionally, other limitations, such as the right of publicity, may limit use of the materials in this collection.

For more information about the copyrights related to this collection or to request permission to use the digital images or content, please contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246.
Identifier: Collection ID#96-07-08

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McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 219
Caption: "Saanich Inlet- View from Malahat Drive, near Victoria," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 218a
No Caption: A "Follow the Birds to Victoria, B.C." sticker, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 218
Caption: "Totem Poles Stanley Park - Vancouver, B.C." c. 1935, shows William and Grace McCarthy posing before several large totem poles in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 217
Caption: "Totem Poles Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C." c. 1935, shows Grace and William McCarthy standing before several large totem poles in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 216
Caption: "Vancouver, B.C. Left, Vancouver Hotel, center, Canadian National Hotel," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 215
Caption: "The harbor of Vancouver, B.C." c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 214
Caption: "Canadian National R.R. Depot, Vancouver, B.C. Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 213
Caption: "Puget Sound, Seattle to Bellingham Highway," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 212
Caption: "Aurora Ave. Boulevard and Bridge, Seattle, Wash.," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 211
No Caption: A view of buildings and ferry at Grand Trunk Pacific pier along the Seattle waterfront, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 210
No Caption: The Smith Tower, named after it builder, industrialist and typewriter magnate, Lyman Cornelius Smith, opened in 1914. At 38 floors, the Smith Tower was the first skyscraper in Seattle and the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 209
Caption: "Seattle totem pole. Seattle Population 375,000," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 208
No Caption: Seattle street scene, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 207
Caption: "Keechelus Lake - Snoqualmie National Forest Highway," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 206
Caption: "Parson's Gap, Windermere Sinclair Canyon - B.C. Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 205
Caption: "Boundary monument and division line. Banff Natl. Park, Alberta, and Kootenay Natl. Park, B.C., Canada," c. 1935, shows Grace McCarthy standing by the monument and dividing line between the national parks in Alberta and British Columbia.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 204
Caption: "Emerald Lake - Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 203
Caption: "Takakkaw Falls 3500 ft. high. Yoho National Park, Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 202
Caption: "Emerald Lake and Emerald Mountain, elev. 8352 ft. Canada," c. 1935, located in Yoho National Park, British Columbia.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 201
Caption: "Natural Bridge - Kicking Horse River - Yoho National Park, B.C., Canada," c. 1935, shows Grace and William McCarthy standing on the bridge over the Kicking Horse River.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 200
Caption: "Yoho National Park - British Columbia, Canada. Switchback in the highway. 200 ft. climb in 1/3 mile," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 199
Caption: "Kicking Horse River Highway - Yoho National Park. British Columbia, Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 198
Caption: "The Monarch Lead, Zinc, and Silver Mine - B.C. Canada. The workmen change shifts by crossing a deep canyon in the buckets that are used to transport the ore from the mine to the rock crushers. Note the arrows indicating mine operations on the cliff," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 197
Caption: "Cathedral Mountain - Yoho National Park - B.C. Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 196
Caption: "Kicking Horse Pass or Great Divide - Line dividing Banff Natl. Park, Alberta and Yoho Natl. Park, B.C.. Alt. 5332 FT. July," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 195
Caption: "Lake Louise Chateau - Alberta, Canada," c. 1935 shows the luxury hotel, originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a base for outdoor enthusiasts in 1890. The hotel is located in Banff National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 194
Caption: 'Victoria Glaciers above Lake Louise - Alberta, Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 193
Caption: "Lake Louise - View from the Chateau - Alberta, Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 192
Caption: "Lake Louise Chateau - Canada," c. 1935 shows the luxury hotel, originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a base for outdoor enthusiasts in 1890. The hotel is located in Banff National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 191
Caption: "Victoria Glaciers at Lake Louise - Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 190
Caption: "Victoria Glaciers at Lake Louise - Alberta, Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 189
Caption: "Lake Louise - Alberta, Canada," c. 1935, shows the luxury Chateau Lake Louise Hotel in the distance.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 188
Caption: "Lake Louise - Victoria Glaciers in the distance," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 187
Caption: "Lake Louise - view from Chateau - Alberta, Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 186
Caption: "Cascade Mountain Elev. 9840 ft. Entering Banff from the west - Alberta, CA.," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 185
Caption: "The Beautiful C.P.R.R. Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, CA.," c. 1935. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway at the instigation of its president, William Cornelius Van Horne, the luxury Banff Springs Hotel originally opened in 1888 to welcome visitors travelling on the railway. The hotel was renovated and expanded through the years and today is a National Historic Site of Canada, located in Banff National Park, Canada's first National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 184
Caption: "In the Banff Springs Hotel Grounds, Banff, Canada," c. 1935, shows William and Grace McCarthy sitting near a fountain on the grounds of the hotel.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 183
Caption: "Eighth Avenue - Calgary - Alberta -Canada," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 182a
No Caption: A Canadian Pacific Banff Springs Hotel sticker, from the McCarthy's' trip to western Canada, 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 182
Caption: "Indians of the Blood Tribe - Alberta, Canada. The Grandfather, and his son, with six children and wife," c. 1935, shows the Blood Indian family riding in a horse-drawn wagon.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 181
Caption: "Grinnell Glacier - A solid mountain of ice and snow. A close up view of the Garden Wall, Glacier National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 180
Caption: "Grinnell Glacier - Glacier National Park. Method of observing one of the many deep crevasses on Grinnell Glacier. Your life depends on the man on the other end of the rope." c. 1935. William McCarthy tied to a rope and looking into a crevasse on Grinnell Glacier.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 179
Caption: "On Grinnell Glacier. The solid mountain of ice and snow - Glacier Park," c. 1935, shows William McCarthy standing on Grinnell Glacier.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 178
Caption: "Hiking party on Grinnell Glacier - Glacier National Park. A solid block of ice covering many acres," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 177
Caption: "View from Grinnell Glacier. Grinnell, Josephine and Sherburn Lakes - Glacier Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 176
Caption: "Swift Current Lake - Glacier National Park, the Garden Wall and McCloud Mountain in the distance," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 175
Caption: "Scenery on Grinnell Glacier Trail - Glacier Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 174
Caption: "Approaching Grinnell Glacier - Glacier National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 173
Caption: "Lake Josephine-Glacier National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 172
Caption: "Grinnell Lake - Glacier National Park," c. 1935.