Search William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Caption: "The Cliff House," c. 1906 view of San Francisco's Cliff House from Sutro Heights Park. The Victorian structure shown here is the third building on the site, constructed in 1896. It was destroyed by fire in 1907.

Date: 1906

Caption: "First National Bank Bldg. - Detroit," c. 1925. When this building, designed by architect Albert Kahn in the Neoclassical style, was completed in 1922, it was Detroit's tallest structure. This photograph was taken before construction in 1926-27 of a twenty-five story addition adjacent to the building in this photograph.

Date: 1925

Caption: "Rocket Geyser," c. 1923. The Rocket Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is part of the Grotto Geyser group, along with Grotto Fountain Geyser (which can also be seen at the right in this photograph), South Grotto Fountain Geyser, Indicator Spring, and Spa Geyser.

Date: 1923

Caption: "The Arrival of the Atlantic Fleet at the Golden Gate -- May 6, 1908. San Francisco, California." and "Copyright 1908, Chas. Weidner, S.F." This photograph, by Charles Weidner, shows the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, consisting of sixteen battle cruisers and various support vessels, steaming toward the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay. President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the Atlantic Fleet (later called the "Great White Fleet" because the ships were painted white with gold trim) on a tour around the world, beginning in December 1907, to show American goodwill and also demonstrate the power of the U.S. Navy. The Fleet reached the Golden Gate, entrance to San Francisco Bay, on May 6, 1908.

Date: 5/6/1908

Caption: "Niagara Falls, c. 1925. William McCarthy poses in front of American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, two of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.

Date: 1925

Caption: "Stockton Court House," c. 1906, (E.E. Meyers, Architect). San Joaquin County Courthouse, Stockton, California. The neo-classical building was completed in 1890 and demolished in 1961 to may way for a new courthouse.

Date: Undated

Caption: "Donner Summit, California. October 7, 1934." Panoramic view of Donner Lake and the surrounding mountains. A highway can be glimpsed running through the lower half of the photograph.

Date: 10/7/1934

One side of a flier handed out by the San Antonio Reptile Garden in the mid-1930s entitled "Reptile Facts." The Reptile Garden opened in the 1930s as a fundraising facility for the Witte Museum. The Garden featured turtle races, snake handling demonstrations, fried rattlesnake meat, and rattlesnake dinner fund raisers. It also became a research center for the use of antivenom. The Garden closed in the early 1940s, its live snakes donated to the San Antonio Zoo.

Date: 1934

Caption: "THE GORGE, Victoria, B. C.," c. 1906. View of the Gorge, a narrow tidal inlet in Victoria running from Selkirk Trestle to the Craigflower Bridge. The Gorge became a popular recreation destination for the area's residents as Victoria grew.

Date: 1906

Caption: "D. & R. G. Depot, Salt Lake City," c. 1923. Constructed in 1910 by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), this depot operated under the auspices of that railroad company until the 1970s. It served as a passenger depot for Amtrak from 1986 to 1999. The building is currently home to the Division of Utah State History and the Utah Department of Heritage & Arts.

Date: 1923