Carleton Watkins Revisited?

[tgtaylor]

Round Top from Caples Lake in the Sierra. Watkins, 1879

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49577952962_9cbeddcba7_z.jpg

My image taken from Caples Lake (?) circa 2007.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49577722181_e8a502281f_o.jpg

Is Round Top in both?

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

Watkin's position was way to the right of yours. But the obvious question would be if the size of the lake and shoreline features have significantly changed due to a later check dam? Is that supposedly the Round Top in what is now Mokelumne Wilderness?

[tgtaylor]

You're right, Drew. My camera position was way to the left of Watkin's. In the Watkins print, Black Rock appears at the left of Round Top which is in the more distant middle. In mine Black Rock is lighted by the sun with Round Top appearing directly above, pockmarked with snow. In Watkins day Caples Lake was known as Twin Lakes because the meadow had two shallow lakes about 6' deep. The dam built in the early 20th century to create a reservoir turned the two small lakes into one much larger lake. When I took this picture I had no idea of all of this: I was just looking for a photo which I found here. Watkins, on the other hand, was hired by George Davidson of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey to photograph Round Top for inclusion into what became known as the “Davidson quadrilaterals” for mapping the West. Round Top was chosen because back then it could be seen from the summit of Mount Diablo and Mount Saint Helena in the west. Mount Lola was the fourth point in the East which Watkins also photographed.

For anyone interested:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Davidson_%28geographer%29

http://capleslakeresort.com/summer/?page_id=1889

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

Well, it's all starting to make sense then. But I've never hiked around anywhere north of Sonora Pass, so have only viewed Round Top from a considerable distance.