Sierra Nevada Mountain Pass, 1867 | State Historical Society of Iowa

Print showing a wilderness scene with a bear at the edge of a stream and waterfalls and mountains in the background.

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Currier & Ives, "The mountain pass, Sierra Nevada," 1867

Description

This print shows a wilderness scene with a bear at the edge of a stream and waterfalls and mountains in the background. It is an image of a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range near Lake Tahoe. This pass was a point on the Carson Trail during the California Gold Rush and was used for American Civil War shipping to California until the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad. Today, it is one of California’s historic landmarks.

Source-Dependent Questions

Describe the different types of landforms included in this image. Describe other natural elements that you see.
Today, the Sierra Nevada mountain pass is a historic landmark. Why do you think the artist chose to represent this part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range?

Citation Information

Currier & Ives, "The mountain pass, Sierra Nevada," 1867. Courtesy of Library of Congress