The magnificent San Francisco Peaks have served as a magnet to photographers since the camera came west in the middle decades of the 19th Century and Dad proved no exception. Because he took the time to learn the history through both Indian and mainstream eyes, he was a walking repository of lore, legends, and scientific facts about the area.

Situated in northern Arizona in the midst of extinct volcanic activity, the San Francisco Peaks consist of three mountains, Agassiz, Fremont, and Humphreys, which range in elevation from 6,000 to 12,000 feet. The mountains hold a special place in the beliefs of both the Navajo and Hopi, particularly the latter, who view the range as the home of their spirits.

Dad’s chosen vantage point of the featured image is Mormon Lake, so named for early settlers to the region, who established a dairy and sawmill on the west side of the critical watering hole in 1878. It was used as a grazing area for the hundred or so cows the Mormon settlements of Sunset, Brigham City, and St. Joseph jointly purchased to stock the dairy.
- Michael Goldwater