Born in upstate New York in 1829, Carleton Watkins ventured west in 1848 to strike it rich. Instead of prospecting for gold, Watkins acquired a talent for photography. Through the 1860s and 1870s, Watkins charted the remote American West, and masterfully captured the vast scale and spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Among his most iconic photographs are the dramatic waterfalls, peaks, and valleys of Yosemite Valley. So moving were these images of the Valley that they were instrumental in convincing the 38th U.S. Congress and President Abraham Lincoln to pass the Yosemite Act of 1864, the first official step toward preserving the region and creating a blueprint for America's National Park System.