[A nice grouping of albumen photographs capturing the ruggedness and picturesque beauty of a young Spanish-American War veteran banker and companions into the Scotchman Peak wilderness of Bonner County, Northern Idaho. Several have short captions detailing the pack train of horses, danger from snow slide, steep crags, and bucolic cabin the group stayed].

[Spokane & Pullman, WA: S.G. Sargent; Archie & Milton Loryea Photographic Studio, ca. 1899]. Eleven mounted photographs. 1st -- 10 albumen photos sized from 2.5 x 4.75 in. to 3.8 x 4.8 in. mounted on embossed cream-coloured studio boards, sized 5.5 x 5.5 in. square to 5.4 x 6.4 in., several w/ faint pencil manuscript annotations on versos (minor dustsoiling, edgewear, scuffing, a few very minor stains, creasing to a couple boards, 1 w/ corner chipped, minor bumping); 2nd - 1 silver gelatin lozenge photo sized 1.8 x 2.8 in. mounted on 3.3 x 5 in. gray-brown studio board, photographer’s imprint at lower right corner, signed by S.G. Sargent at lower left corner, a VG set of images. This scarce collection of vernacular mounted photographs open with a photo of Sargent holding a timber cruiser’s measurement board, followed by nine additional images capturing the expedition along the Scotchman Peak trail. These include images illustrating a “snow slide when it cut its way down slope;” “Showing full height of boundary fall;” “Pack train ascending Mt. Scotchman;” “Descending Scotchman, pack train in snow drift,” and “Line goes over this pass” with a striking image of the 4000 foot path to ascent up the steep incline in just four miles. One of the views which depicts a Western log cabin entitled “Tanglewood Villa” or “the old lady herself” indicates a familiarity with the rustic cabin which featured small window, cooking shed off to one side set amidst the trees. Although not indicated in the captions of the photos, this could very well have been tied to Sargent’s banking work at the time which included assessing timber stands, and mining opportunities for the Old National Bank in Spokane, WA. Sargent (1873-1966) and his family had homesteaded in the Washington Territory after leaving Illinois by 1876, and he would later attend Spokane High School, served in the Washington State Militia from 1893-1895, studied at DePauw University, and then reenlisted and served from Aug. 1, 1898 to March, 1899 during the Spanish-American War. Later from 1903-1905 he served as president of the Lumberman’s State Bank in St. Maries, ID after marrying Ollie Belle Downs, and later worked at First National in Coeur d’Alene, ID, eventually becoming Chief Examiner of the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco by 1918. Archibald (d. 1900) & Milton Loryea (b. 1860) operated Loryea Photographic Studio at 824 Riverside Ave. in Spokane, WA, after both had operated the Souvenir Photographic Studio in San Jose, CA until 1889.