"Little Gibraltar," Near Dale Creek, Wyo. On the Union Pacific R.R.

Large format photolithograph of a section of railway near Dale Creek, Wyoming. Measures 26" x 21 ½" and was printed by Heliotype Printing Co. Of Boston, MA circa 1900. Title and two insignias of the Union Pacific Railway underneath image. Condition is good with heavy toning and moderate dampstaining affecting content; all edges have light wear. The image depicts the railroad near Dale Creek with two masses of rock on either side and an open expanse of land in the background. Dale Creek is located on the Overland Route of the Union Pacific Rail Road between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming. The construction of the railroad near Dale Creek is considered a notable engineering feat due to the mile of granite that had to be cut through and the construction of the precipitous Dale Creek Bridge. The Union Pacific's longest bridge, it spanned a length of 650ft and was 135ft high. The title of this image "Little Gibraltar" may have come from a hill near Dale Creek named "Gibraltar Cone." This landform was "drilled and loaded with about 1,000 kegs of black powder and 1,000 pounds of dynamite, and on July 4, 1900, this charge was exploded, blowing out the whole hill" (USGS online). Again, the construction of this rail road proved to be far from easy. Copies of this rare image have not been found in commerce or OCLC as of November 2017. . (Inventory #: 014475)