Collection of 11 albumen print stereoviews on publisher's orange card mounts, ca. early 1870s. From Charles L. Pond’s celebrated series "American Scenery" with photographer's imprint to mount recto. 

An attractive and scarce regional grouping documenting the grand tour of California and the Central Pacific Railroad right-of-way, photographed by Pond during his western travels in the early 1870s. Pond’s views combine pioneering infrastructure with the classic natural landmarks that drew tourists following the completion of the transcontinental line.

The lot includes:

1. 662—Entrance to the Horseback Ride in the Father of the Forest. Mammoth Trees of Calaveras Co., Cal. 

2. 638—San Francisco California, from Russian Hill. 

3. 634—Mirror Lake, and Old Man Mountain. Yo Semite Valley, California. 

4. 658—Interior of the House built on the Original Big Tree stump. Mammoth Trees of Calaveras Co., Cal. 

5. 668—Mirror View, Mary's Lake, C.P.R.R. 

6. 665—Snow Sheds Summit Sierra Nevada Mts. C.P.R.R. 

7. 621—Yo Semite Valley California from Mount Beatitude. 

8. 652—Sperry & Perry's Hotel, Big Tree grove, California. 

9. 667—Long Ravine Bridge, C.P.R.R. California. 

10. 651—Placer Gold Mining, Murphy's California. Calaveras Co (added in period ink). 

11. 613—Sentinel Rock 3,720 feet high, and Hutchings' Hotel. Yo Semite Valley, California. 

Pond's California views offer an exceptional visual record of post-transcontinental western tourism, seamlessly capturing the engineering feats of the Central Pacific alongside the monumental wilderness that captured the American imagination.

[Charles L. Pond, C.L. Pond, Central Pacific Railroad, CPRR, Long Ravine Trestle, Snow Sheds, Donner Lake, Calaveras Big Trees, Mammoth Trees, Discovery Tree Stump, Yosemite Valley, Mirror Lake, Mount Watkins, Hutchings Hotel, San Francisco, Telegraph Hill, Hydraulic Mining, Stereoviews, Western Americana, 1870s Photography]

Very good condition. The prints display vivid tones, sharp definition, and balanced contrast. Card mounts remain solid and flat with light edge wear, minor corner rubbing, and faint handling marks consistent with age.