1904 - Columbia River and Yellowstone National Park / Union Pacific and Oregon Short Line

Work on Paper

A Yellowstone Collective

"Columiba River and Yellowstone National Park". Photographic images by F. J. Haynes. Designer unknown. Lithograph on heavy coated paper (51" x 31"). 1904.

Name/Title

1904 - Columbia River and Yellowstone National Park / Union Pacific and Oregon Short Line

Description

The Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905 inspired this Union Pacific, Oregon Short Line and Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company poster. The design, created by combining 20 F. J. Haynes Yellowstone photographs with a bird’s-eye map of the Columbia River, was printed by the Poole Bros., Chicago, Illinois. It is on heavy coated paper that is nailed to wooden dowels, top and bottom. The image, which is not signed, is visually confusing as the top of the map is east rather than north, the customary practice in printed maps. As such, the imagery gives the initial wrong impression that the Columbia River flows into Portland from the north rather than the west. The intent of the poster was to persuade Exposition attendees to visit Yellowstone on their way to or from the event. The poster may have been effective; the Park annual visitation jumped from 14,000 in 1904 to 26,000 in 1905. In 1906, the Park visitation went back down to 17,000.

Valuations

Date

Jun 1, 2026

Created By

[email protected]

Create Date

May 30, 2026

Updated By

[email protected]

Update Date

June 2, 2026