"Mirage on the Colorado Desert," Plate XII of the Geology section of a volume of the United States Pacific Railroad Exploration and Surveys project, 1853. The image shows a man standing next to a horse in the foreground and what appears to be a caravan or wagon train in the distance to the right. At the background left are silver colored formations that might constitute the mirage in the title. The desert is the Mojave between the Colorado River and the coast, which was traversed by the crews conducting surveys for a potential transcontinental railroad line. With major foxing, creases, soiling and small tears from removal, the condition is fair overall.
