CALIFORNIA: Waag Bros. to give presentation Tues. March 18, 2014

Welcome to the life of 

Pioneer Photographer A. A. Forbes! 

Visit our website on the life of A. A. Forbes by clicking here. We will be giving a presentation on the life and times of Pioneer Photographer A. A. Forbes at the Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert (HSUMD) in Ridgecrest, Calif. on Tues March 18, 2014, starting at 7pm.

Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert (HSUMD)
Post Office Box 2001
230 W Ridgecrest Blvd. Ridgecrest, CA 93555
(760) 375-8456

Who was A. A. Forbes, and Why Should You Care? Andrew Alexander Forbes was born April 21, 1862, in Ottowa Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin - son of James McLaren Forbes (from Scotland) and Lucinda Parmelia Sanders (from New York); he was the 5th of 8 children. Forbes grew up in the midwest, and moved frequently with his family.  In the 1870's through the early 1890's, he became a stockman on his family's range, building his horsemanship and cowpunching skills, and developing a ruggedness which became a key to his early success as an itinerant photographer.

In the late 1880s, Forbes started his professional career as a travelling photographer, working with other skilled pioneer cameramen such as William Pretty-man, George B. Cornish and Thomas Croft. His work took him to Dodge City / Kansas, Stillwater / Oklahoma, Texas, Taos / New Mexico, Santa Fe / New Mexico, northern Arizona, and the Rocky Mountains. He is best known in this timeframe for his Oklahoma Land Rush photography between 1889 and 1993, as well as his photos of everyday cowboy life. In this same time period, he photographed buffalo and cattle herds, as well as gathered a remarkable collection of Native American images. It was during this time that he developed a fondness and an understanding for the plight of the "red man". Native tribes that A. A. photographed included the Cheyenne, Apache, Navajo, Moqui (Hopi), Pueblo and Supai. 

Eventually, Forbes arrived in Owens Valley around 1900, and opened and operated his "Forbes Studio" on West Line Street between 1902 and 1916. Forbes used a wagon loaded with his photographic outfit (tent, cameras, glass negatives, paper stock, dark room supplies, etc.) and travelled extensively taking and selling his photographs. Landscape photography was his first love, and his prior experience as a stockman allowed him to pack bulky camera equipment and hit the wilderness road in a horse and wagon. When the wagon trail ended, he packed his heavy gear on his back and hiked to the ideal site that optimized the image he was trying to capture. 

Common subjects during the "Forbes Studio" era included early studio portraits as well as Native Americans in Owens Valley, Yosemite  and elsewhere. These included the Owens Valley Paiute, Petrara, Luiseno, Western Mono, Miwok, and Yokuts tribes. He was a prolific photographer, capturing, the Southern Calif. orange groves, California Missions, early industrial growth in the state, the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct and much more.

We strive to honor Andrew Alexander's extraordinary contributions made by what on the surface may appear to be an ordinary man. Our research has revealed A. A. Forbes to be a hardworking man of the people, humble to his core, who connected in a spiritual way with the people and places that he photographed. 

How we became interested in Forbes: In researching the Saline Valley Salt Tram (www.salttram.blogspot.com), brothers Tim and Brian Waag repeatedly came across photos taken by frontier photographer A. A. Forbes (aaforbes.blogspot.com) of Bishop, California. As with the Salt Tram, we found out that there was no real information out there on the man and his work. Through the years, we've seen many quality historical photos with that name "A. A. Forbes" written neatly in a corner of the image, and knew that Forbes had made a substantial contribution to the recording of history in the amazingly history-dense Owens Valley, California. We knew our job would be to document his amazing photographic work and honor his lifetime achievements.

Also Included in the Presentation: We will also be including brief updates on some of our other historical projects, including the Saline Valley Salt Tram, the Beveridge Mining District, the Lonesome Miner Trail, Goler Wash / Striped Butte Valley, and the Saga of Louise Grantham and her Warm Springs Mining Adventures.

About the Speaker: Though always teaming up with his younger brother Brian, this time Tim will be doing this presentation solo (Brian has to work, and work sucks! - that's a Waag Bros. motto!). Tim Waag  has been a desert explorer for his entire life. Lately, the brothers have been focusing on topics of historical significance that have been largely unrecognized or ignored, and would otherwise remain in obscurity forever. 

Tim enjoys a variety of outdoor activities encompassing all that California has to offer. He is a Scuba Instructor, lifelong boater, avid Kayaker, Certified Trail Crew Leader, CPR/First Aid and Oxygen First Aid Instructor, former board member of the Catalina Conservancy, Cheap Jeep crew member (www.oldiesmusicradio.com/media.htm) and a Cultural Site Steward. He enjoys backpacking and hiking in the desert peaks areas in and around the greater Death Valley region. He also contributes to stabilization and restoration processes in this same area. Tim has previously given presentations to the HSUMD on the Saline Valley Salt Tram and the Lonesome Miner Trail (both in the Inyo Mountain Wilderness), and admires HSUMD's accomplishments immensely.

Tim has a BS in Math and Computer Science from UCLA, a MS in Math and an MBA from USC. He grew up in southern California, then moved with his family to San Luis Obispo in 1992. Tim began his career as a software developer (15 years), then became a professional Scuba Instructor and owned a graphic design studio for 12 years, and currently manages an employment law firm in San Luis Obispo.

Andrew Sound from HSUMD asked for some pictures of the speaker (that's me!) and I took a little time and nabbed these beauties - some of my favorites (click to enlarge):

Above: Longtime brothers, Tim and Brian Waag (the Waag Bros. aka E. Clampus Waagus), enjoying a stogie on a recent backpacking expedition.

 Above: Mine exploration (don't try this at home!).

Above: One of my favorite photos of all time - recording trail data for the BLM along the Lonesome Miner Trail.

Above: Mine exploration (don't try this at home!).

Above: Tim presents the first Saline Valley Salt Co. stock certificate to Eastern California Museum Curator Roberta Harlan of Bishop, Calif.

Above: Tim displays the E. Clampus Waag book that now presides in the Eastern California Museum Library on the Salt Tram.

Above: Helicopter rescue at 8,200 feet in the Inyo Mountains, courtesy of the Apple Valley CHP.

Above: Tim and the Cheap Jeep crew.

 Above: Tim aboard his boat, the Recon 1, making his acquaintance with a new friend.

Above: About to descend 5,500 feet off trail into a remote Inyo canyon in search of a water-powered 5 stamp mill (we found it!).

Above: Exploring the remote deep eastern narrows of the Inyo Mountains.

 Above: Fishing the robust central coast waters.

Above: Tim with Steve Smith, retired BLM. 

Above: Tim prepares to take a photo of Saline Valley while hiking along the Lonesome Miner Trail.

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