Burro: Icon of the West

‘Burro - Icon of the West’ is a book and fine art postcard print collection that spans a decade of burro photography from the Black Hills of South Dakota and Utah's Canyon Country to the Valleys of the Mojave Desert and California's Central Coast. The photographs are showcased alongside my personal collection of antique photographs and postcards as well as hand-colored black and white photos from the archives of the Library of Congress.



Burros became pioneers in the 1800s when Native Americans, western explorers, and gold miners relied on them to do manual labor with their endurance, patience, and courage. They hauled goods and essential building materials, farmed the arid landscape, helped in forestry and logging, became a 49ers best friend, and were used to transport people.



Once technology caught up by the early 1900s, burros were used to promote tourism by taking visitors to the top of the Rocky Mountains and carrying visitors to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. When their tourism days were over, most were abandoned and sent into the wild where they have struggled for the right to exist ever since.



This Victorian and Western Scrapbook pays tribute to the burros of the past, present, and future. They are the true icons of the west.



8x10 Standard Portrait Book, 260 pgs