Photographs

The bulk of these images are stereoscopic photos, and were captured in the late 1860s in Salt Lake City. These, along with other stereograph cards of their era, were widely circulated and collected. Today they can be found in many museum archives, and they still regularly appear on auction websites. These people’s faces have been seen by viewers across the globe — a strange irony, since their actual names and stories have been muted.

Images are arranged on this site to show possible members or associates of the so-called Weber Ute group.

In addition to Little Soldier’s numerous appearances, a few of these are actually labeled as Weber Ute. Yet since so many of the exact same photographs were sold under a variety of names including “Pahute,” Ute, “Snakes,” and Shoshone, it’s natural to be suspicious of any label given to them.

However, so far, two of the “Weber Ute” images have been positively tied back to Little Soldier, who is the one named and frequently-photographed individual known for certain to be of this group. Thus, these other labels were likely added to the images later on, to give them broader appeal to buyers.

Note: Photos with the “Weber Ute” label were sold under C.R. Savage’s name. C.W. Carter worked for C.R. Savage for a while before starting his own studio, and Carter was known to sell Savage’s images.

When used with a stereoscope viewer, stereograph cards imitated the perception of depth. Some examples: a Shoshone dwelling dated 1870; a Salt Lake coach leaving Ophir; a group of Shoshone people at Corinne, Utah; a view from Ogden, Utah. (Warning: can be slightly nauseating to stare at these.)

A collection of documents, excerpts, and photographs relevant to the so-called Weber Ute people of Northern Utah. Not a complete history — research aid only.