George Fiske

George Fiske was an assistant to Carleton E. Watkins and also caravanned with Eadweard Muybridge through Yosemite Valley.  Fiske resided in Yosemite for nearly forty years, always seeking to capture the transitory ever-changing beauty of the place and becoming one of a handful of people to settle there permanently.  Weathering the valley’s rugged conditions year-round, he traveled its trails in a carriage drawn by his horse Sailor Boy, or on one of his donkeys, Honest John and Bake. He and his wife also took up cross-country skiing to traverse the valley in winter. In the snow season the dedicated photographer and his mules hauled an 11 x 14 inch plate camera, tripod, and supply of dry plates on a sled.