Cathedral Rock, Yosemite (1861) – Carleton Watkins

Carleton Watkins became the first person to have provided the first printed photos of Yosemite’s peaks. Many were in awe of the pictures, including Sen. John Conness, who secured his own prints. Although the famous spot used to be linked to Ansel Adams, it was the New York native who popularized Cathedral Rock.

It was also said that Watkins was the one who inspired then-President Abraham Lincoln to protect and preserve the park through the Yosemite Grant Act. This would be the precursor of the National Park System, which looks over at least 400 parks in the United States.