Photo Archive Resource and a Mystery

[NW Mailing List]

>From another source, I found the U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library

(see http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/index.html), which "is designed to provide
free viewing and downloading of the entire USGS photographic collection."

Digital resolution options of each image include:

    * 100 dots per inch (dpi) thumbnail-resolution GIF file
    * 700 dpi medium-resolution JPG file
    * 1400 dpi high-resolution JPG file
    * 1600+ dpi full-resolution JPG file

I just plugged in "Virginia" as the keyword search term and got 490 hits.
On just the first page were images from the Cripple Creek area of Wythe
County, from the iron ore mining that went on there. There is also a nice
photo of the blast furnance in Pulaski.

There were also images from Botetourt County showing a hematite mine, including
one photo captioned "Spec Station on Norfolk & Western Railroad in
Virginia. Tipple
and crusher of Pulaski Iron Company where hematite from the mine, one
and one-half
miles southeast, is loaded on railroad cars. Botetourt County,
Virginia. June 18, 1927."
The link to the medium image is
http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/htmllib/btch550/btch550j/btch550z/btch550/bef01382.jpg
and the link to the image within the site wrapper, with caption, etc. is
http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/show_picture.cgi?ID=ID.%20Burchard,%20E.%20F.%201382

So, where is/was Spec Station? The photo shows a pretty big tipple
going up the hillside
and a substantial stone building (powerhouse?) adjacent to the tracks.

Check out the site -- I'm still exploring and could probably write off
a day to browsing.

Bruce in Blacksburg