The great West illustrated in a series of photographic views across the Continent taken along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad, west from Omaha, Nebraska : with an annotated table of contents, giving a brief description of each view, its peculiarities, characteristics, and connection with the different points on the road, Vol. 1

Viewbook with mounted albumen photographic prints of images created by Andrew J. Russell of locations along the Union Pacific Railroad in Utah and Wyoming, and printed by David H. Prime in New York, 1869, by authority of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Photographs primarily show canyons, mountains, rock formations, and cuts along the railroad, as well as overviews of several towns and of buildings in Salt Lake City, and a couple group portraits. The photographs are geographically organized in the volume from locations along the railroad from east to west

Images of Laramie, Wyoming, include images of the Laramie Hotel, a large windmill, and the railroad machine shops of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. An exterior group portrait depicts officials gathered at Fort Sanders near Laramie, Wyoming, during the summer of 1868, which include Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, Philip H. Sheridan, and Sidney Dillon, a director of the Union Pacific Railroad Company

Images of rivers in Wyoming include views of the Laramie River and the Little Laramie River, as well as several images of Dale Creek that include a view of the Dale Creek Trestle, a wooden railroad bridge, and a view of Devil's Gate in the creek canyon

Images of railroad cuts in Wyoming include Burning Rock Cut, Carmichael's Cut, Hall's Cut, and Malloy's Cut

Images of rock outcroppings in Wyoming include views of Camel Rocks (identified as Granite Rock) near Buford (identified as Beaufort Station), Church Buttes near Fort Bridger, Dial Rock in the Laramie Basin, High Bluffs near Black Buttes, and Skull Rock near Sherman Station

Images of rock outcroppings in the Green River Valley in Wyoming and Utah include Castle Rock, Citadel Rock, and Smith's Buttes. Other images of locations in the Green River Valley include views of mountains and a supply train on the railroad

Incidental images of Wyoming include a view of snow and timber line in the Laramie Mountains, and a view of Granite Canyon from a water tank

Images of places and structures related to Brigham Young in Utah include views of his residences, known as the Beehive House and Lion House in Salt Lake City; one of these images includes the foundation for the Salt Lake Temple in the foreground. Another image shows his cotton and woolen mills in Parley Canyon with the Wasatch Range in the distance

Images of Bear River City, Utah, include an overview of the city and an image of the coal beds on the Bear River, as well as an image of a construction train in the Bear River Valley in Utah or Wyoming

Images of Echo Canyon, Utah, and vicinity include views of several rock outcroppings, including Death's Rock, Monument Rock, and Rock Great Eastern

Images of Echo, Utah, and vicinity include an overview of the city, as well as several rock formations, including Hanging Rock, Sentinel Rock, and Sphinx Rock

Images of the Weber River and Weber Canyon (identified as the Weber River Valley or Weber Valley), Utah, include a view of the city of Coalville; views of Wilhelmina Pass (identified as the Narrows of Weber Canyon); a view of Devil's Gate without a bridge, and a view of the Mormon Turnpike Bridge at the mouth of the canyon

Incidental photographs of Utah include a view of City Creek Canyon; a portrait of a Mormon family in the Great Salt River Valley, and an image of the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City