Featured in this lot is this William Edward Hook (1833-1908) photo of Pike's Peak Trail, above the timber line, taken in late 1880s / early 1890s. Hook was born in Litchfield, England. His family briefly relocated to the United States in 1834 before returning to England in 1851. In 1857, he married Eleanor Jane Dore, and they had six children. Hook returned to the United States in 1867, but not with his family. Two years later, he opened a photographic studio in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. In February 1875, two of his boys accompanied him to the United States. Hook closed his photography studio in Wisconsin in 1877, and he and his surviving son, William, began working as traveling photographers from Missoula, Montana. They spent the following four years traveling and photographing across Montana and Wyoming, including Yellowstone National Park, Alberta, Northwest Territory, and the Canadian Northwest Rockies. By 1881, Hook had established a photographic studio in Marquette, Michigan, from which he sold his photos of the American West. In April 1885, Hook opened a photographic studio in Manitou Springs, Colorado. In September 1885, he filed a homestead claim on Ruxton Creek near Pikes Peak, naming it "Artist's Glen." Hook specialized over the years in marketing Colorado's beautiful views to tourists. In 1887, Hook visited England. He returned to Colorado with his wife and daughters, and over time, the Hook family filed more homestead claims along Ruxton Creek. They also ran a tourist boarding house until 1890, when the building and operations of the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, a steep grade railway from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak, forced the family to relocate to Colorado Springs. Hook then ran a photographic business in Colorado Springs until he died of heart disease. This photo shows a line of men and pack mules on the Pike's Peak Trail, above the timber line. The mules are packed full and the men stand and pose for the photo. The bottom of the photo is marked reading, "Pike's Peak Trail, Above Timber Line". The back of the photo is marked reading, "The Half-Way House / T.T. Palsgrove, Proprietor / W.E. Hook, Leading Photographer And Publisher of Colorado Scenery, Manitou Springs, Colorado.". The photo shows good condition overall with slight wear present from its age and use over the years, but no major signs of damage is noted. It measures 5" L x 8" W and weighs under 6 ounces.