View at Shady Run, 73 miles from Sacramento

Alfred A. Hart was a 19th century American photographer, best known for his photographs of the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. Born in 1816 in Norwich, Connecticut, Hart moved to California in 1851 and worked as a photographer in Sacramento. In 1863 he was hired by the Central Pacific Railroad to document the construction of the railway from Sacramento to Promontory, Utah. Hart's photographs are considered some of the most important visual records of the construction of the transcontinental railroad. He captured images of the workers, the landscapes and the engineering feats that made the railroad possible. His photographs also documented the challenges the workers faced, including harsh weather and dangerous working conditions. Hart's photographs were widely distributed and helped popularise the idea of westward expansion and the importance of the railway in connecting the country. In addition to his work on the railroad, Hart also photographed other important events and figures of his time, including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Alfred A. Hart continued to work as a photographer until his death in 1908 at the age of 92. His legacy lives on through his photographs, which continue to be studied and appreciated by historians and photography enthusiasts alike.