Devil's Slide, Weber Canyon, Utah

The transcontinental railroad was finished in 1869 and facilitated the increased migration of U.S. Americans to the West. Painters searching for new subject matter and adventure followed. The majestic western mountains and rock formations fascinated Americans. William Keith was one artist who settled in California. His most important patrons were railroad magnates who purchased paintings of western landscapes to promote westward expansion and celebrate the taming of the landscape through industry. Paintings like this one expressed and promoted the belief that the continent was destined for U.S. settlement. In this painting, Keith includes covered wagons, celebrating the settlers who confronted harsh conditions and treacherous mountains. The Devil’s Slide is a natural rock formation in the Wasatch Mountains near a rail line. Although Keith traveled there to sketch the landmark in the fall of 1873, this oil painting was completed upon return to his California studio.