Exploring the Depths: A 3D 1940 Hike into the Grand Canyon

In 1940, photographer Clyde A. McCoy hiked down the South Kaibab trail at Grand Canyon National Park making color, stereo photographs as part of a nationwide project. Two years later he was murdered in a Detroit robbery. In 1996, Dr. Amundson purchased McCoy’s photograph collection and has been researching McCoy’s story ever since. This presentation includes a brief biography of McCoy, an overview of Amundson’s detective-like historical research, and a visual recreation (in glorious 3D!) of McCoy’s hike using scanned images of digitally restored slides from the collection.

Michael Amundson is a professor of history at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. A specialist on the history of the American West, Amundson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Arizona and the Southwest, the American West, U.S. History, American sports history, and the history of photography. His publications include two books on nuclear history and three books focusing on rephotography in Wyoming. He is currently working on a book about early Edison recordings featuring the American West. He and his wife, Lauren, live in Flagstaff with their border collie, Tessa.