A thick and historically-significant photo album belonging to Brig. General Timothy Erastus Wilcox, which documents his career as a surgeon in the US Army and his significant contributions to the fields of botany and dendrology.

Timothy Wilcox born in North Litchfield, New York, on April 26th, 1840. 2. He attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, graduating in 1861 and proceeded to Medical school in Albany New York. He entered the Civil War in April, 1865 with the US Volunteers, and was mustered out in June of 1866, notably attending Jefferson Davis during his detention at Fortress Monroe after the war. His military assignments took him far from home to various forts all over the West, including Fort Boise, Fort Huachuca (where he was appointed Major), Fort Yuma, Fort Niobrara, and finally Fort Schuyler before being assigned to Cuba during the Spanish American War. He was honorably discharged in 1898, and passed away in 1932.

As per his obituary, published in “Science” magazine, Wilcox was a “born a naturalist. Everything was fish to his net–plants, animals, minerals, insects, worms, reptiles, fossils, etc.” He discovered a species of snake, a type of wood, and in 1879 published an important article in “Nature” calling attention to the lack of angle worms in Boise, Idaho. His photographs were published in “Agaves of the United States” and the Wilcoxia genus of cactus is named for him.

About half of the present album relates to Wilcox’s time in Arizona, mostly showing Fort Huaracha, where he served as the post surgeon from 1891-1895. There are many portraits of Wilcox and his wife, Clara B. Brown, including one showing them posed in front of a large array of Native American relics (presumably their collection). There are also numerous identified portraits of other officers and their families, including photos showing games of croquet, lawn tennis, and cards. Another interesting image shows a Chinese American man identified as “Lee.”

Identified views / locations related to Fort Huachuca include a bird’s eye view of the fort; the officer’s line; an exterior view of the hospital; a photo of the parade ground showing the Indian Company in formation and the Old Hotel, the officers quarters; a beautiful cloud study, and many others. There are a number of photos documenting Native American life in Arizona.

In addition to his work for the army while stationed at Fort Huaracha, Wilcox made botanical and zoological collections for the Herbarium of Columbia College and the United States National Museum, respectively. There are thirty-seven photos related to his botanical pursuits, with many identified specimens. Wilcox’s photos will often show a person standing next to the plant specimen for scale. One interesting photo shows an African American soldier standing next to a large Desert Willow.

Also within the album there are dozens of photos documenting the other forts where Wilcox was stationed throughout his long career, most of them before his time at Fort Huachuca. Other Arizona Forts shown in the album include Fort Bowie, Fort Graham, Fort Grant and Fort Yuma. There are a number of photos showing Fort Niobrara in Nebraska, including three important, small-format panoramic views of the famed Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry, which are dated 1888. There are also a handful of important photos showing members of the Sioux in Nebraska.Other forts shown in the album include Fort Boise, where Wilcox was stationed from 1879-1882; New York’s Fort Schuyler and Fort Black; and Alaska’s Fort Wrangle. There are also photos of Maring Station in San Diego, CA, and other military locations.

There are also a number of compelling travel photos showing California, Alaska, Virginia, and elsewhere. Many of these were presumably taken by Wilcox, but a few are likely commercially produced, such as a sharp birds-eye view of Angel Island in San Francisco, a shot of Hot Springs in Arkansas, an unusual, large-format photograph of men making mezcal in Mexico, and numerous others.