The Legacy of C. S. Fly, America’s First Photojournalist
By Larry Nader, State 48 A2Z
April 2, 2024
In the vast expanse of the American frontier, where lawlessness reigned and the promise of opportunity beckoned, the camera became a tool of documentation and myth-making. Amidst this tumultuous backdrop, C.S. Fly emerged as a masterful chronicler of the Old West, wielding his camera with an artist’s eye and a storyteller’s heart.
Born in 1849, Fly’s journey mirrored the tumultuous transformation of the American West. From his early days as a young man in Missouri to his ventures across the untamed landscapes of Arizona Territory, Fly’s life was intertwined with the very fabric of frontier existence. In the dusty streets of Tombstone, amidst the clamor of silver strikes and the whispers of legendary gunfights, Fly found his calling as a photographer.
Equipped with his camera and an insatiable curiosity, Fly embarked on a mission to capture the essence of the Wild West. From the stoic faces of Native American tribes to the swaggering gunslingers of the frontier, his lens bore witness to the full spectrum of human experience in a land where every day brought new challenges and triumphs. In fact, Fly was the only photographer to capture the only known photographs of Native Americans while they were still at war with the United States.
