From 1871-1879, Lieutenant George M. Wheeler (1842-1905), army engineer and surveyor, led a series of geographical surveys with the purpose of mapping the land west of the 100th Meridian through much of California, Nevada, present-day Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Timothy H. O’Sullivan (1840-1882) and William Bell (1839-1915) were the primary photographers who traveled on the surveys from 1871-1873 documenting the geological features of the American West. This photograph of Sheavwitz Crossing (today known as Shivwits plateau in the Grand Canyon in Arizona) was taken by Bell in 1872. The photograph shows the rock cliffs of the canyon walls. The original negative number, 76, is written on the right-hand image, likely by the photographer.