The C.W. Carter photograph collection consists of 47 carte-de-visite photographs and 3 stereographs (also called stereoviews). In many cases these images were taken before the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Included are notable landmarks from Utah and southwest Wyoming, including Echo Canyon, Church Buttes (Two Church Buttes carts-de-visite images include telegraph lines), and the Needles. The collection also includes wagon trains, Native Americans, a stage coach, and views along what would become the Union Pacific Railroad. It is not known if all the images were taken on one trip or multiple trips. In many cases snow appears in the images.