The John D. Perry Collection consists of 114 photographs from Alexander Gardener's "Across the Continent With the Kansas Pacific Railroad (On The 35th Parallel)" portfolio and 4 additional photos of the White House, Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C., and unidentified buildings. From 1867 to 1868, Gardner served as the official photographer for a survey team documenting a proposed route to extend the railroad along the 35th parallel to the Pacific Ocean at San Diego and San Francisco. The portfolio he produced recorded the landscape, as well as the Native Americans living in the area.

The portfolio begins with the Pacific Railroad depot in St. Louis and tracks the expedition as they head west. Approximately half of the photographs document the group’s travel through Kansas, with other photographs showing their progress through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Gardner photographed forts and cities, as well as rivers, rock formations, and canyons. Photographs also show general views of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Madre Mountains. In addition, photographs document the Native Americans living in the areas the expedition was passing through. These photographs show the Pottawattamie Indian School at St. Mary’s Mission; Scihoot and others from the Mojave tribe; and Publeo towns in New Mexico. Several photographs also show members of the surveying team and their equipment.