Hazeltine, M. M. (Martin Mason), 1827-1903

Photographer M.M. (Martin Mason) Hazeltine was born on July 31, 1827 in Vermont. With his brother George, he operated a daguerreotype shop in San Francisco in 1853, which produced scenic photography of places such as Yosemite. The firm later moved to Mendocino, California.

Brothers Martin Mason Hazeltine (1827-1903) and George Irving Hazeltine (1836-1918) trained in photography at New York City in 1852. Martin went west to California in 1850 but returned and persuaded his younger brother to join him in learning photography before heading to California. In 1853, after visiting the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York City, the brothers boarded a steamship to San Francisco by way of the Isthmus of Panama. In San Francisco, they operated a daguerreotype studio together until 1855. At that time, the brothers parted ways and began their separate careers as professional photographers and businessmen.

George Irving Hazeltine divided his attention among photography and various mining and business enterprises and public service. George engaged in mining and photography at various locations in California until 1860. That year, he joined a party headed for the mines at Canyon Creek, Or. George married Emmaline C. McCallum (1843-1936) in 1862 in Shasta County, Calif., and his family joined him on his Canyon Creek claim in 1863. He engaged in photography and mining in the Baker County and John Day region of Oregon for most of the remainder of his life. In 1864, he established a pack train service from Canyon City to The Dalles. In 1865, he and his father-in-law, A.R. McCallum, built a flour grist mill at present day John Day, believed to be the first such mill in eastern Oregon. George also served as county judge (1878-1882; 1890-1894) and county treasurer (1896-1898).

As a photographer, George concentrated on studio portraiture and scenic views of eastern Oregon. Briefly in the 1880s, he joined his brother Martin in operating a studio at Baker City, but he soon returned to Canyon City. He was a Mason, and in addition to gaining regional recognition as a photographer, George was noted for his participation in civic activities, as well as his successes and failures in in a variety of businesses. He also was known as a musician who played fiddle and bass for community dances. George Hazeltine died in Grant County at the age of 82.

Martin Mason Hazeltine made his living and his reputation almost entirely as a photographer, although he tried mining with his brother, George, for a brief period. He traveled widely, photographing the scenery in Yosemite Valley and other places in California, Yellowstone National Park, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. During the 1860s and 1870s, Martin photographed primarily in California, including Yosemite, where he established a summer studio, and Mendocino County, where he and his family occasionally wintered. In 1876, he joined his chief rival, J.J. Reilly, at Yosemite. He was married to Barbara Fabing in 1855, and she and their children often spent summers camping out with him on his extended photography expeditions. They lost a son and a daughter in an 1877 smallpox epidemic.

Martin marketed many of his images as stereographs, both on his own and through publishers such as John P. Soule of Boston, Thomas Houseworth and Company of San Francisco, Kilburn Bros. of New Hampshire, and Moulton of Salem, N.H. Martin issued many of his images in stereograph sets, titled in various ways, including "Hazeltine's Gems of the Pacific Coast." He also assembled sets of stereographs advertising railroads, including the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, and occasionally he published the work of other photographers.

In 1878, Martin began moving farther afield. He opened a photography gallery in Reno, Nev., for a time, but by 1882 he had a gallery in Boise, Idaho, and by about 1885 seems to have settled down in Baker City, Or. He traveled widely throughout much of his career: Alaska in 1878, Idaho and Yellowstone Park in 1883, and to various places in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington throughout the 1880s and 1890s. In 1880, he visited Baker City, Or., and by 1884 established a companion gallery to his Boise studio. His business in Baker City was known as Hazeltine's Excelsior Studio by the 1890s. Martin's brother, George, joined him in operating the studio briefly before returning to Canyon City. In 1888, Martin was assisted at fairs near Baker City by a young boy, Wesley Andrews, who later gained renown as a photographer and postcard marketer in the Northwest. Among photographers who worked for Martin Hazeltine in the 1890s were Miss Josephine Rea and Miss Rata Allen. Martin died in Baker City at age 76.

Two of Martin's children became photographers. Leland S. Hazeltine was offering his photography services in Joseph, Or., as early as 1884, and he is believed to have established himself in the photography business at Lakeview, Or. Viola Hazeltine, herself a photographer, married Roland T. Parker of Parker's Studio in Baker City and worked with her husband in the business under the name Parker Studio.