BLM Web Site Provides Access to Historical Images

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced the creation of a photographic database web site from which the public may now view, print, and download historical digital images from the agency’s digital photo library. The historical site may be accessed on the internet through BLM’s photo database at www.photos.blm.gov. The new site is designed to provide access to more than 2,500 historical multiple-use images from BLM’s public lands.

The BLM’s historical photo library contains images from across the United States from 1890-1970. Many of the images highlight traditional activities found on the public lands such as grazing and mining. In addition, photos of covered wagons, homesteading, and surveying of the West can also be accessed.

The BLM continues to digitize photographs and slides in response to public demand for the agency’s images. The website offers these historical images in two formats: a low-resolution, 72-dots-per-inch (72-dpi) image in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format or a high-resolution, 300-dpi image in the Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF).

The historical photographs are stored as either 5"x7" or 8"x10" images, depending on the size of the original image. All other images contained in the main photo library are saved in JPEG format to 300 dpi and stored as a 5”x7" image. All images either in the historical or main photo library can be downloaded free of charge. In the upcoming months, the BLM will continue to add thousands of archival and historical images to the photo library.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land – 261 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.

This page was created by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Office of Public Affairs 1849 C Street, Room 406-LS Washington, DC 20240 Phone: (202) 452-5125 Fax: (202) 452-5124

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