"There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1879
 
The Mountain of the Holy Cross, by Thomas Moran captures one of Colorado's most sacred and mythic 14ers. At the time of the Hayden Expedition, much mystery shrouded the 'Mount of the Holy Cross'. Rumor had made its way East, inspiring the adventurers and artists of the Hayden expedition to find and document such a peak. It was 1873 when William Henry Jackson first photographed the Mountain of the Holy Cross. In 1874, Thomas Moran climbed Notch Mountain, making his first sketch of the Mountain of the Holy Cross. 
 
This watercolor is a direct result of Thomas Morans inspiration from the Hayden expedition and his expieriences along his journey.