Trail Riders of the Wilderness

In the 1920s, nature photographer K.D. Swan worked for the U.S. Forest Service in and around what is now the Bob Marshall Wilderness, one of the largest designated wilderness areas in the Lower 48. The primary goal for the native Montanan was to educate and inspire his audience about the value of nature and wilderness. He did that through still photography and moving images — a new medium at the time. Swan created the silent Trail Riders of the Wilderness in 1929 to entice Easterners to come West and discover Montana. It was recently rediscovered and remastered by Forest Service staffer Libby Langston and will be accompanied by Molly Morrison on the piano, who wrote a new score for the classic film.