Spoorweg nabij Green River, Wyoming 1868

This stereograph by William Henry Jackson captures the railway near Green River, Wyoming. Dominating the horizon, we see a mesa, its flat top crowned with what resembles a fortress. This mesa, a geological sentinel, echoes the ancient human impulse to build skyward, to create citadels—think of the Tower of Babel, or the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Each symbolizes power, aspiration, and the desire to bridge the earthly and divine. Here, however, nature provides the monument, a stark reminder of the land's imposing presence. The railroad cutting through the landscape introduces a contrasting symbol. It embodies progress, the relentless march of civilization across the American West. Yet, the rails also evoke a sense of vulnerability, a delicate human construct dwarfed by the immensity of the natural world. The railroad is a potent symbol, evoking both ambition and our fleeting existence against the backdrop of geological time. As civilizations rise and fall, the land endures. The mesa remains, a silent witness to the ephemeral dramas of human endeavor.