A Canadian native who spent years in Wyoming capturing iconic photos of Native Americans helped revolutionize the art of photography by developing a camera that swiveled with a motor to take panoramic photos.

William J. Johnston’s “panoramic camera” patent application that he filed as a resident of Rock Springs on Jan. 7, 1904, was meant to improve panoramic cameras and was approved by the U.S. Patent Office on Nov. 4, 1904, according to the U.S. Patent Office.

The next year, on Jan. 17, 1905, a patent was approved for his “camera revolving apparatus” that was “free in operation from vibrations and consisting of the minimum number of parts.”

Sweetwater County Historical Museum spokesperson Dick Blust said he was doing research and discovered Johnston’s connection to Rock

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