From the Portland Oregonian.
    A leading feature of the Crater Lake outing under W. G. Steel was the successful climb of Mount Scott, a little-known mountain near the border of the lake, which towers up to somewhere near the height of Mount St. Helens, 9122 feet. Under the leadership of Messrs. Fred and Oscar Kiser, who are perhaps the most daring and successful cliff climbers in the Northwest, a little party of five made the ascent, this party including the first women, it is believed, to make the summit of the peak.
    There are two ways of reaching this mountain from Crater Lake--first, by making a hard two-days' trip of it over the peaks that separate it from the camping ground; secondly, by scaling an apparently impossible cliff 1000 feet high from the edge of the lake. The latter was the way selected.
    Taking the boat at 4 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, the party, which comprised Messrs. Fred and Oscar Kiser, Ralph Woodford and Misses Helen Akins and Gertrude Metcalfe, reached the base of the precipice after a four-mile boat ride on Crater Lake. Perpendicularly out of the water rose the cliff, composed of bare and massive rocks connected by loose sliding shale, in which some trees and brush had found lodgement. A single misstep would send the climber plunging into the bottomless lake below. A 100-foot rope was put into use and shifted from one rock to another higher up till the 1000 perpendicular feet of precipice had been sealed.
    This being successfully accomplished, in spite of the huge falling rocks from above that plunged down across their path, a 2½-mile walk over rolling hills brought them to the base of the mountain which is a tedious but by no means dangerous climb, the loose shale making foothold difficult. There is no snow to speak of on the mountain except on its northern exposure, owing to its location so far southward near the California line. By 10 o'clock the advance guard, Mr. Fred Kiser, stood on the topmost pinnacle, and 11:30 found all the party assembled there.
    The view of Crater Lake from the summit of Mount Scott outrivals any that has hitherto been known. The camera was therefore leveled at it in good earnest. The view commanded the entire lake, with the morning light still upon it, the marvelous reflections which are so distinguishing a feature of the lake and which can be seen only at certain hours being plainly visible. Panoramic views commonly seen of Crater Lake are made from a series of plates, and are not, therefore, correct in perspective, whereas a photograph taken from Mount Scott being upon a single plate is absolutely true to nature. As this is the first photograph ever taken from the summit of Mount Scott, everyone who is interested in Crater Lake is on the qui vive to see the finished picture.
    After eating luncheon on the summit and leaving their names, the descent was begun. At 4:30 p.m. the party of five had reached the lake and were ready for the return by boat. Miss Helen Akins, of Redlands, Cal., did especially brilliant work on the cliff, and as it was her first experience in mountaineering she has been the subject of much admiring comment in camp.
Medford Mail, August 28, 1903, page 1


    Crowds of people are stopping in front of the show windows of J. K. Gill of Portland to see the beautiful display of Crater Lake views that were obtained by the Kiser brothers on their trip with the Steel party. Many of the pictures have been enlarged and show the country around the natural wonder in a most magnificent manner. One of the pictures shows the entire lake, and it is the only one that has ever been taken on one plate. This was taken from the top of Mount Scott.
    Another of the enlarged views shows the walls of the lake, which average about 2000 feet in height The views are exceptionally clear and distinct, representing the scenery all along the road from the start from Medford until they returned to the railroad at Ashland.
Democratic Times, Jacksonville, September 9, 1903, page 4


    VIEWS OF OREGON SCENERY.--Last evening at First Presbyterian Church the Kiser brothers, assisted by Will G. Steel, gave a most interesting exhibition of Oregon scenery by means of stereopticon views. Mr. Fred Kiser described the views of the Columbia River, and Mr. Steel enthusiastically explained the views of Crater Lake. The audience was very appreciative, and at the close of the entertainment gave the speakers a round of applause. It was the unanimous verdict of those present that Oregon scenery is not to be surpassed on this continent nor in Europe.
"City News in Brief," Oregonian, Portland, April 6, 1904, page 7




    CAMP MAZAMA, via Maple Falls, Wash., Aug. 8.--(Special.)--The official and the only ascent of Mount Baker made from Camp Mazama was successfully accomplished yesterday by a picked party of six, who reached the summit by a route up the northeast side of the mountain. The success of the ascent was due entirely to the efforts of Fred H. Kiser, of Portland, who was the life of the party, and who, during the 18 hours consumed in the trip, showed almost superhuman endurance and nerve.
    The ascent of a party of 36 on Monday having failed, the main party spent the night in a temporary camp at the base of the mountain, returning to the main camp for breakfast. Mr. Kiser chose five men to accompany him in one more effort to cross the ice field on the northeast slope. After several hours' climbing across Wells Creek glacier and the ridge that separates it from the glacier at the head of Swift Creek, the party reached the point just under the summit where a lifeline had been anchored the night before.
    The line was found secure, but the crevasse had widened and all of the bridge had fallen in, leaving a clean jump to be made. Above this a mass of snow hung, breaking from the crevasse along the eastern wall, but the snow was soft, offering a foothold, and progress was fairly rapid. Inside this crevasse lay a shell of rotten snow and ice, with one overhanging wall of snow 40 feet high.
    No passageway could be found over this and a tunnel was dug through it into a smaller crevasse above. Working north 100 feet in the bottom of this crevasse a way to ascend was found leading out to the ice-field that hangs like a great curtain across the mountain.
    The sun had set and on that part of the  mountain the snow was freezing. A stream of ice water was falling from the overhanging snow-field and drenching everyone and if the attempted ascent was to succeed it had to be made within an hour.
    To cut steps up such a long slope was not possible, and Mr. Kiser chopped away the overhanging wall of ice and stepped out on the slope. He wore heavy ice-creepers, and was enabled to cling to the slope and slowly make his way upwards. In a half-hour he had reached the top of the slope and fastened the lifeline. Then, one by one, the others of the party came up.
    Beyond this it was only snow-fields, broken by crevasses and a gradual ascent to the summit. The first two of the party were on the summit at 3 o'clock, and the return trip began at 3:40. Those who were successful reaching the summit were Fred H. Kiser, Martin Wanlich, C. E. Forsyth, C. W. Williams, L. H. Hildebrant and Asahel Curtis.
    A forest fire routed the sleeping Mazamas out of their tents at 3:30 o'clock yesterday morning, but 25 of the party fought the flames and succeeded in driving them back and no damage to the camp was done. To bring most of the climbers from Glacier, a special train will leave here over the Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railroad Friday.
Oregonian, Portland, August 9, 1906, page 9


    E. A. Chindlund, who was the former proprietor of Ricker's art studio in this city, arrived Sunday morning on a short trip. Mr. Chindlund is now with the Kiser Photograph Co. of Portland, which engages in a wholesale business solely.
"Personal Mention," Colfax Gazette, Colfax, Washington, September 20, 1907, page 2


    Oregon is to be advertised in the East during the coming winter months with a collection of photographs the like of which, from the standpoint of scenic beauty, has never been exhibited in America. They are the work of F. H. Kiser, the intrepid photographer who dares to plunge into bottomless valleys and to scale almost inaccessible heights in order to press the camera button. Kiser has for three years past been engaged in the difficult and thankless task of reproducing in picture form the splendid beauties of the rugged mountain scenery of the Northwest. The views will be on exhibit at the Portland Hotel for one week, beginning Thursday.
    Kiser has scaled the dizzy heights of Mount Jefferson; he has scrambled to the dome of Mount Hood; he has mastered the baffling crevasses and thwarting passes of Mount Rainier and, in fact, has assailed every conspicuous altitude of the Northwest, and produced them, or rather, reproduced them on the negatives of his active camera. Kiser has not been limited of hampered by the physical difficulties which he has been brought face to face with, but he has overcome them and "shot" them with the sole purpose in view of exhibiting them in the cities of the East where no such natural grandeurs are to be seen or appreciated.
    Henry B. Corliss, who is also deeply interested in the conquest of the mountains of the Northwest, will take the collection East, starting the latter part of next week, and will put them on display in all the large Eastern art centers. His first stopping place will, of course, be Chicago. From there he will visit Philadelphia, Washington, New York and Boston.
    Kiser has been experimenting for a number of years, and has devised a scheme of photography which has produced results not obtainable under the usual methods. He has been ridiculed and made fun of and has encountered all sorts of opposition in his attempts to put the results of his experimenting upon the market.
    One of his achievements with his 24x36 largest plate camera, the biggest one of its kind ever constructed, was the photographing of more than 6000 employees of the National Cash Register Company. In taking this picture he had to employ four operators, all working under his supervision, and this is said to have been the largest group picture ever taken by any photographer or by any camera.
    His artistic skill, his energy and daring in making realistic pictures of scenery never before photographed has been the means of showing to people in almost every corner of the earth what can be done with a faithful camera and a man who will sacrifice everything and overcome every obstacle in the attainment of his object. As a result of the great work of Mr. Kiser, the Pacific Northwest has been made to show a greater variety of beautiful and grand scenery than any other spot on the face of the globe.
    Taking advantage of the exploitation which the St. Louis Exposition gave him, Mr. Kiser has sought to perpetuate in pictorial form all the beauties of the Northwest. His magnificent work in displaying the grandeur of the Columbia River in the series of pictures which he exhibited at St. Louis enabled him to command attention as an artist among the leading camera experts of the country. Getting away from the idea that a man with a camera was purely a "picture man," Kiser has shown himself to be a real nature lover, with an undaunted spirit, and with an enthusiasm for the work that has made him successful in all his undertakings.
    He is the first of the real mountain climbers who has gotten away from the time-honored habit of packing a small camera slung over the shoulder and of "taking"' everything which appeals to the eye. He works with seven or eight horses in a pack train and carries his outfit into the unexplored regions of the mountains and canyons and he has his own darkroom with him for the development of the negatives which he takes.
    Places that are easy of access do not appeal to him; he would rather pass a day or two in negotiating a hazardous cliff or bluff than he would to ascend an easy slope, on the ground that the latter task would afford no new assistance in the advancement of scientific research, whereas 100 feet upward in a direction which none had previously been able to negotiate would mean so much enlightenment in the world of scientific investigation.
    Kiser, in illustrating the great wonderland of the Northwest, declares he has just been engaged in photography for the past eight years, and in all that time he says he has opened up new revelations of the grand and magnificent scenery of this section of the country.
    Among the recent feats which Mr. Kiser has accomplished is the present summer's campaign in which he has been able to perpetuate in pictures the great and magnificent Mount Jefferson and Crater Lake regions. Not only are the negatives secured valuable as scientific and geographical specimens of merit, but they are works of art, as well.
    Out of all the work that has been done in Oregon, a marvelously beautiful and complete selection of photographs has been gathered together for use in the campaign of exploitation and exhibition in the East.
    Quite a number of the most striking pictures which have obtained by Mr. Kiser have been painted to catch the vivid and natural colors and these with the hundreds of camera reproductions will be shown for several days in the forthcoming exposition.
    Particular value attaches to the exhibit for the reason that Mr. Kiser has photographed places that have never been photographed before and also places so inaccessible that it is doubtful if they will ever be photographed again. Kiser has set up his camera on heights that seemed insurmountable and has risked his life and his valuable instruments in order to obtain these remarkable views which lovers of nature may send broadcast for the purposes of enjoying sights that may not be viewed as they are.
    The collection of negatives which Mr. Corliss will take east with him will be the most complete of any that have ever been sent from this section of country, and will cover almost every phase of scenic beauty the state of Oregon possesses.
    Unusual interest has already been aroused in the local exhibit and the mere fact that the pictures of Oregon scenery are to be included in art exhibits in Eastern galleries is assurance enough that there will be no loss of interest when the Kiser pictures are displayed in the art museums of Chicago, New York and Boston.
Sunday Oregonian, Portland, September 22, 1907, page E2


    The wonderful ability of Mr. Kiser and the fidelity with which the photographs are painted portray Crater Lake more nearly as it is than any other pictures that have ever been made through any other medium.
"Crater Lake Portrayed in Picture," Medford Daily Tribune, October 23, 1907, page 2




"Scenic Display of Our Wonders for Exposition," Medford Daily Tribune, April 29, 1909, page 1








    Mr. Parkhurst was accompanied to the lake by Mr. Kiser, of the Kiser Photo Company, whose photographs and color work of the lake are famous. Mr. Kiser has resigned as landscape photographer for the Great Northern system, having completed a series of Glacier Park, and will spend the entire summer at the lake, securing new views and photographing famous parties.
"Crater Lake Inn Opens July First," Medford Mail Tribune, June 29, 1914, page 2


    F. H. Kiser of the Kiser Photograph Company of Portland is in the valley taking views to be used in a booklet to be issued singing the praises of Crater Lake and the Rogue River Valley. Mr. Kiser has secured several hundred magnificent pictures of the lake, including one showing rainbow trout swimming.
"Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, September 14, 1914, page 4


    F. H. Kiser, Crater Lake photographer, who spent a week in Medford securing photographs to embellish a boat on Crater Lake, returned to the lake Monday.
"Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, September 21, 1914, page 2


    Miss [Mabel] Russell returned Tuesday evening from Crater Lake, where she has been for the past few weeks taking pictures and doing color work for F. H. Kiser, the official photographer of the Crater Lake Company. She has some of the most wonderful views of Crater Lake that have ever been taken. Prior to going to the lake she took photographs of Mount Shasta, and she also has some of these that are wonderful.
    One of her greatest achievements is a sunset picture taken by Mr. Kiser and colored by her. It is a marvel of soft, harmonious color--picturing the soft orange sunset, with the silver-lined clouds half obscuring the sun. One cannot believe that such a picture could be possible until the original photograph is scanned. Miss Russell is now in he permanent employ of Kiser Bros. and will paint pictures and do color work for the Crater Lake Company's exhibit at the exposition.
    One of the prize winners that Miss Russell is going to paint for the fair will be in a series of three pictures, the first representing a beautiful forest section, the second a raging forest fire, and the third the burned-off land.
    Miss Russell leaves Friday for Montague, where she will join F. H. Kiser, A. L. Parkhurst, president of the Crater Lake Company, and Miss Anna Schrade, the manager of the Crater Lake Company. For the next few weeks she will color photographs of scenes around Mount Shasta, having the actual scenes for the color work. Miss Russell is certainly making a great success of her work as an artist.
Ashland Tidings, October 1, 1914, page 1


    Striking hand-painted photos of the Rogue River Valley, showing orchard and natural scenery, have been prepared by Fred Kiser of the Kiser Photo Company, and are marvelous works, portraying impressively the beauties of this section. They will be on display at the Commercial Club exhibit building Monday. They will be put on exhibition at the Panama Exposition as part of Jackson County's display.
    The photos are as true to life as human skill can make them. Every tiny detail of form and coloring is shown. The 401 Orchard is one of the pictures. The orchard, the houses, the broad expanse of valley, with Roxy Ann as a central background, make a charming scene. Another is a picture of Table Rock in late summer. The gaudy autumn colors of the shrubbery is shown on the trees, along with the rock coloring and the blue of the river.
    The pictures are worth seeing from an artistic standpoint and valuable as an advertising asset.
Medford Mail Tribune, January 16, 1915, page 2

    ASHLAND, June 30.--H. S. Hammond and W. W. Evans, representatives of the Kiser Studios, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, are here to take moving pictures of the parade and any special features of the celebration that may arise, and while here they will probably make a scenic film of Lithia Park and the beautiful canyon up to Mount Ashland.
    It is also probable that Mr. Fred H. Kiser, president of Kiser Studios, Inc., will be here for the celebration and have, as his guest, Mr. Walter Prichard Eaton, the well-known dramatic critic and author. They are making quite an extended trip throughout the Cascade Range and Oregon.
    Arrangements have been made to show the picture at the Vining Theatre. Announcement of the showing date will be made later.
    As a special attraction the Vining Theatre will present the thrilling and marvelous picture "Snowblind," as well as one of the popular Buster Keaton comedies, "Hard Luck." Performance will be continuous all day beginning at 10 a.m. and the last show starting at midnight.
    Miss Thelma Herr has been selected to accompany Lieut. Clyde Pangborn in his flight over the parade and scatter roses along the line of march.
    Nothing is being left undone to make this the most elaborate celebration ever held in Jackson County.
Medford Mail Tribune, June 30, 1921, page 5