A Canadian-born inventor who made Rock Springs, Wyoming his home revolutionized the world of photography in 1905 with his groundbreaking panoramic camera technology. William J. Johnston's innovative motor-driven swiveling camera system transformed how photographers captured wide-sweeping images and fundamentally changed the art of photography, particularly for large group portraits and expansive landscape photography.

Johnston filed his panoramic camera patent application as a Rock Springs resident on January 7, 1904, specifically designed to improve existing panoramic camera technology. The U.S. Patent Office approved his initial patent on November 4, 1904, followed by approval of his camera revolving apparatus patent on January 17, 1905. This revolving apparatus was engineered to operate free from vibrations while consisting of the minimum number of mechanical parts.

Dick Blust, spokesperson for the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, discovered Johnston's connection to Rock Springs during his research and created a Facebook post highlighting this remarkable former county resident. "It was just fascinating to learn about panoramic cameras and how they worked," Blust explained. "You can do that on most smartphones now, but in those days, it was very mechanical."

Johnston's patent application described his invention as allowing for "a continuous panoramic view of any scene within a circle or any portion of a circle." The patent documentation emphasized how the camera was designed to "combine utility with compactness" and offer users "a device that was simple in construction, practical and easy of adjustment." The resulting Cirkut camera sat on a chrome disk, featured a clockwork motor, and rotated smoothly while film rolled from a spool past the shutter onto a take-up drum in varying lengths.

By 1905, Johnston had relocated from Wyoming, but his Rock Springs connections led to local investors backing the Rochester Panoramic Camera Company of Rochester, New York. The Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office listed David A. Reaville, a Rock Springs attorney, as having patents assigned to this Wyoming corporation. The Rock Springs Miner reported on April 8, 1905, that the Cirkut camera was being manufactured by "a company composed principally of Rock Springs men."

The invention generated significant excitement in the photography world. "The invention of Mr. Johnston has created much discussion on the part of the expert photographers of the world, and it is the consensus of opinion that the Cirkut is the nearest to perfection of any camera on the market," the Rock Springs Miner stated. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette described the camera as "built to take in a view as great as the eye can comprehend from one point" and predicted it would "revolutionize photography, especially in the taking of large groups and extensive landscapes."

Despite initial success, the Rochester Panoramic Camera Company was short-lived, being acquired by the Century Company by the end of 1905. Just two years later, in 1907, Eastman Kodak purchased the Century Company. A Kodak sales brochure explained the camera's appeal: "The Cirkut photographer is not hampered by the limits set by the size of his camera. He can make his negative as long or short as may be required to produce the best pictoral effect... He can include in his view any angle, even the complete circle of 360 degrees."

Although Cirkut technology continued to be improved and various models were developed based on film width, the cameras reached peak popularity before sales began declining in the 1920s. Kodak sold the camera division in 1926, though Cirkut cameras continued to be manufactured until 1945. Dave Bell, a Pinedale-based photographer, noted that while today's photographers can create panoramic scenes with "three clicks with Photoshop software," Johnston's invention "must have blown minds back then."

Beyond his camera invention, Johnston had an equally impressive career as a photographer. In the late 1880s, he partnered with Charles Baker, a photographer from Evanston, to capture iconic images of Native Americans. "The photograph of Chief Washakie, you see everywhere is theirs," Blust noted, "and that's an iconic photograph." The University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center holds 77 original glass plate negatives and copy prints of Native Americans, primarily from the Shoshone, Arapaho, and Apache tribes, photographed by Baker and Johnston.

William Hopkins, Assistant Director of the American Heritage Center, emphasized the historical significance of these photographs: "They are incredibly important historically because they provide us with a connection to the past, like any and all historic photographs they are a window on the past." The collection includes images of Chief Washakie, General Crook, an Arapaho camp, and the legendary Apache leader Geronimo.

Newspaper records document Johnston's extensive work throughout Wyoming. In 1885, the Carbon County Journal reported his presence in Rawlins, describing him as part of "the well-known photographic firm of Baker & Johnston." In 1891, the Cheyenne Daily Sun reported Johnston was aboard the newly christened steamer Major Powell, assigned to photograph a crew's journey down the Green River to the Colorado River. The Rock Springs Miner noted in 1892 that Johnston was conducting "a rattling business" in Lander, Fremont County.

The 1900 census listed Johnston as living in Rock Springs, married to Margaret Johnston, and 43 years old. However, by 1906, the Johnston family had apparently relocated to Toronto, Canada, as reported by the Rock Springs Miner when it noted that Mrs. C.C. Freeman and her children had traveled there to visit the Johnston family. Johnston's legacy represents a remarkable intersection of technological innovation and artistic documentation, leaving an indelible mark on both photographic technology and the historical record of the American West.