Browning, A. D. (Harriman, Crane)

A. D. Browning (Harriman, Crane)
As train lines were built in Harney county, towns sprung up to service the route. In 1907, a hotel and general store were built, establishing the town of Harriman. Soon a number of small businesses sprung up, including A. D. Browning’s Sign Shop. He also did a lot of sign work in Burns. He became a photographer to illustrate his sign work, but quickly became a general commercial photogarpher. He produced numerous real photo post cards of scenic views, and did commercial and school photography and portraits. The Harney County Library has several Browning post cards advertising his sign painting business.
When the train tracks were actually built in 1916, the reail head was placed placed a short distance from Harriman. A new town was built, called Crane, and Harriman soon became a ghost town. Browning moved to Crane.
Early postcards from 1916 and earlier are signed on the negative “Browning, Harriman, Ore.” In later 1916 he began signing “A. D. Browning Photo”.