River Bed Station

Born and raised in Ogden, Utah, the “primitive” painter, Francis Horspool’s works are a unique part of the history and culture of Utah. Horspool’s father William Horspool drove for Ben Holiday’s Overland Stage Company in the 1860’s and his experiences later affected his son’s works. The younger Horspool was both a fireman and a railroad man in his early years. After moving to Salt Lake City in 1907, he worked as a civil engineer, a salesman and a draftsman. Later, he became skilled in oil painting and photography. He worked with meticulous attention to every detail, and his works usually contained personal symbols. A painting by Horspool was typically framed with material onto which the painting could extend and thus appear frameless at a glance.

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