FRIDAY, May 8, 2026 |
Photo – Desert Dust presentation flyer – Courtesy Town of Sinclair
The Town of Sinclair is hosting a presentation on Desert Dust, one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
On Thursday, May 14th, the public is invited to attend a presentation by author R.J. “Gill” Gillian in the Sinclair Recreation Hall, next door to the historic Parco Theater. Sinclair Community Events Director Monte Thayer said Gillian, a Rawlins native, wrote a book about Desert Dust, the world‑famous picture of a horse captured in the Red Desert.
The photograph was taken in 1945 by Rawlins photographer Vern Wood at the request of Frank Robbins, a rancher known for capturing wild horses in the Red Desert. Locals had spotted the unusually colored horse and urged Robbins to capture the animal. Thayer said after Wood published his picture, Desert Dust, as the horse became known, gained widespread fame.
The popularity of the Desert Dust photograph prompted Robbins to sue for ownership of the negative. Robbins claimed he had commissioned Wood to take the picture and should control the rights. Thayer said the case was eventually ruled in the rancher’s favor.
Soon after the photograph became famous, Desert Dust starred in a short film called “Fight of the Wild Stallion.” In 1947, the movie was nominated for an Academy Award in the Short Film category, but was narrowly beaten by Climbing the Matterhorn, short documentary about the rescue of a stranded British couple off the Matterhorn mountain.
In 2020, R. J. “Gill” Gillilan and Paul Papa published Desert Dust: One Man’s Passion to Uncover the True Story Behind an Iconic American Photograph, which documents Gillilan’s sixteen‑year investigation into the history of the Desert Dust photograph. The book covers the events surrounding the 1945 capture of the palomino stallion, the photograph’s rise to fame, and the legal dispute between Robbins and Wood.
Gillian will discuss his research and the two men involved in the photograph on May 14th, in the Sinclair Recreation Hall, located at 502 Lincoln Avenue. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00. Admission is free.
For more information, call Sinclair Community Events Director Monte Thayer at 321-8694.
