A pioneering photographer, who opened one of the first photography studios in the southwestern United States, has been honored with a headstone commemorating his achievements more than a century after his death.

George Herman Rothrock was one of the first professional photographers in Phoenix, Arizona. He operated the first photography studio in Phoenix, photographing Arizona’s people, landmarks, and daily life from about 1876 into the early 20th century. While working in Arizona, he photographed the cliff dwellings at Montezuma’s Castle and Tonto Natural Bridge, transporting his heavy photographic equipment by mule to reach these sites.

Rothrock, who died in 1924, is finally receiving long-overdue recognition. According to a report by Arizona’s Family , the trailblazing photographer, who captured Arizona’s territorial days before it became a state in 1912, was honored on Monday with a new grave marker at Mesa Cemetery.…