Joseph Shimitz (1874-1929) operated a photographic studio in Cheyenne between about 1908 and 1928. His work included both studio portraiture and commercial/business photography, though he also dabled in sports photography, especially rodeo and baseball.

Joseph Shimitz was born on the family farm near Riverside, Iowa on March 24, 1873. He dreamed of becoming a cowboy and headed West, settling near Cheyenne around 1900. In 1901, while recovering from an injury, he purchased a photographic studio. The following April, he married Mrs. Susan Belle Oakes. With this marriage came a stepson named William Chapman. The couple later adopted a girl named Alma, who died at the age of 14 in 1918.

Over the next 28 years, Shimitz grew his photography business, changing locations and equipment often. By the early 1910s, he had acquired an artificial light to aid in taking interior and studio images. Portraits were his bread and butter. Many negatives show masterful retouching to smooth skin, remove freckles and moles, reunite families, or remove unwanted subjects. Shimitz’s nearly blind younger brother Sylvester worked in the studio for many years.

Shimitz was active in many local organizations including the Eagles and Rotary Club. In 1921, he was named the 100% Rotarian of Cheyenne for having never missed a meeting or convention. He also sponsored a city league baseball team during the 1913 season called the Shimitz Terrors.

Around 1929, Shimitz learned that he had a terminal cancer and sold his studio. He died at Watertown, South Dakota on September 1929. His body was returned to Cheyenne for burial.