Although he had hoped to exhibit all three paintings in the Philadelphia exposition celebrating the nation's centennial in 1876, Moran's plans were thwarted when Congress refused to lend the two pictures it had purchased for the Capitol. He did exhibit Mountain of the Holy Cross in the Philadelphia Exposition. Intended to form a grand triptych, the three paintings are seen together for the first time in this exhibition. As a visual reflection of the American debate that set westward expansion and "progress" in opposition to the preservation of "sacred landscapes," the paintings occupy a central position in American cultural history.