The Rainbow Pier, Long Beach, California

 

It always seems like Long Beach is looking for another tourist attraction.  Right now, it's the Queen Mary and the Long Beach Aquarium, which I admit, is pretty impressive.  So, in 1931 it was the Rainbow Pier.  It was a rainbow-shaped fishing pier, 3800 feet long, with a roadway on the top that allowed cars to drive over the Pacific Ocean.  Eventually, rotting pilings and storm damage made repairs prohibitively expensive so the Rainbow Pier became the Rainbow Lagoon after a hell of a lot of rock and dirt was dumped where the pier once was.  This card was once pasted into a photo album, so most of the back is covered in black construction paper.  I can't make out any of the written message, just a few letters that were exposed when it was removed from the album.  I can make out part of the postmark, so it was mailed.  Dated, 1937. 

Cooling Off at the Ducklake

 

Written on the back of the top photo, "Virginia Fraser, Carolyn, Bonnie, Helen Cameron, at the Ducklake, July, 37."  The bottom photo, "Bonnie Thompson, Virginia Fraser, July 1937."  I wonder how hot it was in July 1937 at the Ducklake? 

His Girlfriend's Clothes

  

Or perhaps his sister's.  Nice hat, by the way. Dated "May 1937"  

The Los Angeles River

Yes, Los Angeles does have a river, it flows year round and local leaders are trying to restore it, or at least make it less like it is now, which is paved in concrete and pretty lifeless in areas.  In the neighborhood where I live, the L.A. river has bike paths, trees, a natural bottom with islands.  It also has a lot of homeless encampments that forces cyclists to slow down to avoid hitting the campers, their shelters and their possessions. 

On the back, "IRA SWETT---Standard Collection"  I found a bit about Swett.  He was born in L.A. in 1913 and died, also in Los Angeles, in 1975.  I couldn't find any evidence that he ever worked for a railroad or interurban company, but I did find plenty of proof of his love of light rail.  He was the author of a number of booklets and news letters about L.A. area traction companies, and a few things about transit in Seattle.  He was stationed there during World War 2.   Basically, he was born at the height of interurban transportation  in Los Angeles and lived to see it die.  Since Swett's death L.A. county has added a number of new light rail lines and a subway, with a number of extensions are  being built.

 Also stamped on the back, "J737"  A best guess, either June or July 7, 1937.  The Los Angeles River was paved in 1938.  I don't know exactly where this picture was taken, but the large building in the background is a hospital that's still there. 

Bicycling In Baghdad

Written on the back, "To dear brother Albert Mauricy, Baghdad 25-8-1937." 

A Looking Sideways Extra Photo

I've noticed that a lot of the extra photos from the envelopes I buy are of women.  My best guess is that the men in these women's lives controlled the camera, which I think must be a pretty common thing. This one is dated with a processor's stamp, "MAY 11, 1937, BEAR PHOTO SERVICE."