The Most beautiful Bridge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

 

Allow me a bit of nostalgia.  While I've lived more than half my life in California, I did grow up in Pennsylvania and have driven the PA Turnpike more than a few times.  To be honest, I can't remember this particular bridge, and I have my doubts about it being the most beautiful bridge on the highway, but I know where Bedford is, and I've been along the Little Juniata River.  

So, the caption on the back, "America's Dream Highway links Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.  Middle West and Atlantic Seaboard.  It has 160 overpasses and underpasses and 139 bridges for rivers and streams.  The most beautiful bridge is located in the Bedford Narrows."  Published by "MINSKY BROS, & CO., PUBLISHING DIVISION, PITTSBURGH, PA."  

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. 

Owl Drugs

 

Old Los Angeles.  Well, sort of.  Actually, it's Beverly Hills and while somewhat smaller, this building is still there.  Many years ago, I worked nearby and used to walk down there on my lunch hour and buy a snack.  Anyway, I found some information to pass along, but not as much as I'd like.  I know the store opened in 1947, but I couldn't find the name of the architect.  I know the building was commissioned by Justin Dart, the CEO of Rexall Drugs, and that it wasn't just the world's largest drug store, but also the headquarters for the company.  Today, it's a CVS and Target.  The caption on the back of the card, "World Headquarters, REXALL DRUG COMPANY, Beverly and La Cienega Boulevards LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA."  It was published by "WESTERN PUBLISHING & NOVELTY CO., LOS ANGELES, CALIF."  This card was never mailed.  

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park

  

I've got a fair number of postcards in my collection that started out as photographs, and this is one of them.  It's also one of the few that I can actually date.  The original photo was taken at the dedication of The Great Smokey Mountains National Park on September 2, 1940, though the only credit for the original that I've been able to find is the one on the lower border on the front, "PHOTO BY TENN. STATE DEPT. OF CONSERVATION."  Anyway, creating national parks in the West was fairly easy compared to parks in the East.  In the West, land was already owned by the government, in the East, land had to be acquired from private landowners.  In the Smokies, on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, land had to be purchased from both small farmers and large timber companies.  

The caption on the back of the card, "The following inscription appears on the plaque of this memorial: "For the permanent enjoyment of the people, this park was given one half by the peoples and states of North Carolina and Tennessee and the United States of America, and one half in memory of the Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial, founded by her husband, John D. Rockefeller."  The card was 'PUBLISHED BY ASHVILLE POST CARD CO., ASHVILLE, N.C." 

Once again, I don't know why, but a bit of the right side of horizontal images gets slightly cropped.  Click on the image and bring it up in a larger window to see it, side to side. 

The Pennsylvania Turnpike

  

I have a high level of confidence that the original source material for this postcard was a photograph, so I'm posting it here rather than on my Fair Use blog that has some of the few bits of non-photographic ephemera that I've picked up over the years as well as all sorts of images I've found online. I'm guessing that this postcard has more interest for me rather than most visitors to the New Found Photography. I grew up in Pennsylvania and spent quite a few hours traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. 

The turnpike was built in 1940 as the great depression was ending. It's a limited-use toll road that connects Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's three largest cities without actually going into those cities.  For those who hate getting stuck on interstate highways while crossing large urban areas, that was the original vision of President Eisenhower when he envisioned the interstate highway system, and the PA Turnpike, with its toll booths and limited entrances and exits, had to have been somewhat of an inspiration for the current highway system we have. The Pike starts on the Pennsylvania, New Jersey border at the Delaware River interchange and crosses into Ohio near the North Beaver Township tool booth. Monroeville, in Allegheny County, was the nearest entrance to where I grew up. Today, the Turnpike is designated I-76. 

This card was published by "C.T.ART COLORTONE." and was "DISTRIBUTED BY J. B. HOFFMAN & SON, HARRISBURG, PA."  The caption, "The Pennsylvania Turnpike, five miles west of Bedford, crosses over the Lincoln Highway.  The two lane road looks antiquated. Some distance past the Bedford "Interchange" the Turnpike crosses the Lincoln Highway again, runs past the ruins of the historic iron works at Everett, then crosses the Lincoln for the last time."  The Lincoln Highway was the first true interstate highway in the U.S. but not limited access or multi-lane. The Narrows mentioned on the front of the card is a gap in Evitts Mountain. The postmark, "CARLISLE PA OCT 24 7 PM 1951." 

There is a message written on the back. "Hi Dad, I am going to the hospital the 1st of the month am taking the whole month off. Hope to see you at Thanksgiving as we're expecting you. John C." It's addressed to John J. Hofaloom, apt. 6B, 442 Main St. Hartford, Conn."  I'm not 100% sure of dad's name. 

The Vogels of Artesia, New Mexico 2

   

Another hand franked postcard from "Pvt. Roy R. Vogel, 346th Air Base Sgdn., Municipal Air Port , Memphis, Tenn, Barrack 411 S."  Well, now we know Roy's middle initial and his barracks assignment.  Once again it's mailed to "Miss Dorothy Vogel, Artesia, New Mex, Box #632."  Spelled out a bit differently, but the same recipient. And the message, "Dear Dot, I received a letter from you and one from Jane a week or so ago so will send this on to both of you as I have so much waiting to do.  The pictures are just like the animals in the zoo.  It is the second largest in the world.  I am feeling all all right.  I will be closing for today.  Your cousin Roy."  Well, not too detailed, and I have my doubts that the Memphis Zoo was the second largest in the world, but how much can you get on a postcard, and how much honesty can you expect from a young private who was probably away from home for the first time in his life.

  The postmark is "MEMPHIS TENN, DEC 3, 8 PM DE SOTO STA. 1" The caption, "Scenes from the Memphis Zoo, one of the finest in the world."  Click on The Vogel Collection in labels to bring up the rest. 

The Vogels of Artesia, New Mexico 1

 

Time for another three-part collection, though I don't think I'm going to put them up in a row, so click on The Vogel Collection in labels to bring all three up.

So, all three of these postcards were mailed during World War 2 and all three were hand-franked.  Basically, during the war, U.S. military members could use the mail for free.  All they had to do was write free where the stamp should be and off it went.  This card was mailed by "Pvt. Roy Vogel, 346th Air Base Sgdn., Municipal Air Port, Memphis, Tenn."  It was mailed to "Miss Dorothy Vogel, Artesia, New Mexico, Box 632."   And the message, "Dear Dorothy, I received your letter this morn.  Was glad to hear from you. I had some pictures made the other day.  I will send one in a few days. I feel well at present.  Hope I can continue feeling that way.  Your cousin, Roy." 

So, presumably, Roy Vogel was in the Army Air Corp. (There was no separate Air Force during World War 2)  As a private, he wasn't training as a pilot, co-pilot, or navigator.  Perhaps he was training as a mechanic or as a gunner.  

There is a readable postmark, "MEMPHIS, TENN. NOV 3 4 PM 1942, DE SOTO STA."  The card's caption, "The Memphis Municipal Airport is one of the finest in America.  Made by Curteich, Chicago. 

The Grand View Ship Hotel

  

I used to visit this place when I was growing up.  I can remember that it was on the side of a mountain, and yes it was a pretty good view from the top.  We never stayed at the hotel, but we did eat in the restaurant and bought souvenirs in the gift shop.  The caption, "S.S. GRAND VIEW POINT SHIP HOTEL ON LINCOLN HIGHWAY 17 MILES WEST OF BEDFORD, PA.  ELEVATION 2,464 FEET.  GRAND VIEW SHIP HOTEL, at the most beautiful spot in U.S. Summit of Alleghany Mts. 17 miles west of Bedford, Pa. on Historic Lincoln Highway, overlooking 3 states and 7 counties.  Elevation 2,464 feet."  

Okay, I know that that is one messed up caption, but I've double-checked, and I have transcribed it as printed on the back of the card.  And by the way, I assume that people know that the hotel wasn't really a ship. It was an old roadhouse that had a ship's facade nailed on, made of wood, it eventually burned down. 

The Grapevine

 

For those who don't live in southern California, this post might not be of much interest.  Before the construction of the I-5, this windy, two lane road was how people got from Los Angeles to the San Juaquin Valley.  Published by "WESTERN PUBLISHING & NOVELTY CO., LOS ANGELES, CALIF."  

A California Home In Midwinter

Because I don't have a conventional job, and because I'm one of the many  leeches accepting socialist handouts in the guise of social security I was able to hit the road for three weeks at the end of summer.  While in Hurricane, Utah, I found this unused, near mint postcard of a California home, amongst the flowers, in midwinter.  (Yes, I know, all I did was type out the caption on the card.  No imagination.)  The truth is, the only reason I bought it was because I was amazed that I found such a thing in a small town in Utah.   The really weird thing is that the antique store had a stack of these.  Published by "M. Kashower Co., Los Angels, Cal."  M. Kashower was in business from 1914 to 1934, so this card is at least 85 years old.

Harvey House, Barstow, California

Think of the Harvey House as the first true chain restaurant.  Fred Harvey opened his first two restaurants along the Kansas Pacific Railroad in 1876 at Wallace, Kansas, and Hugo, Colorado.  Even though they closed within a year, Harvey was convinced that a series of high quality, low priced restaurants next to railroad watering stops would be big money makers.  In 1878 he entered into a non binding agreement to open Harvey House Restaurants along the Acheson, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad right of ways.  By the time of his death in 1901 he had built and was operating a number of restaurants and hotels throughout the western United States along multiple  rail roads.  He left his business to his family who ran it until it was sold in 1968 to Amfac, Inc.  At the time it was the 6th largest food retailer in the United States.

The Casa del Desierto in Barstow, California was built in 1911.  The building is still there.  It's the home of two museums, the Barstow Chamber of Commerce, and city government offices.  I've been there, it's well maintained and well worth a stop for anyone driving the I-15 between L.A. and Vegas.

The caption on the back, "Casa del Desierto (House of the Desert), the Fred Harvey Hotel at Barstow, is built after the style of the Spanish renaissance, with walls of tapestry brick and gray stone trimmings, red tile roof and arcade balconies on both stories."   The card, unused, was published by "Fred Harvey HOTELS-SHOPS-RESTAURANTS." 

Fun fact, for anyone old enough to remember the blue plate special.  The phrase comes form The Harvey House restaurants, which served dinners on blue china.

Union Station

I went back and forth on this one.  With very few exceptions, this blog is limited to photographs or images made from photographs.  Anything in  my collection that starts life as a drawing goes to my Fair Use blog.  The thing is, I'm not sure on this one.  In the end, after scanning, I blew it up as large as I could, and the tree leaves looked too detailed for a painting, so I decided to go with the whole hand coloring of a black & white photo explanation. 

So, Union Station, Los Angeles, the largest railroad station in the western United States.  Multiple Amtrak lines, a subway line, trolley, lots of buses, and regional rail lines start, end, or pass through Union Station.  I transferred from the Red Line Subway, to the Gold Line Light Rail just yesterday, and it's still in pretty good shape. 

In 1926 the voters of Los Angeles County passed a referendum consolidating all of the commercial rail lines into one common station.  I don't know why it took so long, but Union Station wasn't completed until 1939.  L.A. is building a lot of off road mass transit right now, and California is building a high speed rail line between L.A. and San Francisco, all of which face major delays as one law suit after another, almost all of which aim to stop any form of transportation other than cars, wend their way through the courts.  As noted, I have no idea why it took so long, but I'd be willing to bet that Californians were as litigious back then a they are now.

The caption on the back, "The Union Station, covering 40 acres and costing 11 million dollars, is a beautiful example of the Spanish architecture of southern California and makes an appropriate entrance into the Southland for visitors, delighting them with its modern facilities and lovely garden setting." 

Union Station was designed by father and son architects John and Donald Parkinson.

Me

Not me, me.  The circled me on the postcard, got me? 

Written on the back, "Hi Harriet, Just came down for weekend.  Had a nice time.  See you soon.  Aug  P.S. look at the other side."  Anyway, I guess "Miss Harriet Sietjer, 37-48th St., Weehawken,  N.J."  was used to less than scintillating communication with Aug, possibly short for August.  Postmarked, "WILDWOOD N.J. JUL 30 6 A.M. 1951." 

I don't think that guy is actually me,  no not me, but not the me that is Aug. 

No ICE in Sight

Yes, I know.  The world is very different now from when the original photograph, the basis of this card, was taken.  Still, it's nice to remember that there was once a trolley that connected El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico.  People used it to shop, eat, work, and visit family.  Not a bad way for two neighboring countries to get along.

Dolores Del Rio and Her Hollywood Home

What can I say?  I love Dolores Del Rio.  She was born in Mexico, moved to Hollywood during the silent era and started working in the movies almost immediately.  She made a couple  of really good silents, especially What Price Glory and Ramona, and then, despite the accent, made an easy transition to sound films, making a few classics along the way.  Right of the top of my head, Madame Du Barry, Flying Down to Rio, In Caliente, and Journey Into Fear.  As the Hollywood parts became harder to get, she returned to Mexico and became a big star all over again, and when she was working, Mexican cinema was in a golden era.  As she aged out of lead actress territory, she came back to the United States and finished up her career with TV and smaller movie parts.  She died in 1983, aged 78. 

Next time I get to the Hollywood Walk of Fame with all the cheesy tourist shops I'll have to check if someone is still making postcards of star's homes.  I doubt it, but you never can tell.

Grandpa's Lady

The weird world of real photo postcards.  For those of you who can't read sideways, it says, "Calls herself grandpa's lady."  That is the strangest hat I've ever seen on a child.  At first I thought she was standing in front of something, but after blowing it up, no, it's just the hat.

A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody

Old song, old postcard, and proof that a pretty girl can be used to sell anything.  In this case, Cypress Gardens and postcards.

The caption on the back, "Giant blue Hydrangeas with cover girl, Martha Gray, make this a lovely scene along one of the paths that wind through the tropical Cypress Gardens."  Helpful hint, never include cover girl in an internet search.  Unless, of course, you want to buy lots and lots of makeup.

Ladies, Parasols, and Burning Oil

It may be necessary to click on the image and bring it up in a bigger window to see, but there are ladies, with parasols who have come out to see the burning oil tank.  What a fun way to spend a sunny afternoon.  And for the record, I'd come out to watch a burning oil tank, though I would keep a greater distance.

Published by "HARRY H. HAMM, TOLEDO, OHIO." 

The Post War European Trip Collection-Missouri

It's time to start another collection.  As a rule if I buy an envelope full of material related by theme, and if it's a mixture of photographs, postcards, and non photo ephemera, I'll post anything that started life in a camera here, and the non photos on my Fair Use blog.  This collection is related not just by theme, but it all originates from the same source, so it will all end up on The New Found Photography.  I've got postcards, some photographic, some pure illustration; I've got guide books, a passport pamphlet, a letter, and even a sketch.  So, why is the record of a European trip starting off in Missouri?  Well, our traveler had to start form somewhere.

Lake Tanycomo, short for Lake Tanny County, Missouri, is actually a reservoir on the White River in the Ozark Mountains.  It's near Branson, the country music and kitsch capitol of south central Missouri.  St. Louis, of course, needs no explanation.

Because there is a lot of material in this collection, it will get posted with more than a few interruptions, so, when things progress, The Post War European Trip Collection in labels will be helpful.

Camp Blanding 4

I know it looks like I've got a duplicate from the last post, but not really.  The hospital area card is in the folder twice.  Was that supposed to make the folks back home feel good that there was a large hospital area, or was it a reminder that in war, people are going to get hurt?  This is the last of the Camp Blanding images, but there are still more from the military memorabilia envelope to come.