Ramona was an 1884 novel by Helen Hunt Jackson which described the travails endured by our young half-Scottish half-Native American heroine, mostly due to racial discrimination. It was immensely popular, and many places in San Diego jumped on the popularity bandwagon, claiming to be the places portrayed in the novel. The Camulos Ranch, pictured above, had a valid claim; the author is known to have visited there during her research, and describes particular furnishings and other items at Camulos in great detail, despite having stayed there only a few hours.

This card is one among a group of six cards purchased at Ramona’s Marriage Place, another attraction, that I found in a shop as part of a lot of several California cards. Each of them has a “From Ramona’s Marriage Place” rubber stamp on the back, and were probably purchased at the same time by the same tourist.

None of the cards appears to be any newer than around 1915 at the very latest. This particular card is a very early Curt Teich “C. T. Photochrom” postcard, number A-33852, published in 1913.

Here’s a little something to cool you off on this hot summer’s Postcard Friendship Friday: “Iceberg Lake, Altitude 11,500 Ft., Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.”  It was in fact posted from Estes Park, CO on 3 August 1940; I guess somebody else was trying to cool off, too.  But we’ll never know who.

This is a Curt Teich “C. T. Art-Colortone” linen postcard, number 6A-H288, published in 1936.  Odd that there’s no message, but it does happen from time to time.  I received a postcard myself just last week (Update: correction — two weeks ago — Ed.) with no message; I was very put out about it.

Be sure to check out the other blogs celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday.

“Missouri Watermelons: The delta-area of southeast Missouri is noted for its production of watermelons. One of the area’s main crops.”  Sentence fragment FTL from the description on the back of the card.

I love this card because the photo is timeless; it might have been taken yesterday or 50 years ago.  I was able to discover (pretty easily, this being a John Hinde Curteich card with a serial number) that this card was produced in 1972 which, if the photo is contemporaneous, would mean that this young lady is in her early 40′s.  Maybe she’ll stop by and tell us her identity!

“Loading cotton at the Port of Corpus Christi, for ports throughout the world. For many years cotton was the main export commodity; however, in recent years, petroleum, petroleum products, chemicals and agricultural products have become major export commodities. In 1949 the Corpus Christi Waterway ranked 9th in tonnage among U.S. ports.”

This card is a bit of conundrum.  The Curt Teich serial number (4A-H2018) is unequivocal proof that this card was manufactured in 1934.  However, the description makes reference to events of 1949.  Obviously, therefore, this is a reprint and, according to the manufacturer’s procedure, should have received a reprint serial number, but did not.  Somebody was being lazy.

As far as lazy goes, the coloring on this card isn’t up to the usual Curt Teich standards either.  This image started out as a black-and-white photo, and the colorist simply failed to color the ship names on the bows, preferring instead to leave a rectangular non-colorized shape around the names.  The masts of the ships in the foreground, and the entire ship in the background, remain in black-and-white as well.

This is a card from Great-Grandpa Phil’s collection, sent to him and the missus from Corpus Christi on 23 June 1953 from “The Moyers”: “Hi folks. We are having a swell time, but sure is hot in Texas.”  Hot?  In Texas?  In June?  Seriously?

The colorist for this Curt Teich card (number 7A-H115, published in 1937 for the C. F. Johnston Company of Seattle) apparently felt that the town of Wrangell deserved to be portrayed as vividly as possible.  And from what I can tell, the Wrangell of today, though a bit larger, is just as vivid.  Wrangell is steeped in Tlinget culture, and is home to incredible nature observatories where one can watch the salmon-fishing bears from behind a photo blind.  They are also home to large concentrations of bald eagles during the spring and fall.

Wrangell’s main industry seems to be tourism; they boast no less than a dozen bed and breakfast inns.  Interestingly, the town is not accessible by road; one must travel by sea or air to get there.

This postcard is a gift from Donna, who claims that her postcards multiply overnight and is therefore trying to downsize.  Many thanks!

“The lone San Diego Mission Palm is the one remaining of the original four planted in 1769. Two were sent to Chicago to the Worlds Fair in 1892 and the third was blown down in 1913 while the fourth is pining for its mates and is losing strength rapidly.” This description comes from the back of this Curt Teich “C. T. Photochrom”, number A-48679, published in 1914. I am not able to find mention of this mission palm in any contemporary accounts, and am forced to assume that it no longer exists.

This card is one among a group of six cards purchased at Ramona’s Marriage Place, a tourist attraction, that I found in a shop as part of a lot of several California cards. Each of them has a “From Ramona’s Marriage Place” rubber stamp on the back, and were probably purchased at the same time by the same tourist. None of the six cards appears to be any newer than around 1915 at the very latest.

Postcard Friendship Friday once again brings us a card exchanged by postcard friends from long ago.  This card was sent to Kay Anthony on 7 October 1946 from Beason, Illinois, from her postcard pal Mrs. Logan Edwards.  Mrs. Edwards writes:

“This is a card I got in North Dakota as we traveled to the West Coast by train. We were gone right at five weeks and I will never forget the lovely scenery. We went as far north as Vancouver B.C. and as far south as San Diego, Cal. Our relatives out west showed us such as nice time.”

This is a Curteich “C. T. American Art” postcard, number 103046-N, and it’s a linen postcard, though the card stock is heavier than typical of these types of cards.  The serial number indicates that it’s a reprint of an original run, and records weren’t kept of those types of runs; I can tell, however, that the original run was made in 1925.

The history of the building itself shows that, the more things change, the more things stay the same.  In 1919, the North Dakota Legislature granted an appropriation of $200,000 (adjusted for inflation, that’s about $2.44 million) to construct a building as a memorial to those who fell during the Great War (that is, World War I).  Consequently, some committee sat around for several months trying to decide what sort of design they wanted and, time being money, they decided to hurry up and get the basement poured while they finally got around to telling the architect how it should look.  Construction of the basement alone wound up using most of the appropriation, and so an additional appropriation of $150,000 was requested — in other words, the building went over budget by about 75%.  But why should the government care?  Hey, it wasn’t their money.

“This view presents (the) original Pass of the North (Paso del Norte). It shows the Rio Grande, Highway U.S. 80, the Canal and Santa Fe R.R. emerging from this famous pass. Across the river are seen mountains in Old Mexico and Mt. Cristo Rey with its “Christ the King” Statue overlooking the valley.”

It used to be possible to take Highway 80 from coast to coast but, with the advent of Interstate Highways, the entire portion of US 80 west of Dallas, Texas has been decommissioned.  It’s still possible to take Highway 80 from Dallas and head east, staying with it all the way to the Atlantic Ocean; you’ll end up at Tybee Island, Georgia.

It’s unusual to see the description on the front of the card instead of the back, but there it is.  This is a Curteich “C. T. Art-Colortone” postcard, number 5B-H345, manufactured in 1945, and in pristine condition thanks to Kay Anthony.

Oh, my, how opulent.  I’m sure that the fine people of Depression-era Pennsylvania didn’t mind paying for this at all.  Well, on the plus side, since the room was destined to be filled with politicians, we can be sure that this project was “shovel-ready”.

This is a Curteich “C. T. Art-Colortone” linen postcard, number 3A-H911, manufactured in 1933, and is postally unused.  It’s in pristine condition, thanks to the care of Kay Anthony.

This is an unused Curteich “C. T. Art-Colortone” card, number 1B-H723, manufactured in 1941 and coming to us from the collection of Kay Anthony.  The back of the card bears no description. I especially like the radio tower at the top of the building; it was probably the tallest construction in the city at the time.

Located at southeast corner of North Third and Walnut Streets in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the hotel had 14 stories and was constructed in 1918.  The original building on this site, the four-story YWCA, was built in 1914 and was demolished after only four years in favor of the hotel.

Sadly, the hotel itself was demolished in 1978 to make way for Strawberry Square, a million-square-foot office and shopping complex.

Here’s a postcard that Kay Anthony received in 1947 as part of a swap.  Mildred Wickham of Cumberland, Ohio, wrote the card on July 10, 1947, but didn’t mail it until four days later.  Mildred writes:

“Dear Pal: Thanks for lovely v. card of last mo. It wasn’t stamped at all in P.O. It’s raining this eve. I took ill last eve stomach spell, sore mouth. It’s due to a lack of vitamon (sic) B. Because my system won’t absorb it properly. I take lots of them. Jesus is precious to me & He never fails, Bless His sweet name.”

This is a Curteich “C. T. Art Colortone” postcard, number 6B-H224, manufactured in 1946 and distributed by the Black and Grant Company of Zanesville.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday!

“Stanford Memorial Chapel — located on the Campus of Stanford University, is considered one of the most beautiful churches in America. The extensive use of art mosaics for mural decorations combine to make it a structure more than unique in character, worthy of visiting and well remembered. This church was built as a memorial by Mrs. Stanford to her husband Senator Leland Stanford. Dedicated in January 1903. Only non-sectarian services are held.”

This is an obvious Curt Teich card (number 0B-H123, produced in 1940) but is marked only as being copyrighted by the Stanley A. Piltz Company of San Francisco as part of their “Pictorial Wonderland Art-Tone Series”. There is a little wear on the corners, but otherwise this card is in excellent condition. You should definitely click on the picture, so that you can marvel at the painstaking detail of this card’s colorist.

“The magnificent and palatial Sun Valley Lodge is located in the heart of Sawtooth Mountains, south of Galena Pass and near Ketchum, Idaho. The view shown is looking east up Trail Creek Pass. Skiing, skating, tobogganing and dog-sledging (sic) are typical activities attracting international sportsmen. Cost $1,500,000.” I hope they’re referring to the cost of building the Lodge rather than going on a ski vacation.

This Curt Teich card (number 7A-H3945, published in 1937) features a photograph by Wesley Andrews, and was in fact distributed by the Wesley Andrews Company of Portland, Oregon. Andrews started out making real photo postcards early in his career, then apparently outsourced production to the Teich Company later. A beautiful card despite some minor damage in one corner.

This Curt Teich card (number 0B-H2338, produced in 1940) still has gorgeous colors. It came to me from the collection of Kay Anthony.

According to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park website, “World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park.” Remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture? Paddle faster, I hear banjos!

This Curt Teich “C. T. Art-Colortone” postcard (number 0B-H2159, manufactured in 1940) bears no description. However, according to the Friends of Elizabeth Park, this garden “is the oldest municipally operated rose garden in the country. It is a two and a half acre garden which has about 800 varieties of roses that amount to 15,000 plants.” The photograph on their website is taken from the same angle (albeit farther away), and things look pretty much unchanged.

This card was mailed from Waterbury, Connecticut on October 22, 1952, from one Sam Duncan to Mr. Joseph Bigley, in care of Mr. Messer at the Board of Transportation in Brooklyn, New York. Sam writes: “Hello, Joe: Being always mindful of my association with all you men and it being a delightful pleasure, I, at this time greet you all. Sincerely, Sam. Duncan.”

This message seems rather empty, maybe even glad-handing. My theory is that Sam was some politician or union boss who decided to drop a note from his house in the country out to shop steward Joe, in care of his boss back in Brooklyn. Tell the boys, Joe, that I’m thinking of you all, busting your humps back in the city, while I’m out here smelling the roses.

“One of Tulsa’s beautiful churches, located at 1115 South Boulder.” And it still is, although today they go by the name of First United Methodist Church. A Curt Teich card, number 2C-H1085, manufactured in 1952 and a bit yellowed with age.

This Curt Teich linen postcard, number 5B-H530, was manufactured in 1945 and distributed by Benjamin’s Photo Art Service of Mackinac Island. It wasn’t postally used until August 7, 1958 (according to the postmark), sent from Traverse City, Michigan to Mr. & Mrs. P. G. Gussman of Lewstown, Pennsylvania. “Laura Ann” writes: “Dear Grandma & Grandpa: Having a nice time. On the boat coming to Mackinac Island this Grand Hotel is very beautiful. The view is beautiful on the Island. Especially at Fort Mackinac. Made a sack or chemise I don’t know which for Ginger.” Talk about a non-sequitur.

Many people will recognize the hotel from the film Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. It was based on the book Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. The action in the book takes place at a completely different hotel, which I will write about another day.

“Ventnor City, a quiet, peaceful residential section adjacent to Atlantic City, is justly famous for its wonderful beaches, boardwalk, piers and tennis courts. ‘If you want to Live, Live in Ventnor!’” Sounds like a line from an Arnold Schwarzenegger picture.

This Curt Teich card, number 9A-H1888, was manufactured in 1939 and distributed by the Jersey Supply Company of Atlantic City.

“One of the most panoramic views of the entire Eastern section of the country is this Potomac Valley scene south of Hancock, Maryland. It shows portion of West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania and a great fruit growing section.”

This postcard bears a Curt Teich serial number indicating manufacture in 1943, but the publisher’s mark reads Marken & Bielfeld, Inc., Frederick, Md. From what I can tell, Marken & Bielfeld seems to have been (at least in the past) a publisher of local histories like this one of Carrollton Manor, Frederick County, Maryland. They are still in business in Frederick after over a century.

This is a Union Pacific Railroad Pictorial Post Card — basically a commercial that you get to pay for. “A summer vacation outing on one of these Western guest ranches provides zestful recreation and healthful activities that can scarcely be duplicated elsewhere.” Well, with the possible exception of nudist colonies. Oh, forgive me, I didn’t mean to interrupt the commercial message: “Union Pacific Railroad serves the Dude Ranch country.” Ah, there it is.

Despite the lack of mention on the card, this is an obvious Curt Teich card, number 6B-H1205, with the number indicating manufacture in 1946. I know that Teich manufactured cards on spec for hundreds of organizations, but I can’t recall any other card that doesn’t have his publication data on it. I am amazed at how much of the original color remains. Our friend Lloyd Stoltz posted it to fellow collector Kay Anthony on March 12, 1952, from his home in Reading, PA.

Lloyd begins with “Greetings, Kay,” then immediately follows it with “D” in quotation marks; two small X’s, one on top of the other; then a long dash (for you computer geeks, I mean an em dash as opposed to an en dash or hyphen). Could Lloyd have invented the emoticon? He continues: “Could use one of these horses to catch up. Please note the change of address, just to keep in touch with you. Having an awful tough time trying to get straightened out or back to normal, if such a thing is possible? Here’s hoping you are doing fine. Joyful Wishes Pal,” and then he signs it with his own “LS” ideogram.