Streetcar Sunday - Cleveland, Ohio

This week's installment of Streetcar Sunday takes us to Cleveland, Ohio.  Cleveland once had an extensive streetcar network. In 1904, when developers created a middle- and upper income community of Shaker Heights to the East of Cleveland, they also purchased right-of-way and installed a high-speed electric streetcar to connect Shaker Heights with downtown. The streetcar line was an important tool to guarantee their investment.

The last Cleveland streetcar ran in 1954, relatively late compared to many American cities. Some of the streetcar lines had already been converted to buses or trolley buses before World War II, but once the war started the conversions stopped until the war was over.

Recently there was a move to open a new streetcar museum in Cleveland near the Great Lakes Science Center, using the 31 streetcars inherited from the former Trolleyville USA Museum (also known as the Gerald E. Brookins Museum of Electric Railways.)  The plan also included operating historic streetcars on a short loop near the East Bank and through the Warehouse District. Instead, all but one of the cars were auctioned off. In late 2009, those cars were moved to various cities in the U.S. and Canada. The remaining car will be on display in front of the Children's Museum.

Come back tomorrow for another post on Cleveland. For a detailed history of streetcars in Cleveland, there is a book entitled Cleveland and Its Streetcars, by James Toman and James Spangler.

Please note that I added a few additional cards to previous Streetcar Sunday posts for Washington D.C. and Boston, in case you want to take another look.

Streetcar Sunday - Washington, D.C.

Once again, it's Streetcar Sunday!
This card was sent in 1918. Note the cancellation stamp, which says "food will win the war." I'm going to have to think about that one for awhile. The sender affixed twice as much postage as was needed;  postal rates had been increased during the war, but only for letters. The cost of mailing a postcard remained at one cent until 1952 when the rate was raised to two cents.

Washington's streetcar service was established in 1862. As in many other cities throughout America and around the world, the first streetcars in Washington D.C. were horse drawn. There was a big incentive to move away from horse-drawn streetcars, as the horses required constant care and maintenance, messed up the streets with their manure, and were unable to pull the cars up steep hills. If there was an outbreak of disease among the horses, it meant that the cars had to be pulled by humans.

In 1894, Congress began requiring streetcar companies to switch away from horse power. They had also prohibited overhead wires, so providers had to choose between cables, battery power or underground wire. Some streetcar companies tried cable systems, but it soon became clear that the electric system was superior. At the time this postcard was printed, Washington D.C. had about 100 miles of track within the city and many of the existing streetcar providers had consolidated.

Beginning in 1935, several streetcar lines were converted to bus lines, but as gas rationing during World War II cut down on automobile use, the streetcar service thrived. By 1945, Washington D.C.'s streetcar fleet was the third largest in the United States. Washington D.C. also retained its streetcar system much longer than most American cities. The last streetcar ran in 1962.

Now Washington D.C. is looking at reintroducing streetcar service with 8 lines and 37 miles of track.  The district bought its initial streetcar vehicles in conjunction with the City of Portland, Oregon in order to benefit from a bulk purchase. Unfortunately, various construction delays required the cars to be stored for several years in the Czech Republic at large expense. The cars were finally shipped to the U.S. in late 2009. The first two lines, in Anacostia and on H Street, are scheduled to open in 2012. The rest of the system is scheduled to open by about 2020.

One of the problems with transportation planning in Washington is that there are so many competing (or at least conflicting) branches of government with different sets of rules. For instance, the first part of the H Street line falls under the the congressional prohibition of overhead wires, but the rest of it does not.

 

Streetcar Sunday - San Diego, CA

San Diego's horse-drawn streetcar service started in 1886. The electric streetcar was not far behind, but San Diego's early streetcar systems were plagued with problems. Lines opened and folded, suffering from technical problems, multiple owners, fraud, and even suicide.  John Spreckels, the San Francisco sugar magnate, invested in the San Diego Streetcar Co. His plan was to buy up every available rail franchise and create a uniform all-electric public transit system. In 1891, he formed the San Diego Electric Railway and introduced the city's first double-decker electric streetcar in 1892. By 1896, the innovative and determined John Spreckels had converted all of the cars to electricity.

In 1914, various jitney-buses and other vehicles started trawling streetcar stops to poach passengers by offering a faster ride at the same price. This practice actually had a substantial negative impact on the streetcar revenues. In any case, buses started replacing the streetcars in the 1920s and people started driving their own cars too. Then, John Speckels died in 1926, making the survival of streetcars even more tenuous.

In an effort to revive streetcar service, new cars with automobile-style controls, the ability to accelerate and decelerate quickly, and quiet rubber wheels were introduced in the 1930s. World War II and gas rationing brought about a temporary increase in streetcar ridership, but as soon as the war was over the decline continued. When Western Transit company bought San Diego Electric railway in the 1948, one of the first things they did was to file an application with the Public Utilities Commission to end streetcar service. The last streetcar ran in 1949. The San Diego Historical Society has lots of information and photos of streetcars, as does the San Diego Electric Railway Association.

Plans for a new trolley system in San Diego were already being discussed in 1966, but nothing much happened until the late 1970s. The new San Diego Trolley started service in 1981 with 13.5 miles of track. Since then, incremental expansions have created a system with 134 vehicles, 53.5 miles of track, and over 35 million riders per year!

Streetcar Sunday - The Romance of the Streetcar

 

Streetcars have a certain aura of romance that buses can never match. For some people it's a sentimental longing for the old-fashioned, but there is something inherently romantic about streetcars too. In the old days, streetcars were often just as busy on weekends as during the week, transporting people to amusement parks and beaches. Some of the older cars were open double-deckers, offering fresh air and a great view of the passing scenery. You can bet that lots of people have met and fallen in love on streetcars everywhere. Most of these stories don't make the papers, but some do (and often involve the conductors!):

In September, 1870, the Chicago Times reported that a young lady on the West side had fallen in love with a streetcar conductor. Her parents did not approve and locked her in her room, where she could only weep and watch the streetcar from her window. It seems that her parents particularly objected to her interest in a conductor of a horse-drawn streetcar and they would have approved had it only been a  a steam-powered streetcar. The newspaper reported that "they will not sanction her union with a conductor of a vehicle propelled by quadrupedal power."

In November 1905, the New York Times reported that Lucilla Smith, an heiress to the Smith Paper Company, had fallen in love with a former streetcar conductor and married him, much to her family's dismay.  After graduating from Wellesley and returning home to Pittsfield, Massachusetts from a "finishing tour" of Europe, Miss Smith had met the streetcar conductor and immediately fallen in love. The newspaper reported that, "the girl was often seen taking long rides through the hills on Conductor Dickie's car." At least they waited until he was promoted to a clerk position to get married.

On October 9, 1949, in an article entitled "Romance Fades - Court Hears Complaints About Ding Dong Daddy", the Reading-Eagle reported that in San Francisco, the Romeo of the "D" car line married some 14 wives without divorcing the previous ones. On September 16 of the previous year, the "tubby little Romeo", a former streetcar conductor, married an Oakland chambermaid. After a year, the chambermaid took him to court, saying that the once "alltogether too amorous" man had become grumpy and irritable and was accepting too many drinks at the Oakland waffle shop. He blamed his behavior on his wife's visit to the dentist and her resulting poor health, saying, "I guess her gums are hurting." He was sent to San Quentin, not for grumpiness and irritability, but for polygamy.

Streetcar Sundays - Portland, Oregon

It's Streetcar Sunday, so here's another postcard featuring a streetcar, trolley or tram.
Streetcars were a very important mode of transportation in Portland at the turn of the century. This card shows Third Street in Portland with streetcars, buggies, and even a bicycle. I don't see any cars. The streetcar tracks were paved over  in later years, but the streetcar is regaining its popularity in Portland. New tracks are being laid to create an east-side streetcar loop that connects with the west-side streetcar and buses, light rail, and other transportation modes.
Click here for an earlier post that also shows a streetcar in Portland.
Click here for more information on the current Portland Streetcar and its history.

Streetcar Sunday - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Today's Streetcar Sunday features Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster had streetcars at the turn of the century, but the last one ran in 1947. This card was sent in 1907.

There is currently an effort underway to reintroduce streetcars to Lancaster with a 2.6-mile streetcar loop. As in many areas, the move to reintroduce streetcars has both strong proponents and opponents. Proponents argue for economic benefits and reduction in traffic congestion, while opponents generally argue against high cost and lack of efficiency.

There is truth to both arguments. Portland, Oregon spent  $56.9 million on the first 2.4 mile section of its streetcar system. While that seems like a lot of money, the Portland Office of Transportation considered the project a huge success. Not only did ridership far exceed the projected numbers, but the streetcar also attracted considerable development and investment ($2.28 billion!) in the area within two blocks of the streetcar alignment.

Here are a few more cards showing streetcars in Lancaster, Pennsylvania:

Streetcar Sunday - What's the Difference?

I know this has been keeping you up at night. You toss and turn, wondering: "What is the difference between a streetcar, a trolley, a tram, a funicular, an interurban, and a cable car? Are they all the same?"  Not quite, but there is a fair amount of overlap. Here are some basic definitions:

Trolley

All sorts of things are called trolleys today, but a lot of them aren't really trolleys. The word trolley comes from troller, the wheel at the end of a pole that collects current from an overhead wire to power the vehicle. As far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't have the overhead wire, it's not a trolley.  Generally, trolleys also run on tracks, but there are exceptions.  There are also trolleybuses (or trolley coaches), though not very many anymore. Here's a postcard of a trolley in Brisbane Australia.

Streetcar

A streetcar is a wheeled vehicle that operates on rails. It may also be a trolley, but not always. Many definitions specify that it is powered by electricity, but that's not necessarily the case.  The first streetcars were pulled by horses, and there were also steam-powered streetcars. It is true though, that virtually all streetcars today operate on electricity.  Streetcar is the word used by Americans; people in the U.K. and many other places around the world refer to them as trams. Here are streetcars (or trams) crossing the August Bridge in Dresden, Germany in about 1910.

Tram

A tram is the same as a streetcar, except that a tram can also be suspended from a cable, in which case it is an aerial tram. In this case, Americans call it a tram too, because it is quite clearly not a streetcar. Things get a a little tricky here though because an aerial tram is really also a cable car, although it is permanently affixed to the cable. (Gondolas are also aerial cable cars, but are not permanently affixed.) Here is a great photo by Tim Jewett of the aerial tram in Portland, Oregon.

Cable Car

Cable cars are propelled by a continuously moving cable, which is often underground in a slot between the two rails. The cable is powered at a powerhouse, these days using electric power, but in earlier days with steam. The cable car attaches to the cable with a grip, which is just like a big pair of pliers. In order to stop the car, the gripman releases the grip. When he wants to start again, he clamps it down.

A number of cities in addition to San Francisco had cable cars in the early years of streetcars.  As far as I know, they were only used in cities with hills. In the days when streetcars were pulled by horses, the poor animals were often unable to pull a fully loaded streetcar up a hill. Cable cars overcame that problem, but when trolleys came along, they generally proved to be more efficient. Here's the cable car in San Francisco.

Funiculars or Incline Railways

So, what's the difference between a cable car and a funicular? Funiculars, like aerial trams, are generally attached to a cable, but they operate more like an elevator, with simultaneously ascending and descending cars counterbalancing one another. Also, funicular cars are often slanted to fit the grade. Cable cars are more likely to operate on streets, whereas funiculars have their own right of way. Here's a postcard of the Incline at lookout Mountain in Tennessee. The cars don't look like this anymore. This one looks a little like a bus; today's cars look like classic funicular cars.

Cog Railways

This is going a little off the subject, but I'll include it anyway. A cog railway usually has an engine and a passenger car. They are not linked together though; the engine merely pushes the car up the hill and brakes it on the way down. Unlike funiculars and cable cars, these cog railways produces the energy to ascend the incline, just like a train engine. The difference between a cog railway and a regular train is that the cog railway uses cogs to engage into a cog rack to provide it with traction for scaling steep slopes. A classic example is Jacob's Ladder in New Hampshire:

Here's a scary cog railway in Switzerland, but it runs on electricity:

Interurbans

Interurbans were sort of a blend between train and streetcar. As with streetcars, they traveled into towns on the main streets, but like trains, they also traveled on tracks through the countryside between cities. Interurbans were larger than streetcars and had greater horsepower, allowing them to exceed 60 miles per hour. Although they generally looked more like trains, they ran on electricity.

 Here's another one in Massachusetts.

So, these are the definitions as I understand them.  Let me know if you think I have missed something.

Streetcar Sunday - Leipzig, Germany

The emphasis of this postcard is obviously the City Hall, not the streetcar, but if you look off to the left there it is.  Another thing I noticed about this card is that the people who tinted the German and Dutch cards tended to make small but very stylized and distinctive clouds. The American ones often have a bank of clouds. Do you care? Probably not, but if you look at enough postcards you start to notice these things.

The streetcar system in Leipzig, Germany developed in a similar fashion to other systems around the world. The Leipzig trams, or streetcars, started out in 1872 as horse-drawn cars, with service provided by the Leipziger Pferdeeisenbahn (Leipzig Horse railway.) The company was enormously successful and eventually owned 1,013 horses and 172 cars.  Life was good until the competition came along.

That's another commonality with other systems around the world. Today, public transit is typically provided by a jurisdiction or by a single entity. There is rarely competition or duplication between systems. But in the early days of the streetcar, there were often multiple service providers, even in small towns. This in turn led to some systems going under and also consolidations. In the case of Leipzig, the new competitor came along in the 1800s and started developing an electric tramway system. This action spurred the horse-car railway folks to convert to electric power too. The last horse-drawn car service operated in 1897.

After World War I, the systems were replaced by a publicly-operated system, which eventually also operated buses and trolleybuses. Many streetcar segments were damaged or closed for other reasons during World War II. The closures continued after the war, although the antiquated streetcar system operated continuously. A real resurgence in streetcar development in Leipzig didn't take place until the 1980s, when a number of new segments were opened. You can see a detailed history of the Leipzig streetcar system here. You can also visit this site to see what the current system looks like.

Streetcar Sunday - Sacramento, California

Streetcars have been gone from Sacramento since 1947, but they're coming back! Well, maybe.  This fall, the City's transportation department will undertake a study to look at a streetcar route to connect Sacramento to West Sacramento. So far, they have not obtained the funds to actually build the system. Sacramento has also had a light rail system in place since 1987.

This classic card shows a Sacramento streetcar sometime before 1943. Sacramento had horse-drawn cars back in the 1870s, and converted to electric batteries briefly before moving to the overhead electric trolley lines. As in many other cities, the streetcar enabled people to move out to the suburbs and still enjoy the benefits of working and shopping in Sacramento. Weekend service took people out to Joyland, an amusement park in Oak Park.

Streetcar service flourished throughout the 1920s and early 30s. It was then that competition from cars and buses began to take its toll. Some of Sacramento's streetcar lines were abandoned in the late 1930s. World War II and various resource shortages slowed down the demise of the streetcar, but as soon as the war ended, the push for cars and buses led to the rapid abandonment of streetcar lines.

Streetcar Sundays - Portstewart, Ireland

Once again, it's streetcar Sunday, and I'm excited about today's picture of this tram in Portstewart, on the northern coast of Ireland.  You may be asking, what's the difference between a streetcar and a tram? People in the United States call it a streetcar and people in the U.K. call it a tram. That's pretty simple. They are the same, but then again not all streetcars are alike. Take this one for example, no wires are visible because it was steam powered. In fact, the Portstewart tram was the first steam tramway in Ireland. The fact that it's steam powered is one of the things I love about this particular picture, and the fact that each car is different.  I'm not sure why all those people are crowded on top of the third car and the second car is entirely empty. The last car looks as if it is used for luggage.

The Portstewart tram was a 3-foot guage tramway that connected the seaside town of Portstewart with the mainline railway, which ran from Belfast to the neighboring town of Portrush, but which by-passed Portstewart by a couple of miles. The tramway started service in 1882. The Portstewart tram closed down in 1926, unable to compete with bus service.


Here's a close-up:

During the era of steam trains, steam tram engines were governed by specific rules. For one thing, the steam could not be visible, so they had to use coke rather than coal as a fuel.  They were also required to conceal all machinery from view at all points above 4 inches from the rails, which is why this engine has such an odd profile. Finally, they also had to be quiet, and they couldn't exceed 8 miles per hour.  Most steam-powered trams were phased out in favor of electric trams in about 1900.

The picture above is not actually a postcard; it's from a little folder of real photo snapshots.  You would write the address on the outside of the packet and send the whole thing.

If you're interested in Irish steam trains, check out the website for the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland.  There are also two restored cars from the Portstewart tramway available to view in two separate museums, the Streetlife Museum of Transport in Kingston upon Hull, England (admission is free!) and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra, Northern Ireland.


Come back next week for another Streetcar Sunday!

Streetcar Sunday - Seattle, Washington

Seattle had horse-drawn streetcars on unpaved streets as early as 1884, but only five years later, Seattle was the first West Coast city to convert to electric streetcars. Streetcar service was booming then, but already started declining in the 1920s. In 1939, interurban train service between Seattle and Everett was suspended. Seattle residents wanted to retain streetcar service, but the financing was allegedly blocked by automakers. And in 1941, the last Seattle streetcar completed its final run.

Like many other cities, Seattle looked at reintroducing streetcar service. As early as 1974, City Councilman George Benson proposed a streetcar line. It was discussed for a long time, and service was re-introduced in 1982, with additional expansions since then. To find out more about the current system, visit Seattle Streetcar.

Here's the back of the card:

Here's another view of Pioneer Place in Seattle:

Streetcar Sunday - Tacoma, WA

 

The message on this card reads:

7/14/10     Tacoma, WA

Just looking for a better position as I quit at Seattle. This is a slow town. I came through Puyalop where Marjory was, it is a small place. your Father

Tacoma's streetcars were a success from the very beginning, with the first horse-drawn streetcars in 1888. The first electric streetcars were introduced in 1890. By 1912, the city had 30 streetcar lines (mostly electric) and an interurban line to Seattle.  The system flourished for a long time, until like so many others, it lost out to competition from cars and buses. The end of Tacoma's streetcar service was celebrated with a parade down Broadway in 1938. At the time, the leftover streetcars were considered worthless because no one wanted them. A Tacoma newspaper article suggested that people could purchase them for $40 for hamburger stands or beach houses.

Despite its success over the years, there was also one notable streetcar tragedy in Tacoma. On July 4, 1900, a streetcar was overcrowded with passengers going to attend 4th of July festivities downtown. They were standing on the running boards, both front and rear platforms, and there was even a young boy riding on the front on the cowcatcher! It was later determined that the motorman was probably going too fast and had the brakes set too hard, which caused the car to jump the tracks on a curve and fall 100 feet down a ravine. Forty-three passengers died in that accident.

Tacoma now has a 1.6 mile light-rail line that connects the theater district and downtown with the Tacoma Dome and rail connections to Seattle.  There is also a group called Tacoma Streetcar, that is working to restore the old streetcar lines in Tacoma.

The writer of the card above describes Tacoma as a slow town, but there's actually a fair amount going on there now and it's a fun place to visit. Dale Chihuly, the well-known glass artist, is from Tacoma, so you will see lots of his work here, particularly at the Tacoma Art Museum and the Museum of Glass.  The Washington State History Museum has amazing  exhibits, including old American Indian photographs and artwork. Many people also rate Point Defiance Park, with its zoo, aquarium, as a top attraction.

Streetcar Sunday -Rio de Janeiro

The contrast of this postcard is not very good, but with any luck you can make out the dark streetcar in the foreground and the other one on top of the Los Arcos De Lapa aquaduct.  And guess what? The Santa Teresa streetcar is still operational, so if you're going to Rio for the Olympics or for some other reason, this is a great opportunity to ride it yourself.  It's the oldest remaining tram in South America, and it's been running continuously since its inception. What a great opportunity! Who cares about the Olympics? When your spouse is watching the games, you can go ride the streetcar.  I will be very envious. It may not be fast or a smooth ride, but it's cheap, the equivalent of about $0.35. If you go, please send me some pictures.

The City of Rio started horse-drawn streetcar service in 1859. In the following years, they went back and forth between horse-drawn and steam-powered streetcars, and even tried a battery-powered streetcar for a very short period of time. In 1892, they began converting from horse-drawn to electric streetcars. By 1897, they had created the first fully electric streetcar system in South America. Although the routes have been cut back, much of the rolling stock is original, generally 100 years old, with no doors and wooden cross benches. It makes for an exciting ride, and apparently you do have to watch for pickpockets.

Streetcar Sunday - Istanbul, Turkey

The history of the streetcar in Istanbul is not so different from that of many North American cities. The first streetcar service in Istanbul started in 1872 as horse-drawn trams.  Horse-drawn service was halted for a year, because the horses were needed for the Balkan War. That served as the impetus to electrify the system, which happened in 1914. After that, streetcar service quickly became the most popular mode of transportation, reaching its peak in 1956, with 108 million passengers, 56 lines, and 270 streetcars. By then, cars and buses also began to compete with the streetcars though.

If I haven't mentioned it already, I think the demise of the streetcar was largely due to a perception that it was antiquated. Buses seemed modern and more sophisticated at the time. The ride was also smoother, particularly in Istanbul, where  the streetcars had not been updated since the original cars from 1912. As a result, the streetcar network was closed down in the 1960s in favor of buses.

Similar to many North American cities, streetcars have returned to Istanbul. There is the nostalgia streetcar that looks like the ones shown on the postcards, and there are also very modern sleek ones in Istanbul now. 

For more detailed information check out the great Wikipedia page for public transport in Istanbul.

Streetcar Sunday - Elmira, NY

It's Streetcar Sunday, so here's another postcard featuring a tram or streetcar. It seems like just about every town had one. Some still exist or have been brought back, but most have been gone for decades.

Elmira is located in upstate New York near the Pennsylvania border. Mark Twain met and married his wife here, and they continued to spend summers in Elmira for more than twenty years. They are also both buried here.

The city currently has a population of about 30,000, although it was as high as 50,000 at its peak. Elmira served as a vital transportation hub, connecting Rochester and Buffalo with Albany and New York City via railroad and canal systems. Elmira's streetcar system was discontinued in 1939.

Streetcar Sunday - Billings, Montana

This card was sent in 1912. The message reads:

Dear Corwin

How do you like the looks of the street scene ? The store is under the sign - "Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm." I like the place fine. My love to papa + mama. Grace

Perry McAdow, an early developer and entrepreneur, started Montana's first streetcar service in Billings with horse-drawn cars in 1882. The fare was 25 cents, and in an effort to get more riders, McAdow offered free beer at his store at the end of the line in Coulson, just outside Billings.  Or, perhaps he initiated streetcar service to bring more customers to his store. In any case, despite the free beer, the streetcar  went out of business within a year and development in Coulson never really flourished.

After that, there was no streetcar service in Billings for many years. Finally, in 1912, a new battery-operated streetcar service was started. It only lasted for five years.

Streetcar Sunday - Newark, New Jersey

Newark already had electric streetcars as early as 1880. They became so popular that there was a serious problem with streetcar congestion at this particular intersection of Broad and Market streets. In 1910, more than 552 streetcars per hour were passing through the intersection during peak times. By 1913, the number had increased to 600 per hour. In 1916, a new trolley terminal was built to divert some of the streetcar traffic from this intersection.

Although streetcar service continued to flourish along with motor buses and later subways, it met its demise as a result of the trolley bus. The trolley bus could follow the same streetcar routes, but was also more versatile because it could run on the overhead electric power or on diesel where there were no overhead lines. Whereas streetcars let their passengers off in the middle of the street, trolleybuses could pull over to the sidewalk. Trolley service on Broad street ended in 1937. Ten years later, there were no more streetcars at all in Newark.

This card shows two different streetcar types side by side.  I am guessing that the larger one was an interurban.

This card was sent to Sadie Rogers in Buffalo in 1906 with the cryptic message on the front:

July 21/ 06

Woman: -

Rocks whereon greatest men have often wreck'd.

ENW

The quote is from Paradise Regained by John Milton.

Streetcar Sunday - Albany, New York

Streetcar service began in New York's capital city in 1863.  Albany had an extensive streetcar system, which is evident even in the picture above. As in a number of other cities, there were ongoing labor issues. These issues resulted in a violent streetcar workers strike in 1921, and the National Guard had to be called in to keep the peace.
Albany's last streetcar ran in 1946.

Here you can see a later view, with the streetcar tracks still visible, but the streetcars themselves gone and replaced by buses.

If anybody else has any additional information on the history of the Albany streetcars, please feel free to post a comment.

Streetcar Sunday - Portland's Morrison Street

Here are two views of Morrison Street in Portland from similar vantage points, but a decade apart. On the first one, you see the post office on the near left side with the Oregon Hotel in the background. On the right-hand side, you see the Marquam Grand Theater, the brick building. It was built in1891 and was also known as the Marquam Grand Opera House. Both Sandra Bernhardt and Mark Twain entertained audiences here. I am sure the MG on the streetcar stands for Marquam Grand.

Notice that in the second card, the theater is no longer there and a new building has taken its place.

Dan Haneckow of Cafe Unknown does such a beautiful job of describing this fascinating transition, that I urge you to check out his blog if you're interested in the details. And here is a link to an earlier Portland Streetcar Sunday post on this blog. And, last but not least, here are the back sides of the cards:

here's the view as it looks today, with the former Meier and Frank department store (now Macy's) on the right.

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