How We Do Things at Baudette

This is how they grow corn in Baudette, Minnesota. Don't believe me? Go there and see for yourself. These exaggeration are always in jest, but in this case, 1912 was a year of record crops in the region.

Here's the back of the card, sent to Mr. John Larson in Twin Valley, Minnesota in 1912.

The message reads:

Dear John,

This is the way the people of Baudette raise corn. How would you like to be here.

from Jacob.

Never mind the giant corn though. Did you know that Baudette is considered the Walleye capital of the world? It is also the home of Willie the Walleye, a giant fish statue on display in  Mill Park. Willie could eat that giant corn in one bite. You can visit Baudette in June and celebrate Willie's Birthday at the official Willie Walleye Day. I love Walleye!

May Day at Bryn Mawr College

May Day is no small event at Bryn Mawr College. It has been a well-loved and much-anticipated annual tradition at the private Pennsylvania women's college since 1900.  The tradition is not limited to maypole dancing either, but includes all manner of events, including strawberries and cream with champagne, singing in the morning, processions, Morris dancing, and a variety of plays.

Here's an old photo and a postcard of the first May Day event at Bryn Mawr in 1900.

Courtesy of Bryn Mawr College Library

Here's Katherine Hepburn dressed up for Bryn Mawr's May Day in 1928.

Courtesy of Bryn Mawr College Library

 And Cornelia Otis Skinner dressed for a May Day play in the early 1920s.

Courtesy of Bryn Mawr College Library

Somewhere, there's a photo of me dancing around the maypole at Bryn Mawr (at a much later date, thank you), but I couldn't find it in time for this post.

I did find an old program of events though, which is too small to read. Suffice it to say that the events extended from 5:45 am until 9 pm.

Here are a few photos from May Day 1982, including President Mary Patterson McPherson on horseback.

If you head on over to Bryn Mawr this weekend, you can partake in the festivities and try to redeem this free dinner card. If you are unable to travel the distance, you can always celebrate May Day at home via Sepia Saturday.

Bird's Eye View from the Penitentiary

I tried to imagine some enterprising prisoner producing postcards from pictures photographed from his cell window, but I don't suppose that was the case.  Maybe it was the prisoner's mother, who took the photo and had postcards printed to make bail for her wayward son. Probably not that either. In any case, the view from the penitentiary isn't one that would inspire me to try to escape if I were a prisoner.

Will Rogers Motel

Who is that man wearing a suit and tie by the pool? It looks like Clark Gable. I'm sure it isn't, but I wonder why he is all dressed up.

This card was sent in 1966 from the Will Rogers Motel in lovely Tulsa, Oklahoma. The message reads:

Sat Eve.

Dear Folks,

Arrived in Tulsa about 3:00. Visited the zoo + then the kids went swimming here. We are living in luxury for $10. There are two high Meth churches here. One has a $120,000 organ in it - the other is one of the 5 most beautiful churches in the U.S. Don't know which we will attend. Hope you are both O.K. 

Love Lois and Chas

Tram Tuesday - Le Cannet

I have received a complaint - from a member of my own household, no less. The complaint was something along the lines of : "Enough already with the French Riviera trams!" If you happen to feel the same way, know that this is the last Tuesday of French Riviera trams, at least for the foreseeable future.

How can you not love these cards that transport us back in time to give us a glimpse of daily life in the beautiful Le Cannet though? I especially like the first two, because they appear to have been taken in sequence.

Here are a few closeups of the two cards.

The same man seems to be on both cards along with the young men who are probably up to some kind of mischief.

The trams that traveled to Le Cannet would have been part of the Tramway de Cannes system. The Cannet line opened in 1899. By 1907, the Tramway de Cannes also linked with the Tramway de Nice (TNL). Early service on the Tramway de Cannes was uncomfortable and apparently plagued by accidents. There was a particularly nasty accident in 1913 where several tramcars plunged into a ravine, killing 18 and injuring another 25. In that same year, newer more modern tramcars were purchased, including #30 shown above. Still, with an assortment of cars of different vintages and low power, the system was especially vulnerable to competition from bus lines. Tram service ended in 1933.
Here are a few more views of trams in Le Cannet.

The card above shows an open car, which would have been a fun ride, except perhaps on dangerous curves over steep ravines. This card also shows the Pension des Heliotropes. I would love to stay there, and, while I think it is still there, I don't think it operates as a pension anymore. Here's a listing from a 1943 paper that seems to indicate that the pension and all of its furnishings are being sold.