Looking for Bears

These time saver cards can be pretty amusing.  The first one is from Sayner, Wisconsin, but appears to have been sent from Boulder Junction, Wisconsin.

The card was sent to Mrs. Jennie Weeks in Colfax, Illinois from her niece Ruth. The message reads:

Dear Aunt Jennie

The 30th we went out to look for bears. But we did not see a bear. The 28th we went to a lumber camp for dinner. love Ruth

Here's another time saver card, although this one doesn't have any check marks and was never sent.

The Beautiful Carolinas

Here are some scenes from a 1942 postcard folder of North and South Carolina. I wonder if ladies in the Carolinas really wear high heels with their bathing suits.

Dothan, Alabama

The name of the city comes from Genesis 37:17: "let us go to Dothan."
Dothan has been proclaimed the 'peanut capital of the world', but then it seems so has Enterprise, Alabama, and Sylvester, Georgia, and Suffolk, Virginia. You get the idea; there are a lot of peanuts there.

Sadly, what looks to have been a fairly lively downtown doesn't appear to be so lively anymore.

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Greetings From South Dakota

There's lots to see in South Dakota, including the beautiful scenery of the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore Memorial. And then there's the world's only Corn Palace. You'd think you were in Morocco, except for all of the American flags. What is a corn palace anyway? Well, it's an agricultural extravaganza of sorts, a tribute to corn. The whole place is decorated with  thirteen different colors of corn and redecorated every year based on a new theme.

If you visit in August, you can attend Corn Palace Festival, and if you visit in September, you can attend the Polka Festival. The local high school also holds its prom here, and there are graduation ceremonies and basketball games as well. What's even more noteworthy is that the Corn Palace has been in Mitchell, South Dakota since 1892.

The Boll Weevil Monument - Enterprise, Alabama

It has come to my attention that I have yet to post a single postcard from Alabama, and I seem to have quite a few, so there's really no explanation.  These views are from a postcard folder, circa 1950.

The postcard above shows the Boll Weevil Monument, but the one below has a close-up. Why would the folks in Enterprise build a monument to the pest that nearly wiped out their cotton crops? It's an interesting story.  Since they were losing their cotton crops to the vermin, a man named H.M. Sessions suggested that they plant peanuts instead. The peanut crop did well and they all prospered. They even grew cotton again, but they learned to diversify so their whole crop could not be wiped out by one insect. Instead of blaming that initial pest, the boll weevil, they credited it with providing the inspiration to innovate, and built a monument in its honor.

The original Boll Weevil Monument did not include a boll weevil at all; that was added to the top of the statue years later. Sadly, the statue (built in Italy) has been stolen and vandalized numerous times, so the original is now stored in the Enterprise Depot Museum. The one that stands in place of the original is a polymer-resin replica.

Watkins Glen Grand Prix, New York

Watkins Glen is a beautiful place, not so much the streets and the town, but the Watkins Glen State Park. It is breathtakingly beautiful. I will post some views from the park within the next week. Despite the beautiful park, Watkins Glen, population 2,149, is best known for car races. The original Watkins Glen Grand Prix (see above) was held in 1948 on public streets with a 6.6-mile course that went through the center of town. Eight years later a permanent facility was built, and since then Watkins Glen has hosted all sorts of car racing events.

Soaking in the Salt Lake

At the turn of the century and for decades to follow, Saltair was the place to go for good wholesome recreation near Salt Lake City. It was a great place to escape from the city heat, and the high salt content of the water allowed swimmers to float effortlessly. There was also a lot of oversight by the Mormon church, so young singles could go there without endangering their reputations. In addition to  swimming, there was a huge dance floor and live music.

The Saltair Pavilion shown on this postcard is the second one. The first one was built in 1893 and burned down in 1925. A second pavilion was built, but it also suffered fire damage in 1931. That was just the beginning of more troubles to come. In 1933, the waters receded, leaving Saltair on dry ground. This postcard was printed in 1933, but seems to show a photo from earlier times.

Saltair also had new competition, including movie theaters, automobiles, and then television, which presented people with additional entertainment and travel options. The Great Depression and World War II also drew people away. The Saltair Pavilion finally closed during World War II. In the meantime it was used as a set for the horror flick, A Carnival of Souls. The second Saltair shown above burned to the ground from an arson fire in 1970.

Hope springs eternal, and a third Saltair Pavilion was built in 1981. This one was also plagued by problems including flooding and then receding waters. Today, Saltair Pavilion III is used as a venue for rock concerts.

Here's an earlier postcard from Salt Lake, during the era of Saltair I.

And here are the backs of the postcards in the same order:

Palm Beach, Florida

The message sent to Ralph Jillson in 1945 reads:

This is where you should come and what a good time you would have swimming every day.

(illegible name)

Vibrant Downtown - Louisville, Kentucky

I had to post this card in response to a comment last week that downtown Louisville has always been a dead zone.  Well, certainly not in the 1940s.

The card is from about 1942, based on one of the movies being shown at the theater on the right. The Wife Takes a Flyer was released in 1942, and starred Franchot Tone.  The other movie showing in the same theater may have been This Way Please, starring Betty Grable.  It was released in 1937, and may have been the lesser attraction of a double feature. It looks like there was another theater right next to this one, and then there's the Rialto Theater down the street. The Rialto was built in 1921, with a white marble staircase and Italian Renaissance facade. It was torn down in 1969. The Theater on the right is probably the Kentucky Theater, which is still standing, with the turret from the Palace Theater farther down on the right. There were a number of other theaters within the surrounding blocks. There was obviously lots of other activity downtown too.

Youngstown, Ohio

Jack from Youngstown, Ohio asked me if I had any postcards from his city. I thought I didn't, but I found one after all, and here it is! You can see from the postcard that railroads played an important role in Youngstown. Not surprising, since it was a center for coal and for steel. These industries drew people from all over the world and led to a diverse ethnic distribution, including Welsh, Irish, German, Eastern Europeans, Italians, Greeks,  Syrians, Lebanese, Israelis, Latin Americans,  and Africans.

The decline of the steel industry in the 1970s meant that Youngstown had to redefine itself and diversify economically. Other cities have had to deal with similar transitions , and it's often very difficult. I hope that Jack will have something to add to this.

Fort Raleigh Grill

I don't know much about the Fort Raleigh Grill, but here it is in all its glory with blazing rainbows and sizzling steaks. It was located in Elizabeth City, which is also known as the "Harbor of Hospitality."

Waikiki Beach - Honolulu, Hawaii

Here we have the Moana Hotel in Waikiki, circa 1956. It was the first hotel to be built in Waikiki, opening its doors in 1901.

And there it is again, circa 1967:

 There was a building boom in Honolulu starting in about 1955 when plans were finalized to build a 12,000 foot runway at the airport, allowing passenger jets to bring more visitors to Hawaii.  After all, those visitors would need hotel rooms and places to shop. There was so much construction in the following years that people used to joke that Hawaii's state bird was the construction crane.

If you'd like to see some additional views of Waikiki Beach in the 1950s, take a look at Tattered and Lost Vernacular Photography.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order as above;

Cows and Cars - Chicago, Illinois

Salt Lake City, Utah

Beautiful colorful cars and buildings and a bright blue sky. And look at that big wide street. In fact, the back of the card brags about the width, stating that like all Salt Lake City streets it is: "132 feet wide, allowing ample room for parking on either side and plenty of room for driving."

Oh, if they just could have seen into the future. We thought that was progress, but we also discovered that designing everything for the automobile made it very difficult for people to walk anyplace, and actually ended up being detrimental to downtown businesses. It's also a lot of money for pavement (on land that could be used for something else),  a lot of radiant heat during hotter months,  and a headache for storm water management when it rains or there is substantial snow melt. A 132-foot wide street may be inviting for a car, but it likely to strike fear in the hearts of potential pedestrians. Do you see any crossing signals here? It makes me wonder what we are doing now in the name of progress, that will be seen as folly in the future.

It's difficult to redesign an urban grid, but in a situation like this it could be a great opportunity.  With 132 feet, you have plenty of room to add a planted center median to serve as a pedestrian refuge and also offset reflective heat from pavement.  You still have plenty of room left for wide sidewalks and bike lanes.

Seminole Village, Florida

This looks like a fine place to spend the season in a completely furnished duplex with private tile baths, electric refrigerators, and automatic hot water.

Red Cross Shoes -Elmira, New York

Run on down to Sheehan Dean Co. in Elmira, NY and buy a pair of these lovely shoes for only $6.50. They may be out of stock though. And you will need to do some time traveling, because they closed in 1936. Both the Sheehan and Dean families included  distinguished citizens of Elmira. Daniel Sheehan served as Elmira's police commissioner, postmaster and mayor. Elmer Dean, who died in 1940, was a trustee of Elmira College. Sheehan Dean Co. was a dry goods store,  also selling furniture and clothing in addition to shoes.

At one point, Red Cross shoes were the most popular shoe in the U.S. and the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Red Cross shoes had no connection with the American National Red Cross though, and it's no surprise that the Red Cross objected to having its name used in a commercial manner. The House Foreign Affairs Commission even proposed a ban on the brand name in 1942, but the company voluntarily suspended use of the name before the ban could be enacted. However, they resumed use of the name years later, with the provision that they would publicly disclaim any association with the American National Red Cross. You can still buy Red Cross shoes today, but the styles are limited to nurse's shoes and a few loafer styles, and they cost more than $6.50.

Gary's Duck Inn

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I love how this Jumbo Shrimp platter seems to be coming in for a landing on the roof of Gary's Duck Inn. Sadly, the Jumbo Shrimp Platter is gone forever, since Gary's Duck Inn closed in 1994. Gary's first opened in Orlando, Florida in 1945 and was considered a landmark by many, attracting celebrities such as Dolly Parton and Bob Hope. During the 1970s and 80s, Gary's Duck Inn served an estimated 25,000 pounds of shrimp annually.