Giant Grapes and 9 Little Pigs

One of the best things about the exaggeration cards is that they often have interesting messages on the back.

The message, to Mrs. Emma Trappe in Portland, Oregon, reads:

Sherwood, Ore

July 26, 1910

Dear Sister. We are all well now Theodor was sick for a cupple of Days last week with Tonsilitis but is all right now. I guess Art and I will come down Sat. Evenin. Theo doesn't want to come. We have 9 little pigs a week old. best regards to all. from your Loving Sister

Clara Rupprecht

Box 107 R.F.D. 4

Clara Rupprecht was born in 1869 and died in 1942. She is buried beside her husband in the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Sherwood, Oregon. I was unable to find Emma and Clara's maiden name in a quick search of records.

Giant Raspberries

I know raspberries are in season here, because I've been picking them off of my neighbor's bushes. They aren't giant in size, but they certainly are in flavor.

If you really want a giant raspberry flavor you may have to go to Paris and try one of these. It's called Ispahan.

Giant Maine Potato

This isn't a generic exaggeration card that could be anywhere USA. The giant spud is sitting on a classic northern Maine Bangor and Aroostook Railway car. The Bangor and Aroostook Railway (BAR) did in fact haul potatoes (in heated boxcars, no less) and at one time owed half of their annual revenue to transporting the tasty tuber.

The card was sent to Henry Fray in Seattle in 1910 from J.M.W. in Limestone, Maine. The message is a little hard to read, but here's what I could get from it (Note: Bsh indicates bushels). I love that it's a card sent by a Maine  potato farmer:

Dear Fray we are all done digging spuds raised 5300. Bsh like the chap on the other side here at the home farm and 4000. Bsh on the farm that Ben is on. I am still making starch will probably be at it three weeks more. Wish I could come and make you a visit there. All well. J.M.W.

Even though the initials J.M.W. would not appear to provide a lot of information, Limestone is a pretty small place and there were only so many potato farmers. I believe that this card was written by J.M. Ward.  In a 1916 publication on agricultural economics, J.M. Ward details the equipment needed for his potato farm.
 


Here's a great photo from Wikipedia, showing a potato caretaker's card. Because potatoes were so important, men were hired to take care of them on the trains and make sure the proper temperature was maintained in the cars. The pass allowed the 'potato caretakers'  free train travel back home.

Time For More Giant Fruit

Of all the giant fruit I would love to have, I think berries and lemons would be at the top of the list.

Alas, there are no messages on the backs of these cards to tell us just how delicious the fruit was.

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!

A Balanced Diet

A balanced diet includes several servings of fruit per day. Help yourself.

Neither of these cards was sent. The backs both look like this.

Bellflower Apples

These aren't just any giant apples; they're giant Bellflower apples.

 

If you happen to be in Portland, Oregon, you can go to see the oldest living grafted apple tree in the state, a Bellflower planted in 1850. It was bought from Luelling and Meek Nursery in Milwaukie, Oregon, the first grafted fruit tree nursery on the West Coast.  The tree is about 36 feet tall and has a 9-foot circumference. It's located at 4700 SW Campbell Court. You can read more about Bellflower apples and their history here.

Here are some more Oregon apples from 1910. Unfortunately, we can't see what varieties they were.

And here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

This one was sent to Master John Ockfen of McKenna, Washington.

Giant Peaches

No need to worry about those peaches rolling off the flatcar; note the carefully positioned braces.

Rosella sent this card in 1912 to her sister, Mrs. Ina Clark, in Eureka, California.

The message reads:

Dear sister:-

Mamma received your Birthday postals . We are waiting for you to come home and see us. Uncle Hans'  and Uncle Amos' came up in the automobile on mama's birthday. How is Mrs. Crothers? We are all well and hope you are the same. Best regards from Raymond and all. 

Rosella.    write soon

Eat Your Giant Vegetables

Just five servings a day, that's all you need. Both of these cards show giant vegetables from Oregon being delivered by rail car. For some reason, Oregon has been blacked out on the first card...perhaps by a jealous Californian.

The second card is basically identical to one I posted earlier, except for the wording. I recognize those tomatoes.

The first card was sent to Mrs. F.E. Hull (Krill?) in Bandon, Oregon in 1916 from her May in Coquille, Oregon.

The message reads:

Jan 3, 1916

Dear Mrs. Hull

I got the little towel . I was tickled to death over it thanks it is beautiful. We have sold out and are moving don't know where. I will write a long letter when we get settled bye bye from May.

Here's the back of the second card, sent to Lola Cline in Union, Oregon in 1909.

The message reads:

I arrived here at 10 o'clock safe and sound. How is the baby tell him "Hello" will write to the rest of the folks soon. The folks were at the train to meet me. love to all. Tiddy.

Giant Almonds

Lena sent these giant almonds to her father, F.M. Barnum,  in Merrill, Oregon for his 55th birthday.  Merrill is a small town, current population of 897, located in Klamath County, not far from the Oregon and California border. The 1904 Klamath County Directory lists F.M. Barnum as a rancher.

In September 1912, the Sacramento Union newspaper reported that:

F.M. BARNUM, living near Merrill, has brought to the 
city a good supply of apples of the Yellow Transparent, Gravenstein and Red June 
varieties, which cannot be surpassed for texture and flavor. A peculiarity of 
this Red June apple is that it ripens in September, thus becoming a fall variety 
instead of a summer one, as is usual. 

Here's the back of the card, sent from San Jose, California.

The message reads:

Dearest papa! - 

Happy Birthday to you - I wish I could be there to help eat your birthday dinner. We are studying hard - Well may your 55th birthday be the happiest you have ever had is the wish of your loving daughter. Heaps of love + kisses.

Lena B.

Farm Life Around Bremen, IN

This is not your usual brightly-colored exaggeration card. I like that the name of the town is on the card though -and that it was sent to someone in Bremen, Indiana.

 

Here's a close-up of the picture.

And here's the back of the card, sent to Mrs. Ella Bass.

The message reads:

Good Morning. just arose from my bed of slumber. katy  B. slept with me. Chas R. and Ray B. stayed all night. will go home today. The autatorium will have a cement floor. it will be a large building. the carpenters will begin next week. As Ever (illegible signature)

The card is postmarked Syracuse, but I'm pretty sure that was Syracuse, Indiana not Syracuse, New York. Syracuse is located near Oakwood Park, a religious camp and meeting ground,  which is where the auditorium was being built.  The original 1898 tabernacle burned down in May 1914 and was then rebuilt in August 1914.

Giant Strawberries

Bring out the giant shortcake and the giant bowl of whipping cream!

Here's the back of the card, which Mike sent to Mrs. Oscar Bentson in Florence, Montana.

 

The message reads:

Dear Pat -

Your postal was O.K. looks good to see the st cars. How do these berrys look to you? Ma and I have just arrived from Portland, we were down to the carnival. Had dandy time - Took in everything Will write later + tell more about our trip.

Mike

Based on the June postmark, it's likely that Mike was in Portland for the Annual Rose Festival. The Rose Festival was a fairly new event at the time, but it is now an important tradition in Portland.

Oregon Pear and Peach Orchard

Soon I will run out of giant fruit and vegetable cards to post on this blog. Some people may consider this a blessing. But the message on the backs of these cards have often been very entertaining too. Here's one of pears and peaches in Oregon. It seems strange to group those two together, since they ripen at different times of the year...not to mention that Oregon is hardly prime peach-growing territory. Well, never mind all that. We do grow great pears here.

 And here's the back of the card.

The virtually punctuation-free message on the card sent to Rebecca Bales is not that exciting. It reads:

Dear Sis

I received your card was glad to hear from you will try to write a letter for that country soon though am pretty busy to write hope every thing  is O.K.  up there every thing  is O.K. here so write As Ever

F.B.

So, here's what's interesting (to me, anyway) about this card: it was sent to Dorena, Oregon, a logging and gold-mining town that doesn't exist anymore. For reasons unknown to me, the name of the town was created by combining the first names of Dora Burnette and Rena Martin. The town already had a school and a post office back in the 1890s. In the 1940s, the Corps. of Engineers began constructing a dam on the nearby Row River. According to Wikipedia,  the entire town was flooded and approximately 100 households were moved five miles upriver. It's still called Dorena, but it's not the same place. The lake created by the dam is called Dorena Lake.

M is for Mammoth, Musketry, and Monterey

For those who don't think giant watermelons are enough to make a card compelling, this one also includes an interesting message. In 1912, Al sent this card to his friend Clarence C. Woodbury at the School of Musketry at the Presidio in Monterey, California.
As an aside...I wonder if you could get a Master's of Musketry there; it has a nice ring to it. I'd like to be able to say that I got my Master's of Musketry in Monterey.

Al himself lived in Pinecroft, Washington, near Greenacres, just outside of Spokane. His message reads:

Pinecroft April 21, 1912

Dear Slim:-

Received the card a few days ago and will send you some Spokane BS in return. Have been working for Carpenters for over a week. Expect Rand will be back here soon. Goldie says machine men are scarce at W and the Bunker is hollering for men. Well, send us another of those fine cards. I appreciate them a whole lot as ever. Al

Here's the back of the card, turned around so you can read the message.

Giant Potatoes and Typhoid Fever

Both the message and the card itself are a little unusual. Viola sent it from Dixie, Washington (current population about 220) to her friend Edith McKinzey in Portland, Oregon.

The message scrawled on the front says:

Has S. and E.B. made up and got married again - we will surely pull old Daddy by leg. best Regards to Carl from John.

Here's the back of the card.

The message reads:

Dixie Wash

Ans soon

Dear Edith, can't write much as I have the Typhoid Fever, been down in bed 15 days all ready, don't know when I'll be able to sit up. John is getting awful then gives me dope all night and works all day - Viola.

More Giant Vegetables

Brian from PaperSponge sent me these cards. There's nothing quite like giant vegetables, except maybe jackalopes - that wonderful cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope.

Giant Corn and Watermelon

It looks like there was a bumper crop this year in the land of the Jackalopes.

Here are the backs of the cards.

The message to A.V. Stroud in Lowell, Washington reads:

Seattle WA, Nov. 18 '09

Dear Sister:-

Well here I am in Seattle, got here 10 minutes past 9 o'clock. don't know just when the Portland train leaves but I think it is 1:15. I got off all right and there was a little Jap that works around the depot was out at the train + he carried both suitcases so I am fine. The sun I shining nice. I hope you get back all right. Myrtle

The second one is addressed to the same person, but it's harder to decipher.

Giant Vegetables

I have a weakness for giant fruits and vegetables. When you send these cards, you're supposed to fill in the blank with the place of your choice.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.