Mexicali

The Owl Bar (El Tecolote) in Baja California, Mexico, was a popular destination for U.S. residents even before Prohibition. The Owl featured a casino, dance hall, a brothel, and of course lots of alcohol. Cocaine and opium were also commonly available. Mexicali was one of a number of the centers for vice tourism just across the Mexican border from the United States. Even before Prohibition, efforts to abate prostitution in California sent some of the red-light business across the border.

Not surprisingly, many of the most interesting stories relate to the brothel and its 104 rooms. Andrew Grant Wood wrote about Mexicali and El Tecolote/ The Owl in his book, On the Border: Society and Culture between the United States and Mexico. According to Wood, the prostitutes represented a variety of ethnicities and races, but the customers were segregated by race. There was a section for white customers and a separate section for non-white customers. It would also appear that once the prostitutes were there, they were not free to leave. A number of newspapers in the United States covered the story of the 1920 fire that ravaged The Owl and sent scantily-clad prostitutes fleeing from the building. The prostitutes dispersed after that.

A federal mandate forced the closure of The Owl in 1922, however an $80,000 donation to Mexican General Rodriguez allowed for an extension of their gambling permits, under the new name, The ABW Club. The operation closed completely in 1936.

The card below shows two of Mexicali's breweries. You can read more about Cerveceria de Mexicali on The Real Tijuana Blog and about Cervezeria Azteca, which moved to the United States and became Aztec Brewing.

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

Juarez, Mexico

Was Juarez a dangerous city back in 1911? Probably not like it is today. The street scene looks very peaceful with the horse-drawn carriages and the shaded booths.

The message on the the card to Elnor (Eleanor?) Moss of Minneapolis reads:

Dear Elnor

As I have just come in from the 30 Mill station and had a few nickels in saved from the rations and found a few cards.

Yours truly

W.J.L.

I'm not sure what 30 Mill station might have been. Any ideas?

Luis Alvarez - continued

Yesterday's card to Senor Don Luis Alvarez was sent from Freiburg, Germany in 1904. Today's card was sent a year later by a different sender from Larche, a lovely little village in the French Alps near the border with Italy. That helps to explain why it is an Italian postcard.

The card shows the Alpini, Italy's mountain troops that were formed in 1872 to protect the mountainous borders with France, Switzerland, and Austro-Hungary.  It was during World War I that the Alpini distinguished themselves, fighting battles on glacial crags and throughout the steep Dolomites. They had to be agile and able to function well at low temperatures and high altitudes. But the adaptable Alpini had also been sent to Tripoli in 1911 to fight in the Italo-Turkish conflict where they battled against Berbers in the sand dunes.

Enough about the amazing Alpini though; let's look at the text. Just as with yesterday's card to Mr. Alvarez, the message is written on the front, because no message was allowed on the address side.  The message, sent on August 8, 1905, reads:

Dear friend,

I received twice three newspapers. Thanks. My regards to all the friends. without______

P. Bulgo (Buljo?)

 Here's the back of the card.

It appears to me that Mr. Alvarez had a post office box (#8). As with yesterday's card, you can see that the sender has specified the route the card should take. I'm not sure if that was just to assist the postman or because the sender preferred that route over others. This card is designated to go via Le Havre and New York to its final destination in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Tram Tuesday - Freiburg, Germany

Streetcars are alive and well in Freiburg, Germany, transporting an average of over 200,000 passengers a day. The City also has an extensive pedestrian zone and is considered to be among the 'greenest' cities in the world.

Every now and then I run across a postcard where I get the sense that there's a lot more than meets the eye. This card was sent to Don Luis Alvarez of Chihuahua, Mexico in 1904. Who was Don Luis Alvarez? I don't know for certain, but there is a Luis Alvarez who was a Mexican industrialist and the Mayor of Chihuahua as well as a candidate for President of Mexico in 1958.  Was he related to the postcard's recipient?

The message was written on the front of the card, because in 1904 no messages were allowed on the address side. It is written in Spanish and reads:

October 7, 1904

Dear friend Luis:

Here is the second dozen cards. The maps arrived safely. 

Affectionate Greetings

Foerkel.

This is postcard #13,  addressed to Mr. Luis Alvarez. His title includes the word 'Don', which suggests that he was a person of distinction. The title is used a little more broadly today, but was originally reserved for nobility. The card was sent to Alvarez in care of Mr. Ketelson and Mr. Degetan, who were prominent in the mining and banking industries in Chihuahua. For whatever reason, Ketelson and Degetan are listed on the Enemy Trading List of the United States War Trade Board in 1917. The list is described as follows: This is a list of enemies and allies of enemies, and other persons, firms, and corporations, whom there is reasonable cause to believe have acted directly or indirectly , for, on account of, on behalf of, or for the benefit of enemies and allies of enemies.

As with so many other postcards,  I'm sure with a bit more research I could get to the bottom of this.

Sepia Saturday -Tijuana, Mexico

At the turn of the last century and into the 1940s, U.S. citizens would go to Mexico on a whim for shopping and entertainment, since Tijuana was just across the border from San Diego. During Prohibition, they could go there to drink. There was also gambling, but that ended in 1935. After that, it became more of a family destination.
This photo was taken in 1938. My mother is riding the burro and her mother is on the left, sitting with Esther and Grace Meyers.

Here's a postcard from about ten years earlier.

Be sure to stop by Sepia Saturday for amusing stories and enchanting photographs.

Streetcar Sunday- El Paso to Juárez

I posted a card  several months ago of a cafe in Juárez that attracted U.S. residents wanting to buy a drink or two during prohibition.  Decades later illegal substances are still supporting the Juárez economy. Based on current events and high levels of violent crime and drug trafficking on the U.S./Mexican border at Juárez and El Paso, Texas, it's refreshing, but also sad, to see the easy and open border pictured on this card.

In 1882, a streetcar line was established between El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico.  Like most streetcars of the time, these were initially drawn by horses or mules. The coordinated service fell under the jurisdiction of two separate operating systems, one in Mexico and one in El Paso, but the service was effectively operated by the El Paso Electric Railway, with the conversion to electricity taking place in 1902. This card dates from sometime after 1910, when the cars were converted from open to closed cars.

Streetcar service was discontinued in 1974. Oddly enough, it was not discontinued for the typical reason - replacement by bus service.  Instead, the Mexican government halted the service because of a perception by Juárez merchants that only the El Paso stores were benefiting from the streetcar. They felt that Juárez shoppers were all heading north.  Recently there has been talk about reintroducing the service, but of course now there are major concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Motel Roma

Monterrey, Mexico has average high temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit for six months out of the year. It's hard to imagine that the window air conditioners could compete with the reflective heat from the surrounding sea of concrete. At least there's a nice little shade tree by the pool. If you wanted to book a room here though, you're probably out of luck; the Roma Motel doesn't appear to be open anymore.

Alternative Transportation- The Silla

Looking at this picture, you wonder why the Cargador ( carrier or loader) doesn't transport his passenger in a wheeled vehicle. Although the pavement here looks flat, these chairs, known as Sillas, were preferred over wheeled transport in areas of Latin America with steep terrain and unpaved roads. The chair is supported by a rope or band that goes around the top of the carrier's head. Additional support is supplied by ropes held by the carrier or by the carrier holding on to chair legs. On a steep uphill climb, the passenger would be facing downhill. Although the passenger was most likely strapped to the chair, it looks very precarious.

Juarez, Mexico - O'Brien's Riverside Cafe

Prohibition in the U.S. during the 1920's and 30's was a boon for the entertainment business south of the border. O'Brien's Riverside Cafe in Juarez was happy to serve alcohol to Americans willing to take the short trip across the river.