Beacon Rock, Washington

I'm putting up my feet today and relaxing, because I have a guest post today by the architect who steals my covers (also known as Archie Techt.)  Here's what he wrote:

This scene of Castle Rock in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, which forms the border between Oregon and Washington states, made me want to go for a visit.  It would have been a search in vain though, since Castle Rock no longer exists.  Well, the basalt monolith still exists, but it is now called Beacon Rock.  Originally named Beaten Rock by Lewis and Clark in 1805 as they headed down the Columbia on their expedition west to the Pacific, the name was later changed to Beacon Rock, then Castle Rock, then back to Beacon Rock in 1916. 

Henry Biddle purchased the 848’ tall rock column in 1915 for $1, then spent the next three years building an approximately mile long series of switch-backed trail and bridges up the near vertical south face to the summit.  Views of the gorge along the way and from the top are spectacular, if a bit vertigo inducing.  A volcanic plug, Beacon Rock is the solidified lava core of a larger volcanic cone, the softer remainder of which was washed away during the ice age by the Missoula floods. 

In the early 1930s, the Army Corps of Engineers looked at all of that rock--essentially a vertical quarry--at the river’s edge, and decided they should blow it up to supply material for a jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River. They got as far as digging three caves at the base for explosives, before the Biddle family gave the property to Washington to be used as a state park (Washington originally refused the gift, so the Biddles offered it to Oregon instead, at which point Washington reconsidered….). 

In more recent history, Daily Postcard author Christine was in a Portland book club with Helene Biddle Dick, granddaughter of Henry.  And when my father passed away, I buried his watch at the top of Beacon Rock, as I felt that it offered a view of timeless beauty in every direction.

The double-entendre of the second card made more sense when I read the back and saw it was intended for WWII soldiers.

 Christine on her way up the switchback trail--hang onto your hat!

 The view of the Columbia River Gorge from the Beacon Rock summit is lovely, even on a cold, misty day.                     

  Here's the back of the first card. 

Pointing the Finger in Washington

You immediately thought of Washington, D.C. when you read the title of the post, didn't you? It's exactly this reaction that gives Washington State a complex. Natives always have to emphasize Washington STATE when they say where they're from. And until Seattle became a big deal, no one really gave much thought to Washington. But I can just imagine the brainstorming session at the Washington State Advertising Commission decades ago when they determined that postcards should be produced to showcase the beauty of Washington State and entice people to visit.

The commissioners all agreed that the postcards were a good idea, but some were worried that  people might be unable to identify the scenic attractions in the photos. After all, people from other states might not recognize nature when they saw it. The group then discussed superimposing big red arrows on the cards to highlight the Columbia River and surrounding scenic vistas, but after much brainstorming they decided that human subjects pointing at the scenic attractions would be equally effective and much more subtle. Brilliant.

Since marketing people know all about human preferences though, they also realized that some people just don't like nature all that much. Trees, water - so what! What could they do to attract the urban nature haters? They considered adding a bunch of girls in bikinis or a stock photo of a woman eating asparagus, a popular local crop. But since they were also trying to be family friendly, they all agreed that a young woman leaning on a car was a much better choice and something that both men and women could relate to.

These cards make me want to go to Washington and lean on a car right now!

Tram Tuesday - Tacoma Washington

Be sure to check out the previous Tacoma Streetcar Sunday post.

Today's Tacoma postcard shows a streetcar in front of the Hotel Donnelly and Grand Theatre, a building that was demolished in 1925. A sign on the front of the building advertises oysters.

Maye sent this card to her mother, Mrs. J.C. Browne of Grants Pass, Oregon in 1908, with amessage that reads:

Dear Mother

We leave for Seattle this eve will be there about a week. write me Am having a dandy good time

lovingly Maye

It all looks the same. I don't like Tacoma.

Asbestos Letter

Oh, the mystery! Miss Gillita Workman traveled to Europe, where she received postcards care of various pensions and care of Cook and Sons. At home she received cards care of Bullocks, where she worked in the Book Department. Perhaps she had no fixed address. As far as I can tell she never married. The 1930 Census lists her as a boarder at an address in Glendale, California, with an occupation of saleslady in a bookshop.

The front of the card shows a very nice view of Spokane, Washington with building signs and streetcars.

The back of the card, sent in 1920, has a message from Honore Rusner (?) that reads:

Dear Workie

Have oodles to tell you, but must put it in an asbestos letter - when I can.

My address is 

2105 W. Pacific

however and I am

the same.

Honore Rusner

Note: Although I assumed that 'asbestos letter' referred to something to be kept secret, WJY commented below that it is actually archaic slang for a sexually-themed love letter. Presumably asbestos could contain the fire within. WJY also suggests that this may have been a lesbian relationship. The handwriting does look feminine, and although Honoré can be either a man's or a woman's name, it is more often masculine.

Although I have a few postcards addressed to Gillita, I don't have the asbestos letter.

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.

Beware of Free Samples

When someone offers you free samples, this is what they may have in mind. Well, they are pretty cute. O.K., I guess I'll take a couple.

I have seen this 'Nit' on cards before. I seem to recall that it stands for something, but I can't remember what. Does anyone else know? Any guesses?

Also, I have only seen Washington state abbreviated as WA, never as WN.

Here's the back of the card.
The message to Master H.G. Modrell of Tekoa, Washington reads:

Dearest dear:

Why don't you ever write to me? Gee but I would like to have you here now. How are you feeling now? How is your Mama? Well so long and ans soon.Love to u'all. How's my kitty are you taking good care of her for me? 

Lovingly 

Aunt Elsie

Tekoa is a small town in eastern Washington near the Idaho border. It currently has a population of around 800 people, but back in 1912 when this card was sent, the population was closer to 1,500. Cheney, Washington, which is located in Spokane County (also eastern Washington) had a similarly-sized population in 1912, but their population has continued to grow and is now over 10,000.

Train Disaster at Wellington

This doesn't look like a train disaster card, does it? It's a perfect example of a relatively plain card with a very poignant message. It hardly matters what's on the front. I was looking for cards to post for St. Patrick's Day when I came upon this one. The news is not very cheerful, so I thought I'd post it on a day other than the holiday.

Grace sent this card from Seattle to Miss Sara Clark in Dexter, New York on March 10, 1910.
The message reads:

Dear friend, - You had all better come west here to live. Although we have had a very bad winter. Suppose you have read of that awful avalanche on the Great Northern. It seems terrible here, for we are so close. They are bringing many of the bodies here. Love to all,

Grace.

It reminded me of the tragic Washington avalanche this last weekend that killed three skiers at Stevens Pass. The 1910 avalanche was also near Stevens Pass, but was much more severe and much deadlier. It swept away two Northern Pacific trains and claimed the lives of 96 victims. You can read more about the disaster at HistoryLink. You may also want to look at the Wellington Avalanche website.

Afterwards, the small railroad town of Wellington changed its name to Tye (after the Tye river) because of the negative association with the disaster. Tye became a ghost town after the second Cascade tunnel was opened in 1929.

Here's a photo of the aftermath of the avalanche, with blanket-wrapped bodies being prepared for transport. The photo is courtesy of Paul Dorpat, a historian who writes for the Seattle Times Sunday Magazine and has a superb website.

Source

Tram Tuesday - Seattle, Washington

King Street Station (on the right) was completed in 1906 and still looks very much the same, at least on the exterior. The Oregon-Washington Station (later named Union Station) was built alongside King Street Station in 1911. Both Union Pacific and Milwaukee Road trains served this station for 50+ years. Then, Union station sat empty until it was renovated in the 1990s. Now you can rent the grand hall for your wedding or party, but mostly the building is used as the headquarters for Sound Transit.  I haven't seen much of the building interior, but the last time I was in King Street Station it was terribly run down inside and showed evidence of bad remodels. I understand that a restoration process is underway.

Seattle is also bringing back streetcars. See the official Seattle Streetcar website for details.

As for the message on the back, it's page #2 of an extended message, so it doesn't begin or end on this card. Make of it what you will:

2.  mine (you can get them for fifty cents for any camera and they are well worth while and got portraits of about all the bunch. As long as you don't know the people,  and wouldn't probably be interested in the portraits as you would the scenery I'm going to keep them to look at myself until I come home - when I'll show them to you. I have prints of all of that the others took that I was in - too.

I have got mixed up with a jollier, more congenial bunch of young people and we were all just like one big family. After "being in the family" so long, I felt pretty blue at leaving them, and I'm afraid my blueness  was a good deal to blame for my not writing sooner. There is quite a 

And with that abrupt ending, we're off to card # 3, which along with card #1 is not in my possession. It means we don't know who the sender or the recipient was. All we have is that little snippet from the middle.

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.

St. Joseph Hospital - Bellingham, Washington

Although I might prefer spending time in a hospital that looks like this instead of one of those massive institutions, I would like to make one request: don't carry my stretcher up those front steps. This 53-bed facility was built in 1901 for $21,000 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. They raised money to build it by selling hospital tickets far and wide, including to gold miners in Alaska.  Many children with polio were hospitalized here during the 1940s and 1950s.  The facility was expanded several times, but was finally replaced in 1966.

The back of the card has no message, only the address of Miss Phoebe Stinson of Boston.

More information and pictures of the hospital can be found here.

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.

Gerald Matthews' Museum of Un-Natural History

 

Recently, we took a trip to Walla Walla, Washington. Along the way I tried to pick up postcards, but to no avail! Small towns don't seem to have postcards anymore. We were determined to get a postcard for Uncle Milton in the town of Milton-Freewater, Oregon, but we looked everywhere and finally gave up. Poor Uncle Milt.

Luckily for us, there was a veritable postcard bonanza in Walla Walla. We had seen a postcard for the Museum of Un-Natural History and I was pretty excited about going there. At first I was discouraged when I read that it was only open on Saturdays and the first Friday of each month, but then I also saw that it was open by appointment. Not being shy, we called to make an appointment and Gerald Matthews answered the phone and said he would meet us there in 20 minutes.

When we arrived, Leon Redbone was playing in the background and various mechanical exhibits were turning and whirring. Mr. Matthews was eager to tell us about all of the pieces and about his interesting life (he has been a clown, an actor, and the voice of Sugar Bear...remember Sugar Bear?) Visiting this museum is a little bit like going to a carnival. Mr. Matthews readily admits that some people hate it and leave in disgust. The museum is full of humor, sarcasm, absurdism, and political commentary. It's also full of beautiful and haunting images. If you're ever in Walla Walla, you should definitely make a point of stopping by.  If you aren't, you may want to take a look at the website; it doesn't give you the full flavor, but it does give you a hint of the nature of the place.

Walla Walla feels like it's in the middle of nowhere (because it is), but it has great wine and fabulous restaurants out there surrounded by wheat fields. Equally strange was the fact that we kept running into Eric Idle everywhere we went (remember him from Monty Python?)

Check out the Museum of Un-Natural History at: http://www.wallawalladada.com/