Oxford, Michigan

Here are a couple of real photo cards from Oxford, Michigan.  These were printed by Kruxo between 1911 and 1922.  Current views of the street don't look much different; it would appear that most of the old buildings have been preserved.

The message to Olive Martin reads:

Dear Mother

just a few lines. Did you get the box with the quilt in it. Jud (?) has been sick in bed with gall stones just able to sit up a little to day. Hope this finds you both well

Ans. soon

Edith

This one is labeled C.L. Randall's Residence.

Mount Adams Incline - Cincinnati, Ohio

When the architect who steals my covers goes to Cincinnati later this year, he won't see the Mt. Adams Incline, because it's not there anymore. This spectacular funicular was built in 1872, one of five funiculars in Cincinnati and the longest running of any of them.  It was built to connect the downtown with the residential areas on the hill. The Mt. Adams Incline was closed in 1948, even though at the time it was the city's biggest tourist attraction.

Today, there are still some great attractions on the hill, including Eden Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, a few theaters, and numerous restaurants and bars. It's unfortunate that as in many other cities, car-driven transportation planning worked to effectively fragment the city by building big freeways through the middle of it.  Here's a USGS photo from a website called Cincinnati-transit net, with a yellow line showing the site of the former funicular. The website has lots of great pictures of the Mt. Adams Incline and the other Cincinnati inclines, although it doesn't look as if there have been any  posts recently.

Here's the back of the postcard:

Draw That Bridge - Multnomah Falls

Two weeks ago I posted a card of Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge near Portland. That card showed the falls before the bridge was built in 1914.  I invited you to submit designs for a bridge. There was one submission, which was terrific, but I can't post it due to copyright issues. It showed the Jantzen bathing suit girl spanning the falls. Very clever, and I wish I could post it, but I understand Jantzen may not want their trademark used that way.  Anyway, as promised here is the card showing the bridge. It's also an old card (from about 1920)  but it doesn't look much different today.

 Here's the pre-bridge card again:

At 620 feet, Multnomah Falls is the highest waterfall in Oregon. The Benson Footbridge was built midway on the falls in 1914., allowing people to cross 105 feet above the lower cascade. It's a beautiful view and a great starting point for a number of hiking trails.


Here's the back of the card: