Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Clean Elections
Interesting to pair an advertisement for soap with election results! The front of this card from 1880 is lovely, but the back is really more interesting.
Look at all of those forgotten political parties!
The Whigs were only around for a short time. They objected to Andrew Jackson in particular and supported the supremacy of Congress over the President.
The Free Soil Party also wasn't around for long, because their primary objective was to oppose the expansion of slavery into the western territories. Once slavery was abolished, there was no real reason for the party to exist.
The Union Party only existed for one election (not including the Union Party from the 1930s.) The Union Party consisted of both Republicans and Democrats who were united in the North's war effort during the Civil War.
The Temperance Party consisted of a bunch of fun spoilers who wanted to meddle in other people's lives. Ha, see how many votes they got in 1872. They didn't give up though, and were back and somewhat stronger as the Prohibition Party in 1876.
The Greenback Party was a populist party that supported government control of the monetary system and supported labor rights (8-hour work days) and women's right to vote.
Look at all of those forgotten political parties!
The Whigs were only around for a short time. They objected to Andrew Jackson in particular and supported the supremacy of Congress over the President.
The Free Soil Party also wasn't around for long, because their primary objective was to oppose the expansion of slavery into the western territories. Once slavery was abolished, there was no real reason for the party to exist.
The Union Party only existed for one election (not including the Union Party from the 1930s.) The Union Party consisted of both Republicans and Democrats who were united in the North's war effort during the Civil War.
The Temperance Party consisted of a bunch of fun spoilers who wanted to meddle in other people's lives. Ha, see how many votes they got in 1872. They didn't give up though, and were back and somewhat stronger as the Prohibition Party in 1876.
The Greenback Party was a populist party that supported government control of the monetary system and supported labor rights (8-hour work days) and women's right to vote.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Streetcar Sunday -To Echo Mountain via Castle Canyon
This postcard remains a bit of a mystery to me. Maybe some wise person can add some clarification.
It would appear that the horse is set to push the sightseeing car. More likely, he is just turned around so he can follow behind on the trip downhill. If so, I hope there's also a brake.
I wouldn't have a clue to where this is, except for the sign below. Here it is magnified several times.
It says, "To Echo Mountain via Castle Canyon 34 miles." That should give a good clue. Echo Mountain is located in Los Angeles County in the San Gabriel Mountains. It's called Echo Mountain because of the great echoes you get when you yell into Castle Canyon. And there was a railway there too, the Mount Lowe Railway, which was powered by overhead trolley wires and transported passengers from Altadena up the hills to Rubio Canyon, where there was a small hotel. From there, passengers could take a funicular up to Echo Mountain, where there was an elegant 70-room Victorian hotel and a chalet. There was also a casino, a dance hall, and the opportunity to transfer to yet another trolley line to Crystal Springs. The entire venture constantly ran into hard times and disasters, including fires, torrential rains, and gale-force winds. It opened in 1893 and was abandoned in 1938.
This horse-drawn car may have connected to the Mount Lowe Railway, but I don't think it was part of the system. The former owners of this postcard were thoughtful enough to write a date on the back though. These were the same people who visited Gayle's Lion Farm and nicely dated those cards as well.
Here's the back of the card.
It would appear that the horse is set to push the sightseeing car. More likely, he is just turned around so he can follow behind on the trip downhill. If so, I hope there's also a brake.
I wouldn't have a clue to where this is, except for the sign below. Here it is magnified several times.
It says, "To Echo Mountain via Castle Canyon 34 miles." That should give a good clue. Echo Mountain is located in Los Angeles County in the San Gabriel Mountains. It's called Echo Mountain because of the great echoes you get when you yell into Castle Canyon. And there was a railway there too, the Mount Lowe Railway, which was powered by overhead trolley wires and transported passengers from Altadena up the hills to Rubio Canyon, where there was a small hotel. From there, passengers could take a funicular up to Echo Mountain, where there was an elegant 70-room Victorian hotel and a chalet. There was also a casino, a dance hall, and the opportunity to transfer to yet another trolley line to Crystal Springs. The entire venture constantly ran into hard times and disasters, including fires, torrential rains, and gale-force winds. It opened in 1893 and was abandoned in 1938.
This horse-drawn car may have connected to the Mount Lowe Railway, but I don't think it was part of the system. The former owners of this postcard were thoughtful enough to write a date on the back though. These were the same people who visited Gayle's Lion Farm and nicely dated those cards as well.
Update 3/8/11: I happened to see a very similar card today taken at the same location. The people who took that picture wrote on the back: Mule train, Inspiration Point to Picture Rock, Mt. Lowe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
Posts
