The Ailing Professor

This lovely card was sent to me by Lily Hydrangea of the Long Island Daily Photo. She and her family stopped at the Brattle Book Shop in Boston, where in addition to books there were lots of old postcards. They collectively debated over which postcard to send me and finally agreed on this one. It's especially amusing and touching because I have never met Lily or her family before, but she had read my blog and thought I would appreciate the card.  And she was right. You can read her post about the bookshop here.

There's something so bucolic about all of these people relaxing in the park. I wonder if they were listening to a band or simply conversing.

The back of the card has an intriguing message.

The message sent to Marinda Locke in 1923 reads:

Martha's Vineyard

Dear Marilockie:

We start on our homeward trip tomorrow and by Friday afternoon I shall be telephoning to know how you and our professor are. My love to you both and to your dear brave mother. K.L.B.

I found some information in the Mount Holyoke College archives that may help to explain this message: Marinda Adams Locke graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1893. She worked at various schools before becoming a nurse in 1898. Thereafter she worked at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. It sounds as if she never married.

Her sister Adelaide Locke also graduated from Mount Holyoke (1892) - and from the Hartford Theological Seminary (1896). She taught Biblical History at Wellesley, and according to the book In Adamless Eden: The Community of Women Faculty at Wellesley by Patricia Ann Palmieri, she lived with her mother.
So, why does the message refer to the 'dear brave mother'? Well, it seems that her daughter the professor was probably in ill health, since she died the following year. Presumably Marinda was there to help with nursing duties. Marinda lived until 1951.

Building Around the River

Many cities are built on or across rivers. It's always interesting to see how various cities deal with the river and making it part of the city.

Often, industrial and warehouse districts were located along the riverfront, making it a fairly unappealing place. Freeways were also often located along the riverbank, which meant that residents could not reach the riverfront, but could only look at it from afar. Although it's a difficult process to undo, many cities decided to reclaim their riverfront property for waterfront parks and commercial uses.

And then there's Columbus, Ohio. Are there other cities like this? There was a big flood in Columbus, Ohio in 1913. After that, city leaders decided to widen the river and build retaining walls, based on a recommendation from the Army Corps of Engineers. During the building boom of the 1920s, the Civic Center was built on both sides of the river. It strikes me as very unusual and ahead of its time.

Callander, Onatario, Canada

Callander, Ontario was formerly known as North Himsworth, but the mayor remarked that no one knows where North Himsworth is, so the name was changed to Callander. I don't know how much of a difference the name change made, but I do know that the Dionne quintuplets were born just outside of Callander in 1934, just a few years before this card was sent. They must have been a big sensation there at the time, but the sender didn't mention them. His mind was on other things.

Callander currently has a population of approximately 3,300. When this postcard was sent, there were some good fishing spots nearby. May still be the case. There's supposed to be a good supply of Walleye at Lake Nipissing.

The message on the card, sent to Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Cain on August 18, 1937 reads:

Dear Folks,

Pulled in to North Bay early this evening. 688 mi   Hoping to catch a lot of fish. How did you like her looks?

Nephew

Ervan  (?)