French Postman

Here's the back of the card, sent to Louis Madeline, who was a soldier stationed in Saint-Mihiel, in the Meuse department of Lorraine, France during World War I. There's no date on the card, so it's impossible to know if he was there during the Battle of Saint Mihiel, led by U.S. General, John Pershing. I also wonder if this Louis Madeline is the French architect who was born in 1892 and died in 1962.

The message reads:

Saint-Martin-des-Champs

Dear Cousin,

I wish you well and happy and above all that it passes quickly.

Your cousin

Emile (Guy?)

Recreation in Oregon

Sepia Saturday's theme this week has to do with launching men into space. This is as close as I could get. This photo was taken sometime between 1904 and 1918.  Ballston was never a big town. In 1915, it had a population of 104.  At that time, it also had a school, a post office, and two churches. It is now considered a ghost town. The original 1855 Ballston school building is still standing though. These ruffians were probably students there

Here's the back of the card. it looks like the sender was preparing to post it off to someone at the U.S. School of Music in New York.

If you want to get an idea of how the town looked, here are some old Ballston photos from the Ben Maxwell Collection at the Salem Public Library.

Businesses in Ballston in Polk County, Oregon, 1959
Oldest surviving school building in Polk County, Oregon, 1964
Old vacant store in Ballston in Polk County, Oregon, 1964
The former railroad station at Ballston in Polk County, Oregon

The Farmer's Puzzle

Williams, Clark & Co., manufacturers of high-grade bone fertilizers, is proud to present you with this puzzle.  This trade card is from about 1880. Please submit your answer in the comments below.

According to an article in the New York Times on May 23, 1899, Williams, Clark & Co. was one of twenty-three major fertilizer companies that consolidated to become American Agricultural Chemical Co.