The Great Chicago Merchant Tailors

M. Born and Co. produced this trade card around 1880.

Independence, Oregon

Thank goodness for tall trees; it makes building bridges like this a lot easier. This photo of the bridge and three young women (?) was taken in Independence, Oregon. The date was sometime between 1904 and the 1920s, based on the stamp box on the backside. Independence is a small town with a current population of about 6,000 on the Willamette River near Salem, Oregon. This picture was probably taken somewhere along Ash Creek.

Independence was a center for hops growing for several decades, so much so that the population would increase by over 40,000 during harvest season. For some reason production declined in the 1950s, and the influx stopped.

Here's the back of the card.

Giant Almonds

Lena sent these giant almonds to her father, F.M. Barnum,  in Merrill, Oregon for his 55th birthday.  Merrill is a small town, current population of 897, located in Klamath County, not far from the Oregon and California border. The 1904 Klamath County Directory lists F.M. Barnum as a rancher.

In September 1912, the Sacramento Union newspaper reported that:

F.M. BARNUM, living near Merrill, has brought to the 
city a good supply of apples of the Yellow Transparent, Gravenstein and Red June 
varieties, which cannot be surpassed for texture and flavor. A peculiarity of 
this Red June apple is that it ripens in September, thus becoming a fall variety 
instead of a summer one, as is usual. 

Here's the back of the card, sent from San Jose, California.

The message reads:

Dearest papa! - 

Happy Birthday to you - I wish I could be there to help eat your birthday dinner. We are studying hard - Well may your 55th birthday be the happiest you have ever had is the wish of your loving daughter. Heaps of love + kisses.

Lena B.