If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 769

  

 

 

 

 

The Liberty Bell

 

Since we are near the 4^th of July and the 250the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this card and the one for next week will be featuring items of historical interest. I am also including a Vintage card that was shared in 2012 when the Liberty Bell was on a national tour in 1915.

This unused postcard above features the Liberty Bell on a souvenir card from TWA [Trans World Airlines].  It is a Linen card with a divided back.  On the center line of the reverse is “Litho U.S.A.—3-265, 9-95.  It required a once-center stamp.  TWA logo is found at the lower left corner on the reverse.  The blurb is located on the right side on the front of the card: “The Liberty Bell, Color-foto by TWA.  Symbolic of our freedom, the historic Liberty Bell stands on display in Independence Hall, Philadelphia.  Here also our nation’s founders signed the Declaration of Independence.”  

 

 

   

Liberty Bell on tour, Seattle, July 14 1915. 

 

The Seattle was one of the cities on the tour route for the Liberty Bell in 1915.  This Vintage postcard shows Washington State Governor Ernest Lister is standing beside the bell.  Thursday postcard 63, from 1 November 2012 has more detailed information about the card and the bell. 

 

Originally, at the time of the founding of the city in 1682, Philadelphia had a city bell that was used to alert the public to proclamations or civic danger.  The city’s founder, William Penn, brought that bell.  In 1751 a new bell tower was being built and the civic leaders wanted a bell of better quality than the original one so it could be heard at greater distances.  The new bell was known as State House Bell, or Old State House Bell.  The first casting resulted in a crack and the bell was re-cast.  It is the second casting of the bell.  Later the new bell was officially named the Liberty Bell  The crack seen on these cards occurred between 1817 and 1846.  The most common story about the cracking says that it happened when the bell was rung upon the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. 

 

The Liberty Bell was transported by railroad to seven expositions and celebrations between 1885 and 1915.  The train would make extra stops so that more people could view it.  The bell was put in a glass fronted oak case for protection.  Concern over continued cracking worsening and to prevent souvenir hunters chipping at the bell it was returned to Philadelphia where it is now houses in Liberty Bell Center where visitors pass through exhibits about the bell before reaching the bell itself.  Today visitors can no longer touch the bell.

 

First called Transcontinental & Western Air, operating from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops was one of the big domestic airlines.  The name was changed as service expanded to overseas travel.  Howard Hughes began buying TWA stock in 1939 and eld a controlling interest in the company by 1944.  He gave up control in the 1960s.  Trans World Airlines operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001.  It was listed as a trunk carrier, also known as trunk airlines or trunklines.  This type of airline existed between 1939 and 1941.  Trunk airlines flew the main domestic routes. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Bell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Airlines#Ambassadors

https://en.wikipedia.lorg/wiki/Trunk_carrier

To see the previous blog post #63, put Liberty Bell in the blog Search field

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 768

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman on horseback, photo courtesy RCMP

 

Here we have another unused souvenir postcard.  This one features a color photograph of a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  The card was made in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by Grant-Mann Lithographers, LTD.  The photograph was used with courtesy of the RCMP.  The space allotted for the stamp on the reverse has a 4-cent stamp postage as needed.  The code:  SS-432 is located at the base of the center line on the reverse.

 

The RCMP is a national police service of Canada, in French “Gendarmerie royale du Canada or GRC.”  It provides police services under contract to 11 provinces and territories, exceptions are Ontario and Quebec, 150 municipalities and 600 Indigenous communities.  Commonly called Mounties, the RCMP was established in 1920.  Today the mounted police use horses only for ceremonial events and certain other occasions.  The red jacket, Stetson hat and boots are also only worn at those times.  The Government of Canada considers the RCMP an unofficial national symbol.  In 2013 a survey taken of Canadians showed that 87% of those interviewed said the RCMP was important to their national identity.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 767

  

 

 

 

 

Turnagain Arm, Alaska

 

This is an unused “Alaska Joe” original souvenir postcard with scalloped edges.  It has C-ANCH-11 at the bottom reverse center line and Plastichrome, Boston just underneath that code.  The publisher/distributor is identified as Alaska Scenic P.C. of Anchorage, Alaska.  The price of the card is found at the lower right corner on the reverse as 10 cents.  A blurb is found at the bottom of the left side on the reverse:  “Showing the paved highway to Portage Glacier and Seward, Alaska; also scenic route of Alaska Railroad."  As noted previously cards with this type of edging date mostly from the 1950s to 1960s but some can range from the 1945 into the 1970s. The title on the front of the card is:  "Turnagain Arm in the Fall."

 

The waterway called Turnagain Arm is found in the northwestern part of the Gulf of Alaska.  It is known for climate extremes and large tide ranges.  It is one of two narrow branches, or arms, at the north end of Cook Inlet.  The British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer, Captain James Cook (1728-1779), spent ten days exploring the inlet that was named after him.  Hoping to find the Northwest Passage, he was disappointed to discover that there was no outlet in either arm.  He then had the additional bad luck of running aground on a sandbar on his way back out of the shallow water, hence the name Turnagain or River Turnagain.  The area is also known for its mineral resources, notably gold placers and gold quartz lodes.  Large numbers of placer claims were made here from 1896 to 1898.  

 

One of several beautiful glaciers found in Alaska is Portage Glacier, located between Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm.  It was discovered in 1898 by Thomas Corwin Mendenall, a member of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.  It is so named because it is on a portage route between the two bodies of water.  This glacier once filled the entire Portage Valley, a distance of 14 miles or 23 km.  Now there are five separate glaciers. In the summer a boat ride across the lake is required to view the glacier up close.  

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnagain_Arm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James-Cook    

 

https://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Portage_Glacier

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 766

  

 

 

 

 

Pantheon, Rome, Italy

 

This unused, divided back, postcard is another one that has had some reddish tinting added to a black & white photograph of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.  Halftone printed cards, such as this one, date from the early 1900s through 1930, A flat red or blue color was applied to specific areas of a black & white image.  There is a blurb at the upper left side:  “The Pantheon, Rome, Italy.—A celebrated temple in Rome built 27 B.C. by Marcus Agrippa, and known as the Pantheon of Agrippa.  It has the finest dome in the world, 142 ½ feet [or 43.4 meters] internal diameter and 145 feet high [or 44.19 meters].  It is considered one of the most interesting sights of Rome.”  The card does not provide the printer/publisher/distributor or photographer, but only indicates that it takes a one-cent stamp.  Note:  The present building shown on the card is not the original one, but one that was built by the emperor Hadrian and dedicated in 126 A.D. to replace the one built in 27 BC which had burned down.  Hadrian chose to re-inscribe the newer temple with Agrippa’s original inscription from the older temple. 

 

The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved of all the Ancient Roman buildings, most likely because it has been in continuous use throughout its history.  Since the 7^th century it has been a Roman Catholic church dedicated to St. Mary of the Martyrs.  The square in front of the building is the Piazza della Rotonda.  Today the Pantheon is a state property managed by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.  Millions of people visit it each year. 

 

The oculus or eye of the dome is open to let in light; however, it also lets in rain, hence the marble floor is inclined and has drains built in to promote rainwater runoff.  When the Pantheon was dedicated for Christian worship in 609, the icon of the Virgin and Child was given by Phocas to Pope Boniface IV.  The present altar and the apses were commissioned by Pope Clement XI (1700-1721).  The choir, designed by Luigi Poletti, was added in 1840.  Numerous paintings and sculptures have been added over the years. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 765

 

 

 

 

 

L'Abue et Mathaux, France, 1910

 

Featured on this Vintage postcard is a black & white photograph of the devasting flooding in France that occurred on the 20^th and 21^st of January 1910.  The location is in the Aube department in north central France.  The number 10 and L’Aube et Mathaux is found at the bottom center.  At the upper right, the event is identified as the floods,  “Les Inondations á BAR sur AUBE (20 et 21 Janvier 1910. (G.L.)”   The initials (G.L.) may be the photographer’s.  No other information about the publisher or photographer is found on the card.  This is a used card with a divided back that is postmarked 7/3/1910.  The handwritten note has the date 3/7/10.  This makes it difficult to tell if the date was the 7^th of March or the 3^rd of July.  Usually European dates read DD/MM/YYYY unlike American dates that generally are written MM/DD/YYYY. 

 

In the winter of 1909-1910 there were historic storms in Marseille and Toulon and higher than usual rainfall in many other parts of the country that saturated the ground.  In addition, exceptionally warm weather caused snow melt resulting in rivers rising to flood stage in many different areas of France.  There were several French rivers that reached flood stage causing considerable damage. 

 

This would be considered a historically interesting card since it shows the result of a notable and catastrophic event.  Although there are no people shown in the photograph it is possible to see flooding impacting the lower levels of the buildings, the road over run with water, and the trees with water up the trunks.  The place is Mathaux, a small community within the Aube department. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathaux

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1910_Great_Flood_of_Paris

https://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/January_1910_Doubs-river-flood

 

Iron Goat, 2026

  

 

 

 

 

Sign at the Iron Goat trailhead

 

It has been a couple of years since we hiked the Iron Goat Trail.  It is one of our favorites for flowers and getting our legs used to extending the distance.  There are two trails, the upper trail and the lower trail.  It is an interpretive trail with signs along the way explaining the history of the old railroad.  While it is possible to make a loop, we most often do an out and back on the lower trail.  At this time of the year, we know there will be some flowers in special places along the lower route. 

The lower level provides a gentle rise in elevation and a round-trip distance of 5.5 miles.  This trail was designed as an ADA (Americans with Disability Act) trail that allowed for baby strollers and wheelchairs.  The trail surface has been mostly packed earth with a layer of gravel.  It is really not suitable as an ADA trail currently as there has been significant water and slide damage recently in several places.  

 

 

When we started out the trail condition looked like this …

 

 

Snowshed wall

 

Part of the trail runs beside the old snowshed that was built to protect the railroad line.  

 

   

There are the remains of old railroad tunnels built in 1916.

 

One of the first indications that something was different this year…

 

  

And then this, the trail disappears, the stream has been redirected onto the old trail …

 

 

Downed logs

 

 

And this, a huge pile of downed logs from wind, water and slides sometime during the winter.  Note this is the exact same place where an avalanche of snow and ice piled up a few years ago.

 

 

  

A miracle, the small wooden bridge survived with only minor damage.

 

We managed, with some care, to edge our way around the slide and water damage to continue on to the Martin Creek Trailhead, our normal turn around place.

 

It had rained earlier in the morning and most of the plants were still still wet.  In addition to the ones pictured we also saw a few bedraggled Salmon Berry blossoms and some almost finished trillium.  There were probably more Fairy Bells than we have seen before on this trail and tons of Bleeding Heart as well.  We saw evidence of a few more Chocolate Lilies but only one plant was okay to photograph.

 

 Aven

 

Bane Berry

 

Bleeding Heart

 

Carpet Bugleweed aka Ajuga

 

Calypso Orchids

 

 

 Chocolate Lilies, almost done blooming

 

 

 Elder Berry

 

Fairy Bells

 

For-Get-Me-Not

 

Fringe Cup

 

Mertensia

 

 

Red Columbine

 

Spotted Coral Root

 

Star Flower

 

 

 Starry Solomon Seal

 

Thimble Berry

 

 

 Trillium

 

Count for the day:

 

7 people, no dogs

RT 5.5 miles

400 ft elevation gain

Forest Service Pass required

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 764

 

 

 

 

 

 Interior of the Church of Notre-Dame de Saint-Melaine, Rennes, France

 

 

This is an unused Vintage postcard produced by Neurdein featuring a black & white photograph of the interior of the Our Lady of Saint Melaine Catholic church located in Rennes, France.  The divided back card has the typical greenish color on the reverse that is common in French cards of the late 1800s or early 1900s. 

 

The title is printed on the bottom margin and the Neurdin logo, large P hot. and ND in the center, is at the bottom right corner.  Neurdin is also identified at the left margin on the reverse.  Neurdin was a family publishing company founded by Jean César Adolphe Neurdein (1806-1867) and succeeded by his sons, Etienne (1832-1918) and Atonin (1846-1914).  They primarily took pictures of buildings, historical places, castles, expositions, and cemeteries and published many of their photographs on postcards. 

 

Before the current church was built there was an abbey that dated back to the 6^th century.  The church is named for Melaine, a monk who became abbot of a small monastery and later Bishop of Rennes in the 6^th century.  He was popular among the people and several miracles are attributed to him.  After his death, Melaine was quickly revered as a saint and is today the principal patron saint of the Diocese of Rennes.  He is buried in the Abbey Church of Notre-Dame de Saint Melaine, Rennes, France.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rennes

https://religiana.com/church-notre-dame-de-saint-melaine-rennes