If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 466

Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge, Gold Beach, Oregon

J. C. Miller took the photograph of the Patterson Bridge on this unused Smith-Western, Inc. card.  A couple of weeks ago I shared a postcard with a picture of the Mary D. Hume ship at Gold Beach.  Not far from that ship is this bridge that crosses the Rogue River from Gold Beach to Wedderburn, Oregon.  There are two identifying numbers on the reverse; one at the upper left SPC-4057 and the other at the lower left corner, 211968.

The Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge, also known as the Rogue River Bridge and the Isaac Lee Patterson Memorial Bridge, is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Rogue River in Curry County, Oregon.  The bridge is 1,938 ft or 591 m long and has seven 230 ft or 70 m deck arch spans and nine girder sections.  The road bed is 27 ft or 8.2 m wide.  The end piers rest on solid rock.  The Mercer, Fraser Company of Eureka, California began construction in April 1930 and the bridge was opened for traffic in May of 1932.  Conde McCullough, a Oregon bridge designer and highway engineer designed this bridge and a series of notable bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway in the 1930s.  The Patterson Bridge has a strong Art Deco influence.  Due to salt air the bridge has required extensive preventive maintenance.  The bridge was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1982 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.  

 This information sign about the bridge was on the dock

 Distance view of the bridge from near the information sign

 Closer views of the Art Deco bridge towers

The wreck of the Mary D. Hume in the foreground with the Patterson bridge in the distance

For additional information, see:

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

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 465

Dante Alighieri, mid-19th century painting by Attilio Runcaldier, Museo Dantesco, Ravenna, Italy

This unused postcard is an Ediz. Salbaroli product and has a picture of a mid-19th century oil on canvas painting by Attilio Runcaldier showing a portrait of the poet and statesman Dante Alighieri, known as Dante.  Written in 1320, Dante’s Divine Comedy is perhaps his most well known work today.  

The original painting on the card is 56.2 inches by 37 inches or 143 cm x 95 cm and is exhibited at the Museo Dantesco in Ravenna, Italy.  The number 241 appears on the card at the lower left corner on the reverse.  Ravenna has small gift shops near most of the individual attractions on a walking tour route and I found this postcard in a shop next to the church. 

When we visited Ravenna, Italy in 2018 we stopped to look at the small garden and Dante’s tomb located near the Basilica of San Francesco.  We also went inside the church.  Dante’s funeral was held in this church, then a Franciscan monastery, in 1321.   He was buried outside the cloister in an ancient Roman sarcophagus.  The sarcophagus was moved to the west side of the cloister in the late 1400s.  In 1519 Pope Leo X gave the city of Florence permission to move Dante's remains from Ravenna to Florence however the Franciscans had secretly moved the bones before the delegation arrived and they found the box empty.  Later the sarcophagus was moved into the cloister and kept under guard.  Dante’s remains were put in a new box in 1677 while the original sarcophagus was being restored.  In 1781 when the restoration and the monument were completed, the bones were put back in.  

The tomb has a small cupola and dome.  The interior is marble and stucco.  There is a votive lamp hanging from the ceiling that is kept burning with olive oil from the Tuscan hills donated by the city of Florence every year on the anniversary of Dante’s death, 14 September.  The simple façade to the street has a gate with the inscription “Dante Poetae Sepulcrum”  (tomb of Dante the poet).  A bronze garland was added at the foot of the sarcophagus in 1921 in memory of World War I dead.

Bob took the picture below of the view of the street leading to the tomb.  It is a narrow street, so although the area around the tomb is designated as a quiet zone there were still many bicycles and people lined up to take pictures and peek inside. 

Street view of Dante's Tomb

Realistically only one person can peer inside at a time.  There is a rope across the doorway to prevent people from getting too close

Street sign mounted on the wall

Dante was born about 1265 in Florence.  Due to political changes in government he was exiled in 1301 and eventually ended up in Ravenna where he spent his last years, dying in 1321.  There was a line of people waiting to peer into the small chamber and not much time once one got up to the front of the line to take photos.  

Interior of the monument

Closer view of the bas-relief by Pietro Lombardo

The painting on the postcard, with minor differences, is the same view as this 1483 bas-relief by Pietro Lombardo in the tomb.  On the card Dante is depicted holding a quill in his right hand also Runcalier has placed a laurel wreath on his head and added color to his robes.  The bas-relief has fewer books and what looks like a jar or ink pot.

Exterior view of the Basilica of San Francesco

Interior view of the Basilica of San Francesco

The Basilica of San Francesco in Ravenna is elegantly simple and plain inside and outside with far fewer paintings and ornamentation than in many of the other churches we saw.

Most of the buildings on the Ravenna walking tour had these information plaques

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Dante
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Boccaccio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica _of_San_Fancesco,_Ravenna

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 464

The Mary D. [Duncan] Hume

[photo:  Steven Astillero]

This week’s postcard features a photo by Steven Astillero and shows the Mary D. Hume a commercial steamer built at Gold Beach, Oregon, in 1881 by R. D. Hume who was a pioneer and early businessman in the area.  The card was distributed by Nature’s Photography, Medford, Oregon (www.lighthousecollectibles.com).

In 1886 R.D. Hume of Astoria, Oregon, moved his commercial salmon fishing, processing and shipping business to the mouth of Rogue River.  Following the sinking of Mr. Hume's small steamer "Varuna" he salvaged the steam engine and began plans to replace his lost freighter.  A 141 ft. (42.9 m) tall White Cedar tree was harvested 13 miles (20 km) north and floated downstream to what is today the Port of Gold Beach.  Naturally curved White Cedar roots were used as the ribs and Myrtlewood dowels were used to join the ribs to the keel.  Mr. Hume named the boat in honor of his wife, Mary Duncan Hume.  [Information from:  the a placard at the site]

This ship had a remarkable 97-year career as an active commercial working vessel, the longest active sea service for any commercial vessel on the Pacific Coast.  .  Originally she hauled goods from Oregon to San Francisco for 8 years.  Later in 1889 she was purchased by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company and used to haul baleen from Arctic waters.  From 1890 to 1892 she was used as a whaler and caught 37 whales.   In the early 1900s she received a new steam engine and was used as cannery tender in Alaska for the Northwest Fisheries Company.  After sinking in the Nushagak River she came to Seattle and began working as a tugboat for the American Tug Boat Company of Everett, Washington towing logs and barges on Puget Sound.   Another new engine was installed in 1939 and in 1954 a diesel engine was installed and the superstructure was altered.  The Crowley Maritime Corporation bought the Mary D. Hume in 1973 and she was still being used as a tugboat.  In 1977 she was retired and was returned to Gold Beach in 1978.  In all her years of service and through changes in ownership she retained her name, unique in maritime history.

Some effort was made to preserve the Mary D. Hume but a mechanical failure occurred and she slipped off into the mud at Gold Beach where it is today and insufficient funds have hampered the effort.  Despite the condition the wreck is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and can be seen berthed on the Rogue River at Gold Beach, Oregon.

We visited the site in 2018 and Bob took the photo below.  Looking closely it is possible to see that not only is part of of ship collapsing, grass and other vegetation is now growing on the boat.

The Mary D. Hume, Gold Beach, Oregon, 2018

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_D._Hume_steamer

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 463

Oregon Myrtle tree

This unused Northwest Artmall postcard has a photograph by Gerry Deadmond.  The tree is identified as Oregon Myrtle.  At the lower right corner of the card is an information blurb about the tree. 

A true myrtle tree, myrtus, is native to the Mediterranean region in southern Europe and North Africa.  The tree, umbellularia californica, pictured on the card is a large hardwood tree native to the Sierra foothills of California and the costal forests extending into Oregon.  Called a myrtle in Oregon it is known as California bay laurel, California laurel or California bay in California.  It has also been called pepperwood, spicebush, cinnamon bush, peppernut tree, headache tree, mountain laurel, and balm of heaven.  The leaves have a pungent smell similar to bay leaves but stronger.  Native Americans made poultices of the leaves to treat rheumatism and neuralgias.  A tea was made from the leaves and used to treat stomachaches, colds, and sore throats.  The leaves were also used to relieve headaches.   Today the leaves are not recommended for cooking as they contain a toxic mucous irritant.  One or two leaves can be placed in flour or cornmeal as an insecticide to keep mealworms away. 

The wood is used for bowls, gift items, spoons, gunstocks, trim, cabinetry, paneling, veneer, and the backs and sides of acoustic guitars.  During a visit to the Oregon coastline we stopped in at The Rogue River Myrtlewood shop in Gold Beach, and purchased a bowl.  The owner was kind enough to explain the process of making the bowl and took us on a short tour of his workshop in the back room of his store.  He had samples of fresh wood and leaves that he suggested we smell to test the strength of the aroma.  It is pungent enough to cause sneezing!  Products made of myrtle wood provide a small but significant source of income for small mills and crafters in southwest Oregon and California.  He also told us that the Oregon myrtle tree is very slow growing and has been over logged therefore the wood is becoming somewhat scarce.  He was not sure how much longer shops like his would be able to continue to produce handmade items.  

The Oregon Champion myrtle tree is about 88 ft tall and almost 5 ft in diameter making it significantly larger than a typical Oregon myrtle.  The tree has evergreen leaves and clusters of yellow flowers as well as yellow-green fruit.  It can be used as an ornamental planting.

Oregon Myrtlewood bowl

The warm color and the grain of the wood make it extremely attractive.  This bowl was handcrafted with the skill and love of an artisan for the wood.  It is so finely finished it feels like silk to the touch and is very easy to clean.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbellularia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtus
https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/myrtlewood/#.XvvIl_J7lp8