If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 706

 

 

 

 

 

Oakland California Temple, San Francisco Bay Area

 

Printed by Dexter Press, Inc. of New York, this unused color postcard features a photograph of the Oakland Temple and Interstake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The number 3199-C appears on the reverse at the lower left corner.  At the upper left corner on the reverse there is a blurb:  “Located on Temple Hill in Oakland, California, on a beauty spot giving a matchless view of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Free guide service provides background and explanations of the Mormon functions.”

 

Today the official title of this building is The Oakland California Temple.  The exterior is Sierra white granite over reinforced concrete.  Designed by Harold W. Burton (1887-1969), it is notable for its five-spire design, Art Deco and mid-century elements.  The Oakland Temple is just one of several meeting houses, tabernacles, chapels, and temples that designed by Burton.  Some of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Land for the construction of the temple was purchased in 1943 but construction did not begin until 1962.  There were tours of the building open to the public prior to its dedication in 1964.  After the temple was dedicated, admittance was reserved only for church members holding a recommend.  A visitors’ center was built next to the temple in 1992.

 

Since the original construction the Temple has undergone major renovations and seismic upgrades that included updating the electrical system, refurbishing furniture, repairing the reflecting pool, and replacing some paneling. Modern air conditioning and lighting improvements were also completed.  The temple was closed in 2018 during the renovations and rededicated in 2019.  Once again there was a public open house prior to the re-dedication.  The temple was also closed for a period of time during the COVID pandemic. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/Harld_W._Burton

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 705

 

 

 

 

 

Glasson Dock, Thurnham, Lancaster, England

 

This is an unused P. Frith & Co. Ltd. card featuring a photograph of Glasson Dock, located in Thurnham, Lancaster, England.  The title “Glasson Dock” and GNDK 42 are just off center at the bottom on the front of the card.  The photographer is not listed.

 

The small village of Glasson Dock, also known as Glasson, is located at the mouth of the River Lune in Lancashire, England.  Originally it was a community with farming and fishing as the main occupations.  As early as 1779 it was suggested that a dock or series of locks be built at Glasson to help ships navigate the River Lune to the port of Lancaster.  Difficulties, lack of funding, design problems, resulted in continuing delays.  Finally in 1823 work began.  The project involved building locks that would drop 52 ft or 16 m over 2.5 miles or 4 km.  Due to financial problems the warehouses and wharves could not be built first.  As a result, trade on the canal was slow.  

 

 By 1830 over 10,000 tons of goods passed through the dock.  The locks were 14 ft or 4.3 m wide, so smaller ships did not have to move cargoes to canal boats but could sail through.  The goods included slate, timber, potatoes, and grain.  Then in 1883 the dock was connected to the railway in Lancaster. Passenger services stopped in 1930 but goods continued until 1964.   

 

The trackbed is now a linear park and cycleway.  A limited amount of outgoing commercial traffic still uses the dock, including shipping coal to the Isle of Man and the Western Isles of Scotland.  Incoming shipments include animal foodstuffs and fertilizer that is stored in sheds located on the dock side.   

 

Because the River Lune has very little water during low tide, vessels can only enter during tidal windows.  Currently the broken sea gate is under repair and not expected to reopen until sometime in 2026.  In the meantime, a cofferdam will be installed this year (2025) and later removed when the repair work is completed on the gate.  This will help lessen the impact on sailing during the 2025-2026 season.  Glasson Dock is part of a hub connecting the Irish Sea, Morecambe Bay, the River Lune estuary, Glasson Marina, and the Lancaster Canal.

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9r3xx2npdpo

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 704

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Praying Monk, Camelback Mountain, Arizona [photo by Norton Louis Avery], ca 1960s

 

As can be noticed at the bottom of this unused postcard featuring the rock formation called The Praying Monk, there are deckled or scalloped edges.  The edging goes completely around the card, but the scan cuts off the top and sides with only the bottom showing the complete edge.  Deckled or scalloped edges were first popular in the 1930s and were found on postcards until about 1950.  After a brief disappearance, the edging returned and was popular during the 1950s and 1960s.  This card looks like it was probably one of those published in the 1960s. 

 

The card was published by Pettey Studios, of Phoenix, Arizona.  On the reverse, the code K-376 is found to the left of the credit to the color photography by Avery.  At the bottom of the center is also the numbers 64850.  A blurb is found at the upper left corner of the reverse:  “The Praying Monk.  Near Phoenix, Arizona.  On the North side of Camelback Mountain Nature created The Praying Monk, who—according to tradition, keeps constant vigil over Paradise Valley and The Valley of the Sun.”  The praying monk is the smaller rock formation on the left side of the larger one identified as Camelback Mountain, due to its likeness to a kneeling camel’s hump. 

 

Camelback Mountain is part of the Phoenix Mountain range in Maricopa County, Arizona.  It is a popular recreation area for hiking and rock climbing.  Efforts were made to first include Camelback Mountain as part of reservation acreage for the Pima and Maricopa American Indian tribes in 1879 but the decision was reversed six months after President Rutherford B. Hayes included it.  In the 1910s efforts were made again to try and protect the area as a natural preserve.  That also failed and by the 1960s nearly all the area had been sold to private interests.  State authorities attempted to stop development above the 1600 ft but that also failed.  It wasn’t until Senator Barry Goldwater took up the case and helped secure higher elevations against development in 1965 that some of the area was preserved.  It became a Phoenix city park in 1968.  “Camelback Mountain is designated a Phoenix Point of Pride.”

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

 

https://www.summitpost.org/the-praying-monk/763888

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 703

 

 

 

 

 

The USS Natchez [photo by Robert M. Parker], ca 1975

 

This unused postcard features a photograph of the Sternwheeler Natchez by Robert M. Parker.  The card was published by Grant L. Robertson, Metairie, Louisiana and has the code:  GLR-C-107 at the center bottom on the reverse.  There is a blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse:  “Sternwheeler Natchez.  The newest, largest all steel sternwheeler steamer excursion boat built in the U.S. in this century [1975].  She offers daily and nightly cruises on the Mississippi River, departing from Toulouse Street Wharf near Jackson Square.”  New Orleans, City of Enchantment is found to the right of the blurb.  Found above the blurb and along the left side margin on the reverse are black & white ink drawings of local New Orleans attractions.

 

The USS Natchez shown on the card is the ninth sternwheel steamboat with that name.  The name comes from the Natchez people and the city, Natchez, located on the Mississippi River.  In addition to the other steamboats, four naval vessels also used the name.  This version was not modeled after the original boat.  Instead, it was modeled after two other steamboats, the Hudson and the Virginia.  It has materials taken from several other boats.  The steam engines were built in 1925 for the steamboat Clairton.  The steering system also came from the Clairton.  A copper bell, made from 250 melted silver dollars, came from the SS J.D. Ayres.  A copper acorn that fits on the bell was taken from the Avalon and the Delta Queen.  The Avalon is now known as the Belle of Louisville.  The wheel is made of white oak.  The whistle was salvaged from a ship that sank in 1908.  The Natchez is mostly made of steel to comply with U.S. Coast Guard rules. 

 

The Natchez IX was temporarily out of service due to an onboard fire in 2022 that was put out by firefighters.  Service was able to resume in 2023.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_(boat)

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 702

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Bridge, Virginia with poem by B.B. Valentine

 

Two postcards of the same place are shared this week. Above is an unused Marken & Bielfeld, Inc., of Frederick , Md. Featuring two color photographs.  At the upper right corner is the number 122.  On the reverse on the upper left side is a blurb:  “The Natural Bridge of Virginia is located in Rockbridge County a few miles to the west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Length of bridge, 90 ft., width averages 100 ft., height 215 ft, 40 ft. thick.  Granted from George III on July 5, 1774, to Thomas Jefferson 157 acres, which included the bridge on Cedar Creek which flows under it.”  The poem, In Old Virginia,” is attributed to B.B. Valentine.  The card was found and purchased from a local antique mall.  

 

 The second card, shown below, is a used Uberman Novelty Co., Washington, D.C. card dated August 7, 1951.  The blurb on the reverse at the upper left:  "UN-15  Natural Bridge Va.  Formed by nature, Natural Bridge is one of the Seven Wonders of the world.  The Lee Highway, U.S. #11, passes over the top of the bridge, which is 55 feet higher than Niagara Falls."

 

Natural Bridge, Virginia, ca 1951

 

The geological formation bridge is situated within a gorge carved from the surrounding limestone by Cedar Creek.  Cedar Creek is a small tributary of the James River.  The bridge has been a Virginia Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark.  It has been managed by the Commonwealth of Virginia as Natural Bridge State Park since 2016.  Visitors have to purchase a ticket to view the bridge from below.  There is a trail under the bridge along Cedar Creek and by Lace Falls.  There are protective fences along the top of the bridge where U.S. Route 11, also known as the Lee Highway, is located. 

 

The Native American Monacan tribe considers the Natural Bridge a sacred site associated with a major victory over Powhatans that occurred centuries before the arrival of Europeans in Virginia.

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 701

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diénay (Côte-d’Or) – Château Veil-Picard, France, 1922

 

This is an unused Vintage postcard with a divided back, greenish color on reverse, printed or published by Breger Freres [Breger Brothers] of Paris, France.  Edit. Michel and the title Diénay (Côte-d’Or) – Château Veil-Picard is printed on the front lower margin.  The name of the printer/publisher is found to the bottom right of the center line on the reverse.  The card was another one found in a shoe-box jumble, but also seen on eBay with the date of 1922.   

 

 Breger Freres Logo

 

The company logo is an interesting and different design.  Most logos for postcards use initials, geometric shapes or objects. 

 

 

Diénay, is a community located in the Côte-d’Or region in Northeastern France.  Formed from the former province of Burgundy, Côte-d’Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution in 1790.  There are several other tourist attractions; however, the Château Veil-Picard is not listed among those named.  The picture on the card makes it look smaller than those that are listed.  Perhaps more like a villa or manor house than a château.  Since there are at least 100 châteaux or more in this area, it is possible that smaller ones do not get mentioned or often photographed.  This is a wine producing area where many of the châteaux have been converted into hotels or guest houses. 

 

Gallic Celts were the first recorded inhabitants of was became Burgundy.  They were incorporated into the Roman Empire.  A Germanic people, called Burgundians, and who may have originated on the island of Bornholm, settled in the western Alps during the 4^th century.  The area changed hands a couple of times during conflicts between Germany and France.  The Abbey of Fontenay found in Burgundy, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in Burgundy.  Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Abbey of Vézelay is still a starting point for pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. 

 

Côte-d’Or is a department in the region of Bourgogne, or Burgundy in English.  From the early 11^th to the late 15^th century Burgundy was the home of the Dukes of Burgundy.  The capital was Dijon, like the mustard.  It was wealthy, powerful, and center for art and science.  The Duchy of Burgundy is said to have been key in the transition from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe.  This area was one of the largest ducal territories.  The area changed hands at different times during conflicts between Germany and France.  The Abbey of Fontenay found in Burgundy, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in Burgundy.  Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Abbey of Vézelay is still a starting point for pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. 

 

During the 100 Years’ War, King John II of France gave the duchy to his youngest son, Philip the Bold.  Later, King Louis XI of France took over the duchy itself.  The Low Countries, which had been part of Burgundy, passed to Duke Charles the Bold’s daughter, Mary, and her Habsburg descendants. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di%C3%A9nay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te-d%27Or

 

 

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 700

 

 

 

 

 

 Tours, France, ca 1914-1924

 

The perforation on the left side of the card indicates that this card was one in a booklet set.  It is an unused Vintage souvenir postcard.  Featured are four black & white photo views of the city of Tours with a young woman or girl wearing a traditional headdress in the center.  At the bottom margin on the front of the card is the number 48, the title Tours, and A.P.  The has card has a divided back with the typical greenish color that can be found on many European vintage cards.  A. Thiriat & Cie of Toulouse is identified as the printer or publisher on the reverse center line.  The card was found in a shoebox jumble and was purchased at a local antique mall. 

 

Thiriat & Company of Toulouse was known to issue cards with pictures of places, also military scenes, and people in uniform.  The pictures with people in uniform suggest they were from the World War I era, 1914-1918.  It is not known if Thiriat published or just printed the cards. 

 

The city of Tours is located in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.  Situated between Orleans and the Atlantic coast it was originally founded and named Caesarodunum [“hill of Caesar”] in the 1^st century A.D. by the Roman Emperor Augustus.  During Gallic times it was an important point of crossing over the Loire River.  By the 4^th century A.D. the name was Turones, later Civitas Turonum, and finally Tours.  The Tours Amphitheatre, one of the largest Roman amphitheaters, can be found there.  Tours folk lore says that Turonus, the nephew of Brutus, died and is buried in Tours and the city was founded around his grave. 

 

Tours is famous for its bridges crossing the Loire.  There are two pictures of bridges on the card, one at the upper left and the other at the lower right corners.  The photos appear to be of the Wilson Bridge taken from opposite sides of the river.  This bridge is named afater the U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson.  Also pictured on the card, at the upper right is the Hôtel de Ville, and at the lower left, the Tours Cathedral, Saint Gatianus. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://rthcards.co.uk/pclogos/data/THIRIAT/THIRIAT_01.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville,_Tours

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Wilson_(Tours)

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 699

 

 

 

 

 

John P. Cable Mill, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

 

Featured on this unused Carl W. M. Cline Co., Color-King Color Card, is a photograph of the John P. Cable Mill located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, Tennessee.  The card has the number 81280 at the bottom center line on the reverse.  There is a blurb at the top left corner on the back:  “John P. Cable Mill—Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Located in the Cades Cove section this is the only Grist Mill left in the park using an overshot wheel.” 

 

The building is described as being typical of what remote Appalachian farmsteads were like more thaan 100-150 years ago, thus providing us with a glimpse into history.  The Cable Mill, situated on its original site, is just one of several historic buildings in the park.  Other buildings were brought from elsewhere and reconstructed on various other sites on the park grounds.  For instance, the blacksmith shop built in the 1950s, is representative of what a blacksmith shop would have been like in the 1870s or thereabouts. 

 

There is a dam on Mill Creek from which the water is funneled down a wooden flume and onto the top of the mill wheel.  There are several different types of water wheels.  The one used on the Cable Mill is called an overshot.  The water running over the wheel activates the mechanism to grind the corn using a mill stone.  The same wheel also powered a heavy reciprocating blade to cut logs making it possible for the miller to be able operate both a grist mill to grind flour and a sawmill to cut logs with one water wheel.   

 

 Some families had “tub” mills that could grind small amounts of grain; however, mills like the Cable mill were larger and stronger.  The miller would barter or charge a fee to grind the meal or saw logs.  A typical house in this area was a log cabin.  The sawmill could saw logs and save many back-breaking steps if the settler could provide the logs, trade or pay for cutting the lumber.   

 

Adjacent to the mill is the Gregg-Cable house, believed to have been constructed from some of the earliest timber cut on the Cable Mill.  It was built in 1879.  It is the first and only remaining all-frame house in Cades Cove. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://www.nps.gov/places/cable-mill-historic-area.html

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

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 698

  

 

 

 

Vintage Valentine card, ca World War I era

 

This used postcard was sent to Miss Eunice McCoy of Duck, Wisconsin from her friend, Elaine.  The stamp is partly torn off and unfortunately it had part of the cancellation mark on it, making it difficult to place the year.  However, from the uniforms and the shoes the girl is wearing it appears to have been printed around the time of World War I, 1914-1918.  The card has a divided back, the number 501 and a trade mark at the upper left corner on the reverse.

 

 

Trade Mark logo 

The card came to me inside a handmade, collage valentine by my granddaughter, M a couple of years ago.  She found the postcard, knew I collect them and kindly sent it.  I am sharing her card too, since I like it very much and it is quite lovely as well.  Thanks M for both cards.

 

 

 

M's homemade collage Valentine

 Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 697

 

 

 

 

 

Florida Sea Biscuit

 

This Murphy Bros., Press, Inc. postcard has a photograph and printed information about the Florida Sea Biscuit.  The card has a note at the lower left on the reverse:  “Story of The Sea Biscuit in Florida.”  The code numbers:  76-34 appear just below the note.  

 

This card caught my eye since the name was different, but the picture looked like the Sand Dollars we find here on the Pacific Northwest coast beaches.  It turns out that the Florida Sea Biscuits are rounded, or puffed up, and not as flat as the ones we find here.  There are many names and varieties of these round burrowing sea urchins that belong to the order Clypeasteroida.  They can be found in New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa, and other places around the globe. 

 

When the creature is alive it is covered with velvet-like spines.  The white skeletons that can be found on the beaches have been bleached by the sun and were thought to resemble a very large silver coin.  Other names include things like, sea cookies, snapper biscuits, pansy shells, and sand cakes.  Folklore from Georgia (U.S.A.) says the sand dollars were believed to represent coins lost by mermaids. 

 

 

 

Pacific Coast Sand Dollar, 2023

 

 

This Pacific Coast Sand Dollar is still alive and was found at low tide at Pacific Beach in Washington State.  The flower like design that is very visible on the bleached skeletons can only be faintly seen on the living urchin.  Amazingly early versions of these creatures have been around since the Jurassic period.  When I was a girl there were thousands of sand dollar skeletons on the ocean beaches, now they are not as common.  When Bob and I were hiking on Camano Island this fall it was heartening to find quite a few sand dollars on the beach there. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 696

 

 

 

 

Luzern [Lucerne], Bahnhof, ca early 1900s

 

This is an unused, divided back, postcard from the early 1900s.  Pictured is the Lucerne, Switzerland, railway station.  The number 1533 and Kunstverlag E. Goetz, Luzern is found on the bottom left margin on the reverse.  Aside from the title of “Luzern Bahnhof” there are no other identification marks or credits provided. 

 

This rail station is located in the Lucerne city center and is a major hub for the rail network in Switzerland.  The first station, built of wood in 1856, was on the edge of Lake Lucerne. The station pictured on the card is the “new” or rebuilt station that was designed by Hans Wilhelm Auer, and opened in 1896.  The larger new building was not just an addition to the older structure but an entirely new one with a distinctive cupola and turned 90 degrees toward the north and the bridge leading to central Lucerne.  The tracks were electrified in 1922.  World War I interrupted additional expansion plans and that work was not carried out. 

 

A fire in 1971 that destroyed the entire building with the exception of the front entrance gate meant the station had to continue operations with temporary buildings.  It wasn’t until 1991 that a new station, designed by Ammann and Baumann together with Santiago Calatrava, was built to replace the one shown on the card.  Today there is an underground shopping arcade and longer platforms, also there is a “generous public space that links various city center functions with the railway.”

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammann_und_Baumann

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 695

 

 

 

 

 

Lombadas Mineral Water Building, St. Miguel, Azores, ca early 1900s

 

This is an unused Vintage postcard with a divided back dating from the early 1900s.  The number 7 appears at the lower left on the reverse.  Along the left border, also on the back side of the card, is:  Café Tavares, Largo  Conselheiro João Franco.  No photographer is identified.  The place shown on the card is the mineral water building in St. Miguel (Michael), Azores.  I found the card in a shoebox jumble at the local antique mall.  

 

Although it is no longer being used, mineral water was bottled here.  Because the soil is volcanic and heavily enriched with carbon dioxide, the spring produces a natural sparkling water.  The water is also rich in minerals, especially iron.  Red iron residue can be found in the nearby stream beds.  The buildings in the photograph have been abandoned and are now covered in moss and other vegetation due to the warm humid climate.

 

São Miguel Island (Saint Michael) is called the Green Island.  It is the largest and most populous island in the Azores.  The island has six volcanic zones.  Most of the people live along the coasts due to volcanic cones and craters in the interior. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Miguel_Island

https://www.discover-azores.com/en/lost-places-nature-always-wins/

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 694

 

 

 

 

 Skykomish River, Washington

 

Used as an advertising postcard for Union Oil Company, this unused card features a view of the Skykomish River from a spot near Index, Washington.  The card was part of the Natural Color Scenes of the West series in “Tour the West this year with 76 gasoline”.  There is a information blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse.  See if you can find the spelling error in the blurb: “Skyhomish River, Washington, wends its way from the Cascades to Puget Sound amid such scenic beauty as this.  Take State Highway 15 from Monroe.”  The card has a color photograph, a one cent stamp required, and names the highway as 15.  This information can help place the date of publication to before 1954 because the postage rate for postcards increased from one cent to two cents in 1954.  State Highway 15 was renamed and became U.S. Highway 2 in 1964.

 

The name, Skykomish, comes from the Lushootseed name for the Skykomish people and means “upriver people.”  Nicknames for the river are Sky River and The Sky.  The North and South Forks of the Skykomish merge near the town of Index.  The snow-capped mountains seen in the background are part of the Wild Sky Wilderness.  There are several tributaries that feed into the Skykomish, that later joins the Snoqualmie River then together they join to form the Snohomish River eventually emptying into Puget Sound. 

 

The Skykomish is a large, wide, fast running river.  Many of the smaller tributaries also are known to have rapids and rushing waters.  When I was a girl, our family had friends who owned a dairy farm near Sultan.  One tributary, called The Little Sky, ran through part of their land.  All of us had been warned not to swim or play in the river because the water was cold, had a strong current, ran extremely fast and could be dangerous.  My brother told me of a time when he was staying there during one summer that the farm dog went into the water and was swept away.  One of the girls jumped in after the dog to save it and was almost also caught in the current.  The kids on the bank watched with fear as she struggled to reach her dog.  Somehow, she managed to save the dog and herself and they both ended up safe downstream.  All the kids who witnessed this event were told by the girls who lived on the farm not to breathe a word of the incident to their parents.  I don’t think anyone did.  It is not uncommon during the summer months to learn of drownings in pools formed in the river that look deceptively inviting but can be treacherous.  Watching that event probably was more a deterrent to the kids than the warnings of their parents. 

 

For more information, see:

 

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

 

 

The spelling error:  Skykomish is spelled as Skyhomish in the blurb.

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 693

 

 

 

 

 

Jack Miner’s bird sanctuary at Kingsville, near Windsor, Ontario, Canada

 

This used Canadian Art Deeptone series, postcard was published by Windsor News Co., of Windsor, Canada and features of photograph of Jack Miner’s bird sanctuary at Kingsville, near Windsor, Ontario.  The inset at the upper left on the front of the card shows Jack Miner releasing a wild goose in flight.  The card has a divided back and was made in Canada.  There is a blurb at the top center on the reverse side:  "The Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary near Kingsville, Ont. was established in 1904 by Jack Miner, farmer and philosopher.  It was authorized as a Provincial Sanctuary for bird life by the Ontario Government in 1916.  As many as 25,000 Canada geese and other birds may be seen there at one time.  Jack Miner was a pioneer in banding birds for the study of migration, banding the first bird in 1909.”  The stamp used on the card is a King George the VI, 2 cent stamp, first issued in 1937.  Canadian stamps do not expire and can be used any time after issue, with added postage if necessary to meet the current rate. 

 

 

King George VI, stamp issued in 1937

 

John Thomas Miner was born in Dover Township, Westlake, Ohio in 1865.  In 1878 he and his family moved to Canada.  The family had a free homestead at Gosfield South Township, part of Essex County, near Kingsville, Ontario.  The fifth of ten children, John did not receive a formal education and was illiterate until the age of 33.  He worked as a trapper and hunter in the 1880s and also in the family business manufacturing tiles and bricks from a claybed on their land. 

 

Eventually he became known as “Wild Goose Jack,” because of his growing interest in conservation and specifically in birds.  He first noticed that bobwhite quail seemed to have difficulty surviving winters.  He built brushwood shelters and provided grain to help the quail.  About the same time, he also raised ringnecked pheasants.  His interest expanded when he noticed that Canada geese were stopping at ponds on his land during their migration northward in the spring.  In 1904 he created a pond on his farm and used tame Canada geese to attract wild geese.  It took 4 years before wild geese began settling at Miner’s sanctuary.  By 1911 and onward large numbers of geese and ducks were arriving necessitating an enlargement of the pond.  By 1913 the entire homestead had become a bird sanctuary.  The provincial government provided funding so he could add evergreen trees, shrubs and more ponds surrounded by sheltering groves. 

 

Miner began banding birds with his own hand-stamped tags.  The tags had his address information and a scripture.  By this tagging method, and the return of the tags he received back, he was one of the first conservationists to determine the migratory paths of birds.  His efforts Increased interest nationwide and spurred on an expansion of tagging.  In 1916 hundreds of geese and other waterfowl.  Using the information from the returned bands, the migratory habits of Canada geese were mapped.  The tags were often returned by poachers, curious Native Americans, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  They came from the eastern shore of Canada to as far south as the gulf coasts of Florida.  The tagging also helped to establish the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 which represented an agreement between six nations making it unlawful to capture, sell, or kill certain migratory birds.  In 1923 Miner published an account of his banding and waterfowl conservation studies in Jack Miner and the Birds.  The book sold all 4000 copies of the first print-run in two months. 

 

The Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary was one of the first of its kind in North America, and remains in existence today.  Miner died at age 79 in 1944 at Gosfield South Township, now part of Kingsville, Ontario, Canada.

 

Kingsville is located in southwestern Ontario.  The town, incorporated in 1901, has a population of approximately 22,000.  In addition to the bird sanctuary Kingsville is also home to Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens which also attracts people from all over Ontario. 

 

For more information, see:

 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsville-Ontario