If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 784

 

 

 

 

 

Washington, D.C. city post office, 1914

 

This used souvenir postcard from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum was sent when my son and his family visited Washington, D.C. this summer.  There is a blurb at the upper left on the back of the card:  “Reproduction postcard of the D.C. city post office after its construction in 1914.  Souvenir postcards like this highlighted community landmarks.”  The title of the card is found at the upper left on the front of the card. 

 

Formerly the City Post Office it is now the Postal Square Building.  There were major renovations from 1929 to 1935 to expand the building and increase mail processing and service capacity.  Architect Daniel Burnham (1846-1912) designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style.  By the 1950s the interior had been modernized and many of the Beaux-Arts features had been removed.  

 

Founded in 1993, the National Postal Museum has postal history exhibits of the United States and other countries.  Admission to the museum is free.  There is a gift shop.  1-9The building featured on the card served as the main post office for Washington, D.C. from 1914 to1986.  It also housed the headquarters for the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics on the top floors until 2024.  Examples of vehicles used to deliver mail throughout the history of the USPS such as planes, trains, a mail carrying stagecoach, and automobiles are found in the museum atrium. 

 

The National Philatelic Collection was established in 1886.  It is one of the world’s largest and most valuable stamp collections with nearly six million postage stamps.  Part of the collection is on display in the museum’s national Stamp Salon.  In 2005 the museum acquired the childhood stamp collection of singer/songwriter John Lennon. 

 

Thank you B for sending the card.

 

For additional information, see:

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Philatelic_Collection_(United_States)

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

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 783

  

 

 

 

 

 

Petrified Ginkgo log, Vantage, Washington

[photo:  D. L. Dilley]

 

This is an unused Smith-Western Co. postcard featuring a photograph by D.L. Dilley of a large chunk of a petrified ginkgo log.  The identifying code:  S-74237 is found at the bottom of the center line on the back of the card.  Credit to Dilley is found at the left corner on the back.  At the upper left on the back of the card is the blurb:  “The first Ginkgo log found in the Vantage Washington Area of the Columbia River.  This log is located in the Ginko Petrified Forest Museum Building. 

 

Also sometimes called the maidenhair tree, ginkgo trees are known to have existed since the time of the dinosaurs or earlier in East Asia.  The tree was cultivated in early human history and commonly grown as a landscape plant today.  It is regarded as a living fossil.  It is a tall, long-lived tree with fan shaped leaves. 

 

Just looking at this picture of a piece of petrified wood on the card, it is hard to imagine what the actual tree looked like when it was living.  There is a ginkgo tree Bob and I often pass when taking walks.  I took some pictures of the tree and its distinctive leaves.  Young ginkgo trees are slender and sparsely branched.  As the tree ages it fills out and broadens.  The tree is insect and disease resistant.  Some living ginkgo trees are estimated to be more than 3,500 years old.  Based on the age of many of the houses in the area where this tree is growing, it is probably close to 70 to 80 years old, hence very young for a ginkgo.

 

 

  

Tall young ginkgo tree

 

 

  

Part of the trunk and a thick cluster of leaves

 

 

   

 Ginkgo Leaf

 

The Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park found at Vantage, Washington is a geologic preserve and recreation area on the western shoreline of the Columbia River’s Wanapum Reservoir.  This area was home to the Wanapum tribe of Native Americans.  Fishing and agriculture were what sustained their living.  They carved petroglyphs in the basalt cliffs and may have used some of the petrified material for tools or arrowheads.  The Wanapum people welcomed white strangers during Lewis and Clark’s expeditions during the early 1800s.  Unfortunately, since they did not sign any treaties with the new settlers who arrived later, they retained no federally recognized right to the land.  In 1963 when the Wanapum Dam was completed the water level of the Columbia River rose.  A new Interpretive Center was built and about 60 of the approximately 300 petroglyphs were salvaged from the rising water.  Many of them are now on display at the Interpretive Center.

 

The geologist and teacher at what became Central Washington University, George F. Beck, was asked to organize excavations after highway workers noticed petrified wood in this area in 1927.  In addition to ginkgo several other petrified specimens were found, such as, Douglas fir, walnut, cottonwood, magnolia, madrone, sassafras, yew, redwood, sweetgum, and witch hazel.  A small museum was built by The Civilian Conservation Corps at Vantage and opened to the public in 1938.  Known as a “desert rat,” Frank Walter Bobo who had been digging petrified logs in Yakima and Kittitas Counties, was then commissioned to collect, saw, and polish specimens for the museum.  He was allowed to keep half of the specimens he prepared as partial compensation.  After he passed away his son, Don J. Bobo, inherited his father’s collection of about a ton of petrified wood.  The park has been a U.S. National Natural Landmark since 1965.  Petrified wood was named as the Washington state gem in 1975.

 

Dennis Lee Dilley (1932-2019) was a color photographer and artist whose work can be found on chrome-era postcards across the Pacific Northwest.  His photographs include locations like of the Grand Coulee Dam, the Whitman Mission, and this one from the Ginkgo Petrified Forest.  His works were distributed by the Smith-Western Co., of Tacoma, Washington. 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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

https://www.lindquistmortuary.com/obituaries/dennis-dilley

AI Overview:  D.L. Dilley

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 782

 

 

 

 

 

Two views of Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, ca 1950s

[Photograph:  R. M. Fronske]

 

Two views from Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona are featured on this unused souvenir postcard.  The blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse says:  “Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona.  These are two scenes to be seen in the beautiful Oak Creek Canyon on U.S. Highway 39, 20 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona.  35 mm. Kodachrome slide available at 50c from publisher.  Kodachrome by R.M. Fronske.”  At the bottom left on the reverse:  Pub. By R.M. Fronske, Flagstaff, Ariz.  43201.  On center line is “Made Direct From Kodachrome and Ansco Color by Dexter Press, Pearl River, N.Y.”

Oak Creek Canyon is about 12 miles long and its scenic beauty has been described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon.  It is located in the Coconino National Forest with parts designated as part of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness and is between Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona.  Flowing along the bottom of the canyon is Oak Creek, a tributary of the Verde River.   The Forest Service operates several campgrounds, picnic areas, and recreation areas within the park.  Oak Creek is open for swimming and fishing. Many hiking trails are also found here.

 

The photographer is identified as R. (Robert) M. Fronske (1915-1998) who was born and lived in Flagstaff.  He graduated from the New York Institute of Photography in New York City and then returned to Flagstaff where he opened his first studio.  He worked as a photographer for more than 40 years, retiring in 1985.  Northern Arizona University Special Collections and Archives Department has 130,000 of his black-and-white and color photographs, including prints and negatives. 

Kodachrome is the brand name used by Eastman Kodak for color film introduced in 1935.  It was one of the first successful color films available.  This type of film was used for both cinematography and still photography for many years.  The transition to digital photography resulted in near bankruptcy for the company.  Although they still provide film, they also offer digital cameras, such as PixPro, and other digital services.

 

The printer Dexter Press was located in Pearl River, New York from 1928 until 1952 when it moved to New York City.  Rounded edges on cards such as this one were popular during the 1950s.  The number 43201 found at the bottom center on the card refers to the year(s) the card was printed.  This number corresponds the range of cards printed in 1951 (40000-59999) and help date the card.  The Dexter Press Achives are now owned by Diane Allman who sells cards at shows and online as the QUEENOFCHROME.  She was the founding editor of “Postcard Collector Magazine.” 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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

https://postcardhistory.net/2021/10/dating-dexter-press-postcards/

http://azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/nau/fronske.xml&doc.view=print;chunk.id=0

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