If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 724

 

 

 

 

 

Marquette Park Pavilion, Gary, Indiana

 

This used, divided back, postcard features a color photograph of the Marquette Park Pavilion.  The card was made by Dexter Press Inc. of West Nyak, New York and published by Harvey’s Studio, Valparaisa, Indiana.  The code 5601-B appears at the lower left corner on the reverse.  Even though the card has writing on it, it was not mailed, does not have a dated cancelation mark, and hence dating the card depends on the years Dexter Press, Inc. and Harvey’s Studio were in operation. 

 

Thomas Dexter’s first print shop was opened in 1920in Park Ridge, New Jersey.  By the 1930s he was producing postcards.  In 1952 the company had moved to West Nyak, New York, where this card is identified as being produced.   At the time of the move the company was producing natural color photochrome images.  The estimated date for this particular card is sometime between 1952 and 1972.  The company was sold to Consolidated Foods in 1972 and later merged with MWM Color Press in 1977.  The New York plant was closed in 1984 and moved to Aurora Missouri where it now prints religious material under MWM Dexter. 

 

Marquette Park was originally named Lake Front Park.  It is a city park surrounded by the Indiana Dunes National Park.  The Pavilion was designed by George W. Maher, architect, of Maher and Sons, and built by the construction company Max and Sons [Maximillian Dubois] between 1923 and 1924.  The park includes another building on the property called the Aquatorium.  It was restored as a museum honoring Octave Chanute, the father of flight.  The Pavilion was renovated in 1966, again in the mid-1990s, and most recently around 2008.  The building is a venue for various events from weddings to civic functions. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://londonpostcardsca.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/international-publishers-dexter-press-pearl-river%E2%80%8B-n-y/

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquette_Park_(Gary)

 

If this is Thursday it must be poscards, 676

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellowstone National Park, illustration by Heinrich Berann

 

Featured on this Yellowstone Forever unused postcard above is an aerial view illustration by Heinrich Berann.  The number 43 appears on the center line on the reverse.  There is also a blurb on the reverse at the upper left corner:  “Yellowstone—the world’s first national park—encompasses an area of over 2.2 million acres and is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.  The park’s landscape is also diverse, from the forest and rolling hillsides surrounding Reese Creek at the park’s lowest point at 5,282 feet to the mountainous terrain of its highest point of 11,358 at Eagle Peak.” 

 

Yellowstone National Park is such a fascinating and amazing place.  The overview view on the card helps to show how vast and varied the area the park encompasses.  There are animals such as bison, deer, elk, moose, antelope, bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, fish, reptiles, amphibians and many different kinds of birds. The landscape is almost surreal with mountains, geysers, boiling mud pots, rivers, meadows with hundreds of flowers, and forests.  

 

 

 This second unused postcard is also a Yellowstone Forever product.  It has a collection of 10 acid free stickers and are "perfect for Scrapbooking" according to the blurb at the upper left on the reverse.  From the left top row:  Canary Spring, American Bison, Emerald Pool, Black Sand Basin.  Middle row:  Wolf, Grand Prismatic Spring, American Grizzly Bear.  Bottom row:  Castle Geyser, Cow Elk with Calf, and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone (river).  The stickers were produced by Pigment & Hue, Inc.

 

 It is not possible to see everything in the park on one trip there.  On a previous visit we saw entirely different parts of this huge park.  This time we had opportunities to make multiple trips into the park during our 10-day stay as part of an extended family gathering.  Bob and I probably had more ventures into the park than most of the rest of the group since we were interested in the park itself rather than shopping or exploring neighboring areas.  Although, as previously noted, we also went with the group to visit Bear World, and spent part of one day in the town of West Yellowstone visiting the Bear & Wolf Museum as well as getting a few postcards and souvenirs. 

 

As expected, there were many people and lots of cars in the park.  Huge crowds waited for Old Faithful to erupt.  Boardwalks around geyser basins were crowded too.  We were stopped more than once by “bison (or buffalo) jams” as the animals lumbered across the roadway seemingly uncaring of cars or gawking people with cameras.  Once three bison mamas, each with a calf, started across right in front of our car.  One of the babies decided to dance around unpredictably in the roadway, darting in and out of road and the forest alongside the road.  We did not dare to drive forward until it crossed over to join its friends and then the mother ambled slowly after once the dance was done. 

 

Some days there were long lines of cars at the entry gate.  Thankfully there is a separate gate for people with National Park passes, so we could get through quickly and did not have to pay an additional fee.  On the day we carpooled as a group to the park, each car had at least one person with a pass making it much easier and less expensive than it could have been otherwise. 

 

The park spans the northwest corner of Wyoming and extends into Montana and Idaho.  The 42^nd U.S. Congress established the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act which was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872.  The park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.  “It is the largest remaining nearly intact ecosystem in the Earth’s northern temperate zone.”  It is believed that Native Americans lived in the Yellowstone region for more than 11,000 years. 

 

For more information, see:

 

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

www.pigmentandhue.com

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 675

 

 

 

 

 

Lion Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

 

Featured on this week’s postcard is a photo by Tom Murphy of Lion Geyser found in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park.  The card is a Yellowstone Forever product.  A blurb at the upper left on the reverse:  “Heart Spring’s vibrant hues bring color to the surrounding snow-covered landscape at Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin.  The colors of the deep spring come from thermopiles—heat loving organisms that live in the park’s geothermal features.  Behind Heart Spring, Lion Geyser is erupting.”  The number 29 is found on the back center line.

 

The Upper Geyser Basin is also home to the famous and predictable Old Faithful.  Lion Geyser gets its name from the roaring sound it makes as the steam is released during an eruption.  The steam can reach up to 90 feet or 27 meters and lasts anywhere from 1 to 7 minutes.  It is a cone geyser and is the largest one in the Lion group which also includes Little Cub, the inactive Big Cub, and Lioness geysers.  There are several other geyser basins throughout the park.

 

 

Boardwalk around the Norris Geyser basin

 

 

 

 Grand Prismatic Spring

 

 

Geyser basins are places where rainwater and melting snow collects and percolates into the ground.  There are super heated hot spots underground in Yellowstone Park that cause the seeping water to erupt at the surface as geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles.  Boardwalks are found around these areas, with warning signs posted about how dangerously hot the ground is. 

 

 

 Water boiling in stream

 

 Yellow monkey flowers growing next to boiling water in stream

 

 In some places one can see fumaroles, mud or water boiling, and when the wind blows the steam toward visitors on the walkway the smell of sulfur can be strong.  It was amazing to see yellow monkey flowers growing so close to the boiling water.  We normally see these along cold water streams. The days we walked around on the boardwalks were windy with a cool to cold outdoor temperature making the warmth of the steam welcome, but not so much the smell.

 

 

 We could still see the beautiful blue of the pool as the steam started blowing on this day.  On another day the wind was so strong and the steam so thick the pool could not be seen at all.

 

 In the distance steam can be seen rising from small geysers or pools

 

The card was purchased a Yellowstone gift shop in the park this past June.  It is impossible to see all the features in the park on one trip.  The last time Bob and I were here we spent more time in other sections and only had a couple of days to try and see as much as we could.  This time it was for a 10-day extended family gathering where we stayed just outside the park boundaries in Island Park, Idaho.  It was a short drive to the West Yellowstone Park entrance that gave us the opportunity to take several trips to see various sites and animals.  With 20 people in our group, we carpooled with at least one person in each car having a National Park pass.  It was a wonderful time with wonderful people.  We feel especially grateful to have been included.

 

For more information, see:

 

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

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

 

Lake Wilderness Park & Arboretum, Maple Valley, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Bob pointing to our Arboretum starting point

 

There is some snow in the mountains, but not enough to ski yet, so we are trying some new places closer to home and sea level.  This week we went to the Lake Wilderness Park and Arboretum in Maple Valley.  This is a city park and therefore does not require a Discover Pass.  There was lots of free parking available.  

 

Informational placards found here and there along the lake shore provided this historical background.  In the beginning of settlement along the lake, coal mining brought the railroad to this area around 1882 when the mines opened nearby Black Diamond.  A little later, Carl M. Hanson, a Swedish immigrant and entrepreneur, with his sons built a sawmill on Lake Wilderness about 1890 and used the lake for storing and floating logs.  By the late 1890s it was one of the largest sawmills in King County. 

 

The last train left Maple Valley in 1980.  The old railroad bed is now part of the King County Parks Regional Trails System providing non-motorized access for biking, walking, running, and viewing wildlife.  Today the forests are being managed and protected for future generations. 

 

 

 

 

View of Lake Wilderness from the Lodge 

Another view of the lake from along the shore line

There were a number of ducks and some herons in the lake.

 

This park has lots of open spaces and water access for swimming and non-motorized water craft, such as, canoes, inflatable boats, and kayaks.  Most of the older, larger Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar were removed by logging and development.  The forest today is predominately second growth trees. 

 

 

 

Bob standing by one of the taller trees

 

 

This is a people friendly park.  It must be crowded in the summers.  There are several public restrooms located at various places in the park, a stand with life preservers for people to use and return, a pickle-ball court, and a concession stand, closed for the season.  The newer Lodge has an office and venue space for weddings and other group events.  

 

 After walking around the main park we went over to the arboretum where there are many loop trails through the woods and various gardens.  We slowly meandered around looking at things for about two hours. 

 

 

 

Most of the path through the arboretum looked like this

 

There were a couple of these small libraries, this one on an old stump.  It is in the children's garden and is surrounded by child friendly sized benches for a story time setting.  The second one was built in tree trunk and had a nearby adult sized bench.

The park works with the local library to maintain a storybook walk along the trail.  Each board had one or two pages of a picture book.  The book we read along the way was about Leaf Man.  It will be interesting to see what story is shared when we go back another time.

 

 

 

 

There are not many things in bloom at this time of year; however, we saw these purple berries on a Beautyberry bush.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes there are painted rocks like this one in parks

 

Bob estimated that we probably went 1.5 miles altogether.  We did not see everything in the arboretum and will go back in the Spring when it should be in full bloom.  It was a beautiful, sunny, cold day that provided some water reflections and even a tiny view of Mt. Rainier.

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 215

Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone Park, ca 1906

Yellowstone Park was established by the U.S. Congress in 1872 and is our first national park well before the National Park Service was created in 1916.  The Old Faithful Inn pictured on the card was built during 1903-1904 using local materials such as lodge pole pine and stone.  It was the first park lodge in the American west and is the largest log hotel in the United States and one of the few still standing.  The card photo is dated as 1906 at the upper right of the card. 

The Inn features rustic resort architecture designed by Robert C. Reamer, architect, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July 1973, and listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.  The building is multi-storied with views of the famous Yellowstone Old Faithful Geyser. 

This postcard numbered 10767 at the lower left was distributed by the Detroit Publishing Company.  Although the photographic publishing company started by William A. Livingstone and photographer Edwin H. Husher was in existence in the 1890s, it wasn’t called the Detroit Publishing Company until 1905.  The company produced a large assortment of color postcards using a processing method they called Photochrom.  World War I and competition from companies using cheaper more advanced printing methods caused the company to declare bankruptcy in 1924.  By 1932 all assets had been liquidated.  The best-known photographer employed by the company was William Henry Jackson who worked there beginning in 1897.  Many of the prints and negatives are now part of the collection at the United States Library of Congress. 

In the late 1800s travel to and within the park was by horse or coach such as that depicted on the card; however, by 1915 automobiles had started becoming a more common method of transportation and that led to the eventual banning of horse travel within the park.

The following undated photos were sent to Petra and I.C. Lee probably sometime around 1920 when their niece, Clara Lee, the daughter of A.C. Lee, took a tour to Yellowstone Park. Handwritten notes on the front and back of each picture help to date, explain and identify the people. The group traveled in this open van.   

Clara Lee in front of the Lee's home in Seattle

Below is a picture of Rev. Waldo feeding a bear in the park.  This is something that should never be attempted as bears can be very dangerous. In many parks there are signs warning visitors not to feed any of the wild animals. 

For additional information about the Detroit Publishing Company, the photographer William Henry Jackson, and Yellowstone National Park, please see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Faithful_Inn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Publishing_Company
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-detroitpublishing.html

The Rose Garden

 Entry to the Rose Garden

This afternoon the sun did come out after a morning of clouds and cooler weather.  Bob asked me if I would like to visit the Rose Garden at Woodland Park, I said yes, so we did.  I am not sure how many people are aware of this lovely garden.  It is located right next to the Zoo and only had a few people wandering among the rose bushes when we visited. 

The roses range from award winners to new varieties being tested.  A five stage area demonstrates natural gardening—no pesticides, no or very little watering and composting to enrich the soil. Throughout the garden there are roses of all colors of the rainbow, single petals, doubles, and even triples or more.  Climbing roses, bush roses, tiny roses, and huge roses.  Some roses were so perfumed that I could smell them before I could determine which flower it was coming from to others that did not have much of a scent at all. 

There are several small pools; one pool even had blooming water lilies and yellow irises.  There is a nice Gazebo with benches and other benches are placed here and there throughout the gardens. 

If you don’t mind walking up from Lower Woodland the entire visit can be free.

Water Lily pond

 Water Lilies

 Closer view of two water lilies

Walking in the Kubota Gardens

 One of several bridges in Gardens

I did not even know that these gardens existed until today.  The day was foggy and cold and since it is winter only a few things were decked out in bright colors but we did see many new buds starting on the various bushes. 

The Kubota Gardens are located in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle.  Originally beginning in 1927 the gardens were part of the Kubota Gardening Company owned and operated by a Japanese immigrant, Fujitaro Kubota, and later included his two sons, Tak and Tom.  The gardens are described more as in a Japanese American style rather than the completely traditional Japanese style.  The core area is 4.5 acres with an additional 17 acres surrounding the park set aside to protect Mapes Creek, which runs through the park.  There are several bridges and waterfalls.  The gardens were used as a nursery for the landscape business and housed the office and as well the Kubota home.  Kubota was awarded the Fifth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1972 by the Japanese government for his achievements and for introducing Japanese gardening in this area.  He died in 1973. 

In 1981 the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board declared the park to be a historical landmark and in 1987 the City bought the garden from the Kubota family.  The park is maintained by the Department of Parks and by the Kubota Garden Foundation. 

I very much want to go back in the spring and summer to see the gardens when the plants are in bloom.  It was beautiful, groomed and yet still wild. 

 Some of the standing stones in the gardens have inscriptions.

Entrance to the Kubota Gardens

Here are a couple of links for more information about the gardens:

http://www.kubota.org/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubota_Garden