If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 781

 

 

 

 

 

The Ballroom, Chateau de Fountainbleau, France

 

Featured on this unused color postcard is the ballroom of the Palace of Fountainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France.  The divided back card with “Editions Epic, Paris, DRAEGER imp..”, printed on the center line on the back.  There is a blurb at the upper left corner on the back in French and English.  The English version:  “Dates from the end of Francis the first-s reign.  Decorated under Henry the second with fresco-paintings (mythological and allegorical subjects) by Primaticcio and Nicolo dell’Abbate.” 

 

Draeger & Lesieur was a French printing business founded by Charle Daeger in 1886.  After his death in 1899 his wife took over the business and changed the name to Draeger Freres or Draeger Brothers.  In 1907 she joined with an American advertising company, Wallace.  The name was then changed to Wallace & Draeger, one of the first communication agencies.  The company reached its peak between World War I and World War II.  In 1954 Draeger joined the Colbert Committee.  The grandson of Charles Draeger, Claude Draeger, then launched Draeger editions.  He published large format books with works by Braque, Salvador Dali, Magritte and Pablo Picasso.  The Draeger-Dali has sold more than 300,000 copies.  In the 1970s the company was acquired by the Gaillard-Motel family.  They began making wallpaper; however, that did not prevent the company from going bankrupt with the publishing activity ending in the 1980s.  The Draeger printing house archives were dispersed in 1990.  The information about the printing firm helps to guess at a date for the card in the 1950s or 1960s,

 

The Palace of Fountainebleau is located about 34 miles or 55 kilometers southeast of Paris.  It is one of the largest of the French castles.  Several French monarchs used it as a hunting lodge and autumn residence.  The earliest royal residence was under Louis VII in about 1137.  Eventually it gradually transformed into a palace filled with art and decoration.  The ballroom shown on the card was created by King Henry II beginning in 1552.  Art work in the form of frescos and oils were primarily done by two artists:  Italian, Francesco Primaticci, (1504-1570), and Italian artist, Niccolò dell’ Abbate (1512-1571). 

 

In 1981 Fountainebleau was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The name was taken from a natural fresh water spring located in the English garden near the château.  In 1622 Henry Peacham (1578-ca 1644), English poet and writer, wrote it “is the purest and fairest fountaine esteemed in the world…”  Because it was far away from the Paris uprisings during the French Revolution it not suffer any significant damage. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_dell%27Abbate

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

https://www.rhodesianstudycircle.org.uk/draeger-freres/

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 776

 

 

 

 

 

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut

 

A color photograph of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut is featured on this unused Dexter Press Inc. postcard.  Dexter Press is located in West Nyack, New York.  The card was published by NATCO as a Natural Color Cards Co., Ridgefield Park, N.J. 07660.  The code 60-B appears at the lower left corner on the reverse.  At the upper left corner on the reverse is a blurb:  “Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch.  Erected in 1856, on the edge of Bushnell Park, Hartford, Conn.  Both two letter abbreviations for U.S. states and postal zip codes began in 1963.  Because the publisher’s address includes a postal Zip code, and the state is abbreviated as Conn. Instead of CT, we can estimate the date of the card to be in close to 1963. This was confirmed when I checked the Dexter Press Inventory numbers.  Series 60-B was printed in 1963.  Dexter started using a high gloss finish seen on this card with a color picture also around 1960.

 

The Memorial Arch honors the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the American Civil War.  That total includes 400 who gave their lives for the Union cause.  It was the first permanent memorial arch to be built in America.  Notice the difference in the date on the blurb, 1856, and the actual conception and completion dates of 1879 and 1886.  George Keller, architect desined the arch.  The Gothic arch is flanked by two Norman Towers.  Spanning the arch is a classical frieze was designed by Samuel James Kitson.  It has statues telling the story of the war.  General Ulysses S. Grant is surveying his troops and Marines leaping from a boat to rush Confederate troops.  The central female figure represents the City of Hartford and is surrounded by her citizens welcoming the soldiers home after the war ends.  The Navy is represented by an anchor, the Artillery by a crossed cannon, crossed sabers for the Cavalry, and crossed rifles for the Infantry.  Other statues on the arch include a mason, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a farmer.

 

Built in 1868 Bushnell Park is the second oldest publicly funded park in the United States.  In 1970 the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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

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

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcard, 770

 

 

 

 

 

Congress Hall, Philadephia, PA, 1939

 

This is a used Linen postcard dated October 1939.  The title and number 162 appears at the top margin on the front of the card.  The number 41848 appears at the bottom right corn on the front.  On the reverse of the card a blurb is found at the upper left corner:  “Congress Hall is located at Chestnut and Sixth Str.  The site before the Revolution was occupied by a wooden shelter for visiting Indians.  The present building was completed in 1790 and until 1800 was occupied by the Congress of the Nation.  After 1800 it was devoted to criminal courts which now sit in the City Hall, the old building being empty.”  Made in U.S.A. is printed on the reverse center line. The publisher and/or distributor is not identified.  

 

Philadelphia was the capital of the United States during and immediately after the American Revolutionary War.  During that time the United States grew by three new states, Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and ratified the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution.  Both George Washington and John Adams had their inaugurations there.  A restoration of the building to its original appearance of 1796 was completed in the 20^th century.  Congress Hall and Independence Hall are adjacent to one another and today are conjoined.  The National Park Service maintains Congress Hall and operates guided tours of the building throughout the year. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

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, 763

 

 

 

 

 

Old State House, Boston, Massachusetts, ca 1950s

 

This is an unused souvenir postcard featuring the Old State House in Boston, Massachusetts.  The card has the identifier P926 at the top margin on the reverse.  At the upper left corner is a blurb:  “The Old State House at Washington and State Streets where John Hancock was inaugurated fist governor of Massachusetts and in front of which the Boston Massacre took place is now the home of the Bostonian society.  It is labeled as a Gift-O-Rama card with Plasstichrome by Colourpicture Publishers, Inc., Boston 15, Mass, U.S.A”  Note:  the 15.  This helps to date the card to before postal zip codes were introduced in 1963.  Souvenir Corp. of America, Boston, Mass. Is printed along the left margin on the reverse. 

Old State House was built in 1713 as a replacement for Boston’s First Town House built in 1658.  It was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798 and is one of the oldest existing public buildings in the United States.  A fire damaged the interior in 1747 and was rebuilt the following year using the 1713 plans.  The exterior brick walls survived the fire but a gable roof replaced the gambrel roof and the polygonal cupola was replaced by a central tower.  Other significant modifications were made between 1750 and 1830. 

 

The Boston Massacre in 1770 was a confrontation between American colonists and nine British soldiers.  A crowd of an undetermined number, perhaps 50 to 200, began verbally harassing, swinging clubs and throwing stones and snowballs at the soldiers, who eventually fired upon the crowd.  Five colonists were killed as a result.  Several American Patriots, including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, described it as “a massacre.”  It is a landmark on Boston’s Freedom Trail.  It is the place where the Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Boston.  These events were part of what started the American Revolution movement.  When a proposal was made in 1881 to move the Old State House, “brick by brick” to Chicago, Illinois, the non-profit Bostonian Society was organized primarily to prevent the building from being moved.  In 2020 the Society merged with the Old South Association in Boston to form Revolutionary Spaces.  Today the building also includes a museum. 

 

The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and a Boston Landmark in 1994.  Over the years there have many necessary restorations and repairs.   

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_State_House_(Boston)

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

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 762

  

 

 

 

54 - “Rose Hill” Home of Thomas Johnson, First Governor of Marylalnd, Frederick, Maryland

 

This used postcard features a color picture of Rose Hill.  At first glance looked like a Linen card; however, it does not have linen texture.  There is a blurb at the upper left on the reverse:  Rose Hill, Home of Thomas Johnson, First governor of Maryland.  Located about 2 miles south of Frederik, a few hundred yards from U.S. 15 is this beautiful estate home of Maryland’s first Governor, a man whose ability as a legislator statesman, and lawyer was of inestimable value to the nation in its formative state.”  At the bottom center line on the reverse is:  Marken & Bielfeld, Inc. Frederick, Maryland.

 

 

Double cancelation marks

 

  

Here is an oddity regarding the card, note the two cancellation marks.  I had not seen a double cancellation on a postcard before.  The round stamp is dated October 10, 1932, while the purple inked mark over the stamp is dated November 30, 1946.  The how and why are a mystery as it seems doubtful that the card could have been mailed twice.

 

Rose Hill is the name of the mansion built in 1790 and located on part of a larger of tract of land previous owned by Benjamin Tasker.  That tract, 7,000, was divided into smaller lots.  A 225-acre tract was given by Governor Thomas Johnson to his eldest daughter, Ann Jennings Johnson, as a wedding gift when she married Major John Colin Graham.  After the governor’s wife died, he moved in as guest of his daughter at Rose Hill. 

 

The house is a 2 ½ story house, white frame, brick wall mansion that took over 8 years to complete.  It has a fieldstone foundation and a formal fieldstone walled garden with an orchard that covers approximately half an acre.  The Wikipedia.org article has descriptions of the various rooms and outbuildings.  Today it called Rose Hill Manor Park & Children’s Museum.  The museum is child-friendly with a hands-on environment that teaches what life was like during the life of Governor Thomas Johnson.  The displays include tractors, antique farm machinery, tools and equipment, a carpentry shop and a broom shop.  Johnson was born in 1732 and died in 1819. 

For additional information, see:

 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Johnson_(judge)

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 760

 

 

 

 

 

Elevator Building at the Carlsbad Cavern National Park, New Mexico

 

This is an unused linen postcard featuring the elevator building at the Carlsbad Cavern National Park in New Mexico.  At the bottom left, the photograph is attributed to Kennicott.  The code:  4A-H141 is found at the lower right corner on the frontside.  The title is placed on the top margin.  Linen cards were first introduced in 1930 and were popular until the early 1950s.  They were made from a higher rag content paper and have a definite texture. 

 

On the reverse of the card C.L. White, White City, N.M. is found along the left side margin.    Along the center line is “Genuine Curteich Chicago, ‘C.T. Art-Colortone’ post card.”  There is a blurb at the upper left corner:  “Jim White, the discoverer and explorer of Carlsbad Caverns has his experiences written up in a book of thirty-two pages with 30 illustrations, of which 16 subjects are in beautiful colors, and a wonderful colored cover entitled: ‘Jim White’s Own Story.”  Be sure and read these thrilling experiences of a lone cowboy three days under the world in Carlsbad Caverns.  Born July 1, 1882, died April 28, 1946.” 

 

The Carlsbad Cavens National Park, established in 1930,  is located southeastern New Mexico about 18 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  The caverns are the main attraction of the park.  Visitors entery the caverns by taking the elevator or hiking via a natural entrance.  The limestone Big Room is the largest such chamber in North America.  It is almost 4,000 ft or 1220 m long, 625 ft or 191 m wide, and 255 ft or 78 m high at the highest point.  In 1995 it was recognized as a World Heritage Site. 

 

The existence of the caverns had been known by Native Americans for hundreds of years but it is not known how far or if these earlier people went into the caves.  The first modern cave exploration is credited to James Larkin White, aka Jim White, in 1898.  He was a 16-year-old cowboy rounding up stray cattle when he thought he saw smoke from wildfire.  He rode out to investigate but did not smell or hear crackling fire.  When he got closer, he realized that it was not smoke but thousands of bats.  Full of curiosity and keeping the caves a secret for a time, he returned, made a ladder using some rope, fence wire, and a hatchet to cut nearby shrubs.   He held a homemade kerosene lantern in one hand and descended into darkness.  Five days after his first venture into the caves, he returned with a Mexican boy about his same age.  They brought food, water, fuel and homemade torches and began a 3-day exploration.  The place names within the caverns are the names Jim gave them as he continued explore the caverns.  The areas he explored are approximately the same areas of the cave that tourist trails cover today. For many years he was associated with the caverns in various capacities including Chief Ranger, 1926 - 1929.  

 

A previous Thursday postcard, #353,on 31 May 2018, has a photograph taken inside the Big Room at Carlsbad. 

 

For additional information, see:

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

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

https://www.nps.gov/cave/blogs/jim-white-cave-explorer.htm

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 759

 

 

 

 

 

Mission San Carlos Borromeo, Carmel, California

[Photo by:  John H. Atkinson, Jr.]

 

This unused color postcard featuring the Mission San Carlos Borromeo was distributed by Bell Magazine Agency of Monterey, California with color production by Mike Roberts.  At the bottom left is C33551 Color Photo:  John H. Atkinson, Jr.  At the upper left corner is a blurb:  “Mission San Carlos Borromeo, Carmel, California.  Established June 3, 1770, San Carlos is one of the oldest yet one of the best preserved of the Missions.  At the foot of its High Altar rest the remains of Padre Junipero Serra.”

 

Mission San Carlos Borromeo was the second mission built by Franciscan missionaries in Upper California.  It was also called The Carmel Mission.   The mission was founded in 1770; however, the church itself was not built until 1797.  Father Junípero Serra, who was later canonized by Pope Francis and is now known as Saint Junípero Serra, headed the mission until his death in 1784.   From the time it was built until 1833 it was the headquarters of all Alta California missions.  The Mexican government secularized the buildings and land in 1833.  The building fell into disrepair.  Only the chapel was saved when the roof was rebuilt in 1884.  In 1886 the ownership of the mission was transferred from a group of Franciscans to the Diocese of Monterey.  Since that time Carmel mission has been a parish within the diocese.

 

Beginning in 1931, Harry Downie began restoring the mission.  He worked continuously for 50 years.  It is the only Spanish mission in California with the original bell tower and bell.  The Carmel mission also contains the state’s first library.  The mission is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. 

 

For additional information, see:

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jun%C3%ADpero_Serra 

https://sbthp.libraryhost.com/agents/people/32

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 758

 

 

 

 

 

Muir Woods National Monument, ca 1980s

 

Featured on this unused color postcard is a section of the Muir Woods Loop Trail found in the Muir Woods National Monument. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area the Monument is about 12 miles north of San Francisco, California.  It is one of the few remaining stands of old-growth coast redwood forests.  The card was published by Muir Woods Inn, Mill Valley, California.  At the bottom of the center line on the reverse is:  MW-13.  At the upper left corner on the reverse is a blurb:  “The Muir Woods Loop Trail.  A familiar sight in the Muir Woods National Monument is the amazement and grandeur of the oldest living trees in this area.”  The photographer is not identified.  The card is one from Bob’s scrapbook and probably dates from the early 1980s. 

 

Before the Gold Rush and commercial logging began here in the mid 1800s, redwood forests extended from Oregon south to Big Sur.  That was an estimated 2 million acres of trees.  In the 1880s the redwoods were heavily logged due to building in San Francisco and later in 1906 to rebuild the city after the earthquake and fire.  By 2023 only about 5% of the historic range remains as an old-growth forest.  Trees now in the coast redwood forests are younger second-growth, not as old nor as large.  The redwoods in Muir Woods survived because they were too difficult to reach for logging. 

 

Concerns about preserving the redwood forests were raised in the early 20^th century by a U.S. Congressman, William Kent, his wife, Elizabeth; a banker at Bank of California, Lovell White and his wife Laura; and a Canadian-American botanist and conservationist, Alice Eastwood.  Six-hundred-eleven acres of land were purchased from the Tamalpais Land and Water Company with the goal of protecting the redwoods and the mountain above them.  Originally it was suggested that property be named after Kent, but he insisted it should be named after his friend the naturalist, John Muir.  Before the National Park Service existed, the redwoods became a national monument signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. 

 

As a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods is a park that caters to pedestrians.  Parking is limited and found at the entrance to the park.  Hiking trails vary in difficulty and distance.  Camping, picnicking, and pets are not allowed in the park.  About 6,000 visitors per day use the park from April to October, Thanksgiving weekend, and Christmas through New Years.  Hours are from 8 AM to sunset.  There are entry and parking fees.  There are tour buses and a shuttle service from neighboring communities.

 

Thanks to Bob for sharing the card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muir_Woods-National_Monument

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 756

 

 

 

 

 

McCullough Bridge, North Bend, Oregon

[Photo by Mike Anderson]

 

Featured on this unused color postcard is the Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge that spans Coos Bay on U.S. 101 near North Bend, Oregon.  The card is an André Print with CB-11 and a blurb found at the lower left corner on the reverse.  The blurb states:  “Quiet waters on Coos Bay capture the reflection of McCullough Bridge, Highway 101, on the Oregon Coast.  Photo by Mike Anderson.  J.&H – Portland, Oregon…Printed in Australia by Colorscans.” The deckled/scalloped edges date the card to the 1960s or earlier.

 

This bridge was completed in 1936 and named the North Bend Bridge.  It was renamed the Conde B. McCullough Bridge in 1947 in honor of McCollough who had passed away in 1946.  There are ten other major bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway that were designed under the supervision of McCullough.  The bridge replaced ferries that formerly crossed the bay.  It has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

 

The bridge has a cantilever through-truss design with the main piers supported on piles driven into the bay’s bed.  The piers and concrete structures were built by the Northwest Roads Company of Portland, Oregon.  The Virginia Bridge and Iron Company built the steel sections of the bridge.  The main towers of the cantilever section were made off-site and moved to the bridge site in sections.  The cantilever design was preferred due to the long spans and heavy traffic in the shipping channel.  The main towers rise 280 feet or 8.2 meters above the water.  The overall length of the bridge is 5,305 feet or 1,617 meters.  The main span has 145 feet or 44 meters of vertical clearance.  There are pedestrian viewing plazas  at both ends of the bridge.

 

 Thanks to Bob for sharing the card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

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

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 755

  

 

 

 

 

Battle Rock, Oregon coast

 

This is an unused color postcard featuring a photograph of Battle Rock also called Battle Rock Arch found on the Oregon coast inside the city limits of Port Orford.  It is “Another André Original” printed or published by Anderson’s Scenic Postcards of Portland, Oregon.  At the bottom of the center line on the reverse is “DBN-1 A, Mike Roberts.”  In the designated area for a stamp is also written B35.  The edges of the card are scalloped or deckled which help date it to around 1960 or earlier.  The blurb at the bottom left side on the reverse: “This unusual rock formation is at Port Orford, Oregon, the most westerly town in the continental United States.”  The blurb is not entirely correct and should have said “one of the most westerly.”  Battle Rock is in the Otter Point Foundation which is in the boundaries of the Cape Blanco State Park.  It is the cape that extends farther west than any point of land in the contiguous United States, except some places on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. 

 

The rock is mainly basalt.  At low tides it is connected to the mainland but at high tide it is not.  It is about 300 ft or 91 m long and approximately 60 ft or 18 m high.  It has some trees and other vegetation growing on it.  Geologists have estimated most of the land in the Otter Point Formation can be dated back to the Jurassic period. 

 

How did Battle Rock get its name?  In 1851, nine men were left at Port Orford by captain William Tichenor as part of the western expansion to the Pacific Coast.  That same year a skirmish broke out between the white settlers and the indigenous Quatomah Tutunis, Athapaskan people, who lived in the area.  The settlers eventually fled but later returned in greater numbers.  The leader of the nine men left by Tichenor, J.M. Kirkpatrick, published an account of the skirmish which inspired the name of the rock.  His account has become a local legend and part of Port Orford’s community celebrations and folklore.  Several native chiefs and a member of the nine-men expedition, who later died, are buried on Battle Rock. 

 Thanks to Bob for sharing the card.

For additional information, see:

 

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

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 754

 

 

 

 

 

Sand Dunes, Oregon

 

The title on the front of this unused color postcard identifies the scene as the Sand Dunes, Oregon.  On the reverse center line at the top is “Another André Original.”  Printed on the center line is:  “Anderson’s Post Cards, Portland, Oregon, Curteichcolor.”  The code:  DFL-1A appears at the bottom of the center line.  At the bottom left on the reverse is a blurb:  “Miles and miles of drifting sand.  Dune riding is a thrilling sport.”  The card has deckled or scalloped edges dating it to between the 1930s and 1960.  

 

The Oregon Dunes are a National Recreation Area administered by the U.S. Forest Service.  The dunes stretch about 40 miles or 64 km north of Coos River in North Bend to the Siuslaw River in Florence, Oregon.  At approximately 7,000 acres of sand, it is the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America.  Some of the dunes reach 500 ft or 150 m above sea level.   

 

The Dunes are estimated to be over 100,000 years old.  Erosion by wind and water formed the dunes.  Storm winds have been known to reach up to 100 miles per hour (160km/h).  Waves and tides carry sand from the ocean floor up on the beaches where the wind takes over and blows it into dunes. 

 

There are native plants that grow in the area that are vital to the ecosystem.  Things that grow here are: a type of grass called Red Fescue; Port Orford cedar, evergreen huckleberry, seashore bluegrass, shore pine, hairy manzanita, bearberry, bog blueberry, tufted hairgrass, slough sedge, Sika spruce, and skunk cabbage.  Many species of birds can also be found here in the wetlands; tundra swan, marsh wren, Canada goose, yellow rumped warbler, red-tailed hawk, sanderling, long-billed curlew, and sandpipers.  Other birds, like the great blue heron, American bittern, green heron, Virginia rail, cinnamon teal, common yellowthroat, common merganser, bald eagle, and osprey to name just a few are also seen here.  A patient bird watcher could see many different birds. 

 

There are numerous recreational activities available in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, such as off-highway vehicle use, hiking, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, and camping.  We did not see or hear dune buggies when we visited but there are places where they can be used.  Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel Dune was partly inspired by these dunes. 

 

Bob and I were here in 2018 and took a couple of pictures.

 

 

 This sign is posted near the trail and has information and a map of the marshlands, and the beaches as well as the dunes.

 

 

This picture was taken from a viewing platform not far from the sign with the map.

 

For additional information, see:

 

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