If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 277

 "Winter at the mountain -- descent of the ridges"

Jullien brothers are attributed as the photographers and editors of this early 1900s vintage postcard that was printed in Geneva, Switzerland.  The identification number J.J. 3056 is found on the same line as the caption.  The scene shows mountain logging by sled or sledge with the caption in English as:  “Winter at the mountain – descent of the ridges.” 

I tried to find other pictures and some additional information about the sleds or sledges but did not find much.  Generally the name sledge implies a heavier sled used for moving objects such as the logs shown.  Some of the photos I did find showed logs piled high on the sledges while these seem to have smaller loads.  The man guiding the front sled holds on to the top portion of the runner and uses his feet to help slow down.  The upright pole on the side is some type of hand brake.  The large log cargo is chained down to two long logs that appear to act similar to a travois as well as a braking device.  The second sled has more logs piled on it and the long travois logs look to be in an upright position.  The driver of that sled has one of his hands on the brake and his feet are more buried in the snow as he follows the first sled.  It is hard to tell if the brake bar is connected to the two long poles and could perhaps lift or lower them when descending a steep slope or is an extra long drag pole to slow the descent.  Accompanying the two sled drivers is a third person on skis. 

The number of ruts in the snow along this trail suggests that several such sleds have come down this same route.  The men are traditionally dressed for work and must have been quite warm even in the snow from the hard labor needed to do this job.  What an amazing peek into how logs were transported down a mountainside more than 100 years ago. 

For general information about sleds, see:

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

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 171

Klöntalersee, Glarus, Switzerland

My wonderful French friend who now lives in Italy sent this beautiful card of Klöntalersee, Switzerland where he had gone with a group to bicycle in the mountains.  Located in the Canton of Glarus, Klöntalersee is a natural lake that has been used as a reservoir for hydroelectric power since 1908.  A dam constructed for the power plant has substantially increased the volume of water in the lake.

As the picture on the card shows this is a deep valley between mountains.  Tödi is the highest peak in the Glarus Alps at 11,857 feet (3,614 meters).  Other peaks include Hausstock at 10,361 feet (3,158 meters) and Glärnisch at 9,550 feet (2,910 meters.  The Linth River runs through the valley.  The left tributary of the Linth, the Löntsch, drains the Klöntalersee.  

Legends say that the people of the Linth Valley were converted to Christianity in the 6th Century by efforts of an Irish monk, Saint Fridolin, who was the founder of Säckingen Abbey (ca 538) and his image can be found on the coat of arms for the Canton.  His image was also used to rally the people during battles particularly in the 1300s. 

German settlers came as early as the 8th century and a variety of the Alemannic German language is spoken here today.  Beginning in the 9th century the Abbey owned the area around Glarus with the town called Clarona.  The Habsburgs claimed all the abbey’s assets by 1288. 

Slate works were established in Glarus in the 17th century.  Later cotton and wool spinning became important industries.  Cotton printing and hydroelectric plants were added and still later metal and machinery factories and paper mills became part of the economy.   These industries did not replace the more traditional dairy farms or cattle breeding.  These are still important today and cattle can be seen grazing on the mountainside.  Another important industry in the canton is Forestry.  The view in the photo on the postcard shows mostly the trees, lake and mountains so it was somewhat a surprise to learn of all the industry in the area. 

For more information, please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glarus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_of_Glarus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kl%C3%B6ntalersee