Traffic Stopping Bears

Bears and other animals holding up traffic were a popular postcard subject until people realized that such encounters could be dangerous. Most of the postcards I have seen in this category show vintage cars of the 1960s and earlier. This postcard is unusual because of the vintage bus.

A close look at the bus shows some interesting details. One person can be seen hanging out the window, and others can be seen inside the bus through the front window. The bus type, Courier Skyview, can be seen above the front windows. "Skyview" refers to the row of windows near the top of the bus. This type of bus was made by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) whose website has a historical timeline showing pictures of their buses from from the 1930s to the 2000s. The destination, on a sign below the front windows, is Columbia Icefields. Columbia Icefield is on the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies.

This postcard was published and copyrighted in 1957 by Smith Lithograph Co. of Vancouver, Canada. The name of the scene (Traffic Stoppers) and the photographer (Harry Rowed) are shown below the picture. Harry Rowed is known for his photos of the Canadian Rockies.

On the back of this postcard is this description: "The bears of the Canadian Rockies vie with the scenery as traffic stoppers. These natural clowns come in all sizes and a variety of colours, ranging from jet black to cinnamon brown."

This post was written for
A Canadian Family
A Festival of Postcards Blog Carnival
5th Edition, October 2009: Quadrupeds

PFF - Oktoberfest USA, La Crosse, Wisconsin

These three postcards of the La Crosse Oktoberfest are from the 1960s. One of them was mailed in 1965 and another was mailed in 1966. They appear to have been sent by the same person based on the handwriting, although they were sent to different addresses in Minneapolis and signed differently. Both mention a train, one calling it a "special train." Most likely this was a train from Minneapolis to La Crosse.

The La Crosse Oktoberfest was first held in 1961. This is the 49th year of the festival which is a "blending of the German Oktoberfest with Americanized style." Oktoberfest 2009 is September 25 - October 3.

VTT - The Romance of Hats

Romantic postcards like this were popular in the early 1900s. These cards usually were published in series. I have another postcard from this series with the title ""Let's get together." That one shows the same man with his arms around two different girls.

Crocheted potholders in the shape of hats are more common than most shapes, but not nearly as common as dresses and panties. I think it is interesting to see the variations on the same basic idea of a broad-brimmed hat with flowers.

Vintage Thingies Thursdays

Mitchell Corn Palace - 1938

These are two postcards made from the same photo of the 1938 Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. They are colored differently to show "day" and "night" views.

This Corn Palace was built in 1921, and the Moorish style domes and minarets were added in 1937. The Corn Palace is a tourist attraction and is used for many local events. The Corn Palace Festival is now held at the end of August instead of September.

The description is the same on both cards.

On the front:

THE WORLD'S ONLY CORN PALACE, MITCHELL, S.D.
Original cost $275,000.00. Redecorated annually at a cost of $10,000.00 in corn, grains and grasses. The most marvelous exhibit of nature's wonderful colors blended into works of classic art be skilled decorators.

On the back:

Greetings from
MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA
You will find a friendly welcome when you visit Mitchell and the World's Only Corn Palace. The annual festival is held the last week in September but the building is open the year around. At night, it is further enhanced by multi-colored neon lights.
MITCHELL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Dyer H. Campbell, Secretary.

More information:

www.cornpalace.com

PFF - Vintage Standard Oil Ad

Back in the 1950s men and women still wore hats a lot, hardly anyone used seat belts, and booster seats were unheard of. This family looks like they are heading to church or Grandma's house--even in the 1950s they probably wouldn't have dressed up like this for a long road trip.

The Standard logo on this postcard was the logo used from 1946 to 1960. It combined the Standard torch with the Amoco oval. The logo was redesigned in 1960 with a more stylized torch and a flatter oval.

VTT - Babies' Birthdays

The postcard here is signed by Ellen Clapsaddle (a famous postcard artist) and is a second birthday greeting for a member of the "Cradle Roll." Apparently Cradle Rolls usually were registries of babies born to church members, which explains the religious theme of this card. Writing on the back lists a baby's name, parents' names, and a 1927 date.

The greetings cards below are ones I received for my first birthday. The photograph is of me celebrating my first birthday.

The "Birth Certificate" in the leather folder is not an official birth certificate, but a certificate of membership in the "Babies Alumni" that was sent shortly after my first birthday.

Vintage Thingies Thursdays

Texas Longhorn Steer - Dead or Alive

The Texas Longhorn is a lean beef animal descended from hardy Spanish cattle. It can thrive in country where other breeds cannot live, but other breeds were preferred by modern ranchers. The longhorn breed dwindled but was saved from extinction by enthusiasts. Longhorns are valued today for their hardiness, survival instincts, and link to Texas history.

The first postcard (circa 1942) shows "Old Tex," said to be the best known specimen of Texas Longhorn who roamed Southwest Texas to an undetermined age and was mounted and displayed at the Buckhorn Curio Store Museum in San Antonio, Texas. His horns measure over 8 feet tip to tip.

The second postcard shows a live Texas Longhorn, said to the "the only Texas Longhorn steer in the Southwest," at the New Mexico Museum of the Old West on Highway 66, 48 miles east of Albuquerque and 70 miles west of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The description on the back is as follows:

These half-wild Leghorn [sic] cattle were the only kind known in the early Southwest. The hardy critters are descended from Andulasian [sic] cattle brought from Spain by Gregorio Villalobos in 1521 and ranged over the entire plains county until the early 1900's. Today there are only a few of these old Longhorns left, and they soon may become extinct. The picturesque animal shown here was purchased from the U. S. government and is privately owned by Capt. and Mrs. Bill Ehret of The Longhorn Ranch.

This post was written for
A Canadian Family
A Festival of Postcards Blog Carnival
5th Edition, October 2009: Quadrupeds