Covered Bridge Festival, Parke County, Indiana

The sign on this postcard advertises the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, Indiana which considers itself the Covered Bridge Capital of the U.S.A. and the world. The information on the back of this card states that the "Covered Bridge Festival (is) held the 2nd weekend thru 3rd weekend of Oct. each year with tours of most of the 38 covered bridges."

The 51st Annual Parke County Covered Bridge Festival will be held October
12 - 21, 2007 and will offer tours of the remaining 31 covered bridges. The festival is headquartered on the courthouse lawn in Rockville, Indiana.

There is a Covered Bridge FAQ web page that answers questions such as "Why does Parke County have so many covered bridges?" and "Why did they cover the bridges?"

Ohio Swiss Festival, Sugarcreek

Sugarcreek, Ohio is known as the "Little Switzerland of Ohio." Sugarcreek's Ohio Swiss Festival is held annually the 4th weekend after Labor Day, usually the last weekend of September or first weekend of October. The 2007 Swiss Festival was held September 26 - 29.

This postcard shows the Sugarcreek welcome sign. According to the information on the back of this postcard:

In the Fall all roads into Sugarcreek are filled for
miles with cars as each Fall, the townfolk of Sugarcreek join with the Swiss cheesemakers of the vicinity in a two-day festival that has attracted nationwide attention. Known as the Ohio Swiss Festival it features Swiss wrestling, Swiss yodeling, Swiss dancing, and Swiss foods—with the accent on Swiss cheese which is a major product of the
community.

Grouchy's Coffee Shop • Dining Room

If you have any information about Grouchy's, please leave a comment. I haven't been able to find any information other than what is on the back of this postcard:

At Rice Lake and Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Your 24 hour host all 7 days for those who want the best.

This postcard was published by G. R. Brown Co. of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and was mailed in 1964 from Frederic, Wisconsin. It is not clear whether Grouchy's was in both Rice Lake and Ladysmith or at some unnamed location between the two towns. Rice Lake is northwest of Eau Claire and Ladysmith is northeast of Eau Claire.

Two Gun Harry's at Tucumcari

The signs on the Harry's building advertise an impressive assortment of items for the traveler—curios, coffee to go (they served Folger's exclusively), quick lunches, Coca Cola, comics, news, postcards, sandwiches, cold drinks, milk, malts, shakes, short orders, cheese & hot and cold meats, magazines, and papers.

The description on the back of this postcard is as follows:

Two Gun Harry's cafe and curio stop at the Rock Island and Southern Pacific R. R. terminal at Tucumcari, in northeast New Mexico. Also the junction of U. S. Highways 54 and 66. Gateway to the southwest.

The message on the back of the postcard is dated November 26, 1958 and is postmarked from Tucumcari:

Dear Friend,
The train stopped here for 15 min. Its cold & I'm glad I have my winter coat on. I am in the building pictured on the card.

Tucumcari, New Mexico got its start around 1901 as a rowdy railroad camp. Passenger trains started stopping in the town in 1902. Tucumcari was once nicknamed "Six-Shooter Siding." A song "Two-gun Harry from Tucumcari" by Bobby Worth was published in 1948.

Tucumcari is a popular stop for travelers along Historic Route 66. According to Roadsideamerica.com, Tucumcari is considered the best concentration of retro-Route 66 buildings on what's left of the old highway. A number of vintage motels and restaurants are still in business. An old-style curio shop, Teepee Curios, is one of the main attractions.

Rimrock City Sign

Information on the back of this Rimrock City, Texas postcard:

The huge frontiersman towers three stories in the air at the entrance of the parking area of Rimrock City. He is pointing the way to a memorable return to the Old West, where there is fun for the whole family. Highway 80, between Odessa and Midland, Texas.

Rimrock City also issued some other postcards of their attractions including the Red Garter Saloon, Gambling Casino , Main Street, and Pleasant Hill Cemetery.

There has been some recent (August 2007) reminiscing on the lubbockonline forums, topic URL. Other features mentioned include a miniature golf course, an archery range, a small zoo, and a narrow gage railroad. An accident with a "shootout" may have led to Rimrock City's demise. There may still be some old western style buildings at the site.

White Squirrels of Olney, Illinois

Olney, Illinois is one of the towns claiming to be the home of white squirrels. The City of Olney website has some history of their white squirrels. There are two hypotheses about how white squirrels came to Olney in 1902. Olney held a 100-Year White Squirrel Celebration on October 12, 2002.

About 1941, there were 800 white squirrels in Olney. Olney has a squirrel count each fall, and recently the number of white squirrels apparently has been down to the 100-120 range.

Roadsideamerica.com (your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions) has a page on the White Squirrel Wars. Five towns use albino squirrels as their claims to fame: Olney, IL; Marionville, MO; Kenton, TN; Brevard, NC; Exeter, ON. Olney is considered the loudest booster of the white squirrel towns, titling itself Home of the White Squirrels.

Pan American World Airways Clipper Flight Log

This postcard folds in half for mailing. On one side is a route map and information about a 1953 flight of the Clipper Rainbow en route from San Francisco to Honolulu. The other side has space for a mailing address and a message written aloft.

Pan American World Airways operated from 1927 until 1991. It began with a single route from Key West to Havana and was a pioneer in transocean and intercontinental flying.