Author Archives: desteede

Stage Coach Inn, West Yellowstone, Montana

Shown in the image below is a view of the faux-Tudor style Stage Coach Inn, located at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Kodachrome Reproduction by Mike Roberts Studios Berkeley 2, Calif.

The caption states:

STAGE COACH INN

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA

Coffee Shop — Bar — Lounge — Sport Shop. A Summer and Winter Resort Hotel. Big Game Hunting and Winter Sports. “The Trout Fisherman’s Paradise”

— As indicated by the link to the business, this hotel is still in operation at the original site and with the original structure after more than 70 years.

The cars in this image place the card from the 1950s.

San Francisco, California and Environs

This folio features colorized photos and illustrations of several scenic views and notable landmarks in and around San Francisco, California.

Genuine Curteich-Chicago “C.T. Art Colortone”

The image on the back cover of the folio is seen twice in this listing as it is an exact copy of an image included in the folio.

This folio was used and is dated 15 July 1947.

Republic Mountain, Cooke, Montana

This image shows the imposing bulk of Republic Mountain as it looms over the small community of Cooke, Montana. This town is located across the Wyoming-Montana border.

Genuine Natural Color Made by Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N.Y.

The caption states:

#4122 – Cooke, Montana and Republic Mountain. Cooke is the north east entrance to Yellowstone Park on the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 12)

— The village of Cooke is home to various sorts of winter sports due to its proximity to the mountains that surround it.

This card likely dates from the 1940s.

Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone, Wyoming

This image is a look into the depths of the Morning Glory Pool. It is one of the easiest thermal vent pools for tourists to see, but this has led to the deterioration of it’s colors.

Genuine Natural Color Made by Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N.Y.

The caption states:

3954 – Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park. This is perhaps the most noted of the dozens of beautiful hot water pools occurring in the park.

–The deep blue of the pool shown in this image is long gone. Tourists have dropped so much foreign material into the pool that it’s biome has changed, and the blue is completely gone, replaced with a pale green ringed by orange and red.

This image likely dates from the 1940s.

Old Faithful Inn and Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

This image shows the driver’s entrance and main door to the Old Faithful Inn. In the background is a artist’s rendition of the eruption of Old Faithful geyser, world famous for its clock-like precision of timed eruptions.

Genuine Curteich-Chicago “C.T. Art Colortone”

The caption states:

OLD FAITHFUL INN AND GEYSER

Old Faithful Inn and Geyser are in the upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone where the largest and finest geysers in the world are gathered within a space of a mile. About Old Faithful is another of the Park community centers and supply points with stores, camps, museum, bath house, etc.

— The exterior look of the Inn has changed little over the years. The geyser is predictable to a range of about 15 minutes, averaging an eruption every 74 minutes.

This image dates from the 1940s.

Tower Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

This image shows the spectacular view of Tower Falls, an easily accessible feature located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Genuine Natural Color Made by Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N.Y.

The caption states simply:

Tower Falls near Tower Junction in Yellowstone Park.

The falls are 132 feet in height. Most notable is the boulder shown at the edge of the precipice. It is no longer there, having succumbed to erosion and gravity in 1986.

This image likely dates from the 1940s.

Bear Encounter in Yellowstone National Park

This postcard shows the once-common sight of a bear approaching a passing visitor to Yellowstone Park, and the visitor stopping the car to experience a close encounter with the wild animal. Decades ago, this was not understood to be very dangerous, and over time increasing numbers of visitors were attacked or mauled by bears in such situations.

Kodachrome Reproduction by Mike Roberts Studios Berkeley 2, Calif.

The caption states:

BEARS ON HIGHWAY

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Long renowned as a refuge for wildlife, Yellowstone contains a wide variety of animals. Most popular and best known are the yellow and brown bears which are frequently seen along the highways through the park.

— In recent decades bears have been relocated to more remote areas when possible to reduce the likelihood of violent encounters with visitors and campers. People are given instructions and training on how to avoid attracting bears to their camps and especially to their food.

The automobile in this picture places the card in the late 1940s.

Mae West Curve, Beartooth Mountain Highway, Wyoming

This postcard shows the suggestively named Mae West Curve, part of the mountain-crossing Highway 12 in Wyoming, as it was then known. The highway as since been renamed US 212, and passes through the mountains west and north of Yellowstone National Park before entering the park from the Montana side.

Genuine Natural Color Made by Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N.Y.

The caption states:

#4050 – Mae West Curve on the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 12) to Yellowstone Park via Red Lodge and Cook City.

Mae West was a popular and deliberately provocative actress of the early days of talking movies. Her large breasts were the most noted feature, and Mae West also gave the name to a style of personal flotation device (life jacket).

This card is likey from the 1940s.

Legion Lake Resort, Custer, South Dakota

This image shows an example cabin and interiors of the facility known as Legion Lake Resort, Custer, South Dakota, within the boundaries of Custer State Park.

E.C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis.


The description states:
LEGION LAKE RESORT
Boating – Fishing – Swimming – Western Riding. A delightful place to rest. A  cool, invigorating, enjoyable place to spend a week or two, while you see the Hills. A state-owned resort, serving only the beset, including Buffalo and Elk steaks.
–Now known as Legion Lake Lodge, the resort is still there in much the same configuration as shown in the sample images above, but with extensive modernization and further construction of facilities.
This postcard likely dates from the 1950s.
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With this card I come to the end of my personal collection of postcards and similar souvenirs, dating from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1970s. In all, there have been over 1500 postcards displayed and described over the course of just more than 4 years.
I will take a brief hiatus from posting, no more than a couple of weeks, and choose the next topic of my pictorial historic journeys.
I hope these have proven to be occasionally interesting, edifying and informative.

Sundown Motor Court, Spearfish, South Dakota

This illustration shows an idealized view of the motel known as the Sundown Motor Court in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Pub. by the Vernon Co., Newton, Iowa


The description states:
SUNDOWN MOTOR COURTS
All new modern cabins – Some with cooking facilities – 26 units in all. Open year round. On highway 14 & 85 in Spearfish, South Dakota. Phone 28
–As one might imagine, a two digit phone number is indicative of a very small town with limited phone service at the time of this postcard. The city of Spearfish is located near the head of Spearfish Canyon, at the northern edge of the Black Hills National Forest.
This card was used and is dated 23 June 1954.