This week concludes with a long lost business once located on the world famous Route 66. This establishment was in the town of Rialto, CA at the corner of Foothill and Eucalyptus in the 1940s and 1950s, according to the book Route 66 in California.
This card has no additional information on the back. The automobile shown in the picture indicates it is likely from the 1940s.
Category: Postcards From Another Millennium
Postcards from various decades of the 20th century.
Tiguex House, Santa Fe, New Mexico
This image is the oldest adobe residence still standing in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It and the church pictured earlier are both part of the Barrio de Analco Historic District. This house is quite small and dark inside, but the thick walls provide a respite from the summer heat.
The description states:
OLDEST HOUSE
This was he residence of the Indian Chief of Tiguex, now Santa Fe, N. M. Coronado with 1,100 men in 1540, made this very old town his headquarters, until his return to Mexico in 1543, but only 100 men went with him. Those who remained formed the first settlement of Europeans in what is now the United States. Coronado and many other Governors occupied this house until the Old Palace was built in 1620, or shortly thereafter.
–It is likely much of this description is based on legend, as more recent scholarship contradicts some of the details. This photo cannot be precisely dated, but the card itself is dated 1908, so the picture is likely from the beginning of the 20th century.
San Miguel Church Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Still inside the chapel, now facing the opposite direction, this is a view of the gallery and the staircase on the left. Also shown is the main entrance door, and several of the stations of the cross illustrations common in such churches.
The description states:
GALLERY IN THE OLDEST CHURCH
On one of its beams is carved the name of the Governor of new Mexico, the Marquez de Penuela, who rebut it in 1710, and that of his Aide and Ensign, Señor Don Agustine Flores Vergara. The gallery has a puncheon floor, interesting to many people, also quite an amount of Spanish and native carving. The beams and logs are from the mountains near Santa Fe. The old roof was replaced in 1830 by the present one. It and the spiral pillars are native work.
–The name may correctly be Don Augustine, but it is transcribed as printed on the card. Given the age of this card, and the primitive typesetting and printing methods of the time, it is likely that the error was too cumbersome and costly to correct.
The card is dated 1908.
San Miguel Church Altar, Santa Fe, New Mexico
The next view is inside the church, facing the elaborate and ornate altar as it looked around the turn of the 20th century.
The description states:
This is an interior view of the oldest church in the United States, situated in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is the oldest town in the United States. In the church may be seen Spanish wool work and carving done many years ago, and the oldest bell in the United States, over 500 years old, and some Italian oil paintings, showing the rich colors of the old masters, as well as other Spanish oil paintings, and some very interesting statues.
-It is not clear the exact time of the photo, but it is reasonable to assume that it was taken after the 1888 reconstruction and before the copyright date of 1908.
San Miguel Church Damaged, Santa Fe, New Mexico
The next image in this series shows the damage suffered by the church tower and other components from the storm of 1872. The restoration was not begun until 1888, likely because these missions were no longer under the control of the Catholic Church, but instead had been turned over to the local governments, many of which were poor or very remote from the missions they now administered.
The description states:
This represents San Miguel Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico as it was up to 1872. The upper portion of the tripe tower fell in 1872. In 1888, the toper and front of the church were repaired as now seen. This adobe church (ad-o-bay) was built of large sun-dried bricks. The walls are from three to five feet thick, with inside and out side covered with a thin layer of mud. The church is a wonder to all who see it. It fronts on the old Santa Fe Trail.
–The image could date from almost any time after the 1872 storm and the 1888 reconstruction, but most likely dates from just after the storm when only minor emergency repairs and cleanup had been completed. The card itself is dated 1908.
San Miguel Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico
This starts a series of very old photos of the San Miguel Mission, as it is now known, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is an active church today, and claims to be the oldest church in North America. It can be seen to be in poor condition, a result of the secularization of the missions after Mexican independance. The image shows the church shortly before a storm which toppled the triple tower.
The description states:
Santa Fe, N. M., 1872, was visited by a severe storm and the triple tower of the Old Church was destroyed. It was rebuilt, as now seen, in 1888, and the buttresses built against the front, with its adobe wall to the left. Chamuscado, in 151 [sic], came as far as Tiguex, now Santa Fe, and left three Franciscans. In 1582 Espejo, with a small party, flung that the Fathers had been killed. They soon all returned to Mexico. Oñate in 1607, with his colony, joined the people of Tiguex and made it the capital. It was then called Santa Fe de San Francisco.
— The correct date for Chamuscado’s expedition is 1581. The photo is clearly labelled as dating from 1872, but the card itself is copyrighted 1908.
Green Mountains, Vermont Folio
The folio this time is of the Green Mountain area of Vermont, the small state in the northeast of the United States. While it is a neighbor to the original colonies that declared independence, Vermont is not among the original 13 which established the United States.
The Green Mountains are called the Berkshires in Massachusetts, and extend the length of the state from north to south.
This folio was printed just before the United States joined the Second World War, and one copy in the collection was used and mailed to a soldier stationed at the POW camp in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The copyright date on the cover of the folio is 1941, and the used folio was mailed in 1943.
Sunny Side Cabins, Utica, New York
The two week visit concludes with a restful visit in the Sunny Side Cabins of Utica, New York, some distance east of the Finger Lakes region where Watkins Glen State Park is located. These cabins are representative of the typical travelers’ lodgings of the late 1940s.
The description states:
SUNNY SIDE CABINS, finest in the state. Each with private bath, hot and cold running water, Simmons Beautyrest equipment. Spacious grounds.
Restaurant and filling station in connection.
–The Simmons Beautyrest is a trademark name for the mattresses and beds by the Simmons company, still made today. The term ‘in connection’ indicates there are restaurants and filling stations near by, but not part of the business. In later years more elaborate and larger such accommodations would indeed have restaurants as part of the establishment.
The varied size of the cabins showed indicate a selection of accommodations for larger or smaller groups. Of special note is the handwritten number on the bottom of the card. This was an amendment made by the provider, and not by the customer, as it is present on two different cards, one used and one unused. This change indicates a revision in addresses after the card was published, usually by the post office to normalize and standardize postal services and delivery.
The used card is postmarked August 1947.
Pluto Falls, Watkins Glen, New York
One final image of Pluto Falls, one of nineteen named waterfalls in Watkins Glen State Park. Compare this image to a previous posting on this blog here. Note that the images are superficially identical, but the artist that colored the first one also added water effects to make the image feel more dynamic.
There is no description on the back of this card, but it is consistent with other cards that date from the 1950’s.
Whispering Falls, Watkins Glen, New York
A different image this time, looking almost like a painting rather than a black and white photo that has been colored. The posterization of the details gives it a hand painted look. Whispering Falls is one of 19 named waterfalls in the park.
There is no description on the back of this card. The date is uncertain, but it is consistent with other cards that date from the 1940s.