It is not clear exactly where this road is located in the Lake Okoboji area, but the fact that it is a long causeway between two bodies of water strongly implies it is the U.S. 71 Highway route between the two lakes.
The lakes are described as being distinct entities, but this navigable connection between them indicates they are now one body of water. This card likely dates from the 1940s.
Tag: 1940s
Gateswood Fountain, Arnolds Park, Iowa
This fountain is decorated extensively with local fieldstone, and is believed to be known as Stone Fountain now. Apparently the older name was associated with the resort and cabins nearby which have been replaced.
The card likely dates from the 1940s. The resort was mentioned in newspaper articles of 1940 and the fountain is certainly much older.
East Okoboji Lake, Arnolds Park, Iowa
This image is an aerial shot of the smaller East Okoboji Lake, which is separated by only a small strip of land from West Okoboji Lake.
This postcard, like the rest of this series for the week and next, have no captions other than what is written in white on the front. This postcard likely dates from the 1940s.
Spirit Lake Massacre Monument, Arnolds Park, Iowa
This obelisk is a monument to the victims of the last Indian attack on white settlers in Iowa, which occurred in Spirit Lake, Iowa in 1857. There is also a cabin originally occupied by one of the survivors of the attack, who was held until ransomed. The woman, Abbie Gardner, also wrote about her experiences and operated her cabin as a tourist site.
The monument is nearby the cabin where Abbie Gardner lived before and after her abduction. This picture likely dates from the 1940s.
Harry’s Kurio Kastle, Arnolds Park, Iowa
This is an image of an imaginatively decorated souvenir shop once present in Arnolds Park, Iowa. The Kurio Kastle was originally located at 169 U.S. 71, Arnolds Park, Iowa, and recently moved to the new location of 709 16th Street, Spirit Lake, Iowa, a nearby town.
It has been repurposed in its new location as a do-it-yourself pottery decoration center, a popular activity around the country. The image shown likely dates to the 1940s.
Pillsbury Point, West Lake Okoboji, Iowa
This image begins a series of cards featuring East and West Okoboji Lakes, in northwestern Iowa. The first image here is of a promontory of land at the northern end of Pillsbury Point State Park, a sliver of park land along the southwestern shore of West Okoboji.
There is no description on the back of this card, as it is a typical photo made into a card by stamping the back with markings for address, message and stamp locations. It is also unclear what purpose the partially submerged wheel serves in the middle of the lake. This card likely dates to the 1940s.
This post marks one year of daily postcard postings. There are enough for about 3 more years of daily posts.
Keweenaw Park Bears, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
The bears on display here are black bears common to the forests of the Upper Midwest at the time. They are engaged in scavenging through a garbage dump on the grounds of Keweenaw Park, a historical site commemorating the development and exploitation of the world’s largest and purest lode of copper ore.
Such dumping is now vigorously discouraged and fined, for it lures wild and dangerous animals to the food, and when they are threatened or frightened, they can become aggressive. It also creates dependency in the wildlife, and can encourage disease.
The caption states:
Bear at Keweenaw Park, Michigan Copper Country N2105
This image is from the 1940s.
Copper Harbor, Michigan
Finally the images close in on the village of Copper Harbor, which in this time was a bustling mining region, with this locale as a shipping point for the extracted copper. With the decline of the mines, which closed in 1968, the town declined as well. Much of the area has been dedicated as historical sites and state parkland.
The building visible in the background is part of the Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, and is called the Copper Harbor lighthouse, one of the first lighthouses on Lake Superior. The metal tower is a more modern light design.
The caption states:
Copper Harbor, Mich. 15
This image is from the 1940s.
Lake Fanny Hooe and Copper Harbor, Michigan
This image follows on the previous one, from a closer vantage point on the western side of the final hill before Copper Harbor. The town is clearly visible now, and Lake Superior to the left. Lake Fanny Hooe is visible to the right, but it is not clear how it is separated from the larger body of water because of the obscuring trees.
The caption states:
Lake Fanny Hooe and Copper Harbor, Mich. E-1144
There is a couple sitting on a bench at the very bottom of the image, and the man appears to be viewing the distant town through binoculars. Their attire is very typical of travelers during the 1940s, particularly in colder areas.
Lake Fanny Hooe and Lake Superior, Michigan
Moving to the far eastern end of Brockway Mountain Drive, before the final switchbacks which descend the mountain ridge into Copper Harbor, there is this pull out for viewing a beaver dam, which is not visible in the photo.
What is visible is part of Lake Fanny Hooe, a long narrow lake that parallels the Lake Superior shoreline, which is barely visible beyond the hill and the distant haze.
Beaver dams were still common in the mid-20th century throughout much of the United States, but extensive river flood management, hunting and habitat loss have made these structures very rare.
The caption states:
Lake Superior and Lake Fanny Hooe from Brockway Mountain Drive C-1162
This picture dates from the 1940s.