This image features the Federal Building in Cincinnati, Ohio as it looked in the 1940s. This building also housed the main Post Office for Cincinnati at the time.
There is no description on the back of this card.
As best can be determined, this building no longer exists, and the post office has moved to a different location as a result. The cars present in the image clearly point to the image being from the 1940s. The card itself was used, and is dated February 14, 1950.
Tag: postcard
Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio
This image begins a series of images of Cincinnati, Ohio, beginning with an important thoroughfare called Central Parkway. It is built directly over the route of the canal that once flowed through Cincinnati, and now marks the unofficial northern boundary of the downtown.
There is no description on the back of this card. The cars shown in the photo are typical of the 1920’s and early 1930s. However, the original black and white photo, colorized in this example, was used for several decades, as this card was used and is dated February 15, 1950.
Hopi House, Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Hopi House, shown in this image, is a reconstruction of a Hopi pueblo as it might have existed about 1000 years ago. It was built the Fred Harvey company, the publisher of this postcard, as a place to exhibit, create and sell Hopi artifacts, and it houses Hopi artists who sell their creations to the visitors.
The description states:
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
The Hopi House next to El Tovar Hotel is a re-creation of the terraced Hopi Indian dwellings. It shelters valuable collections of Southwestern arts and crafts.
–This was part of a larger complex of Hopi recreated structures which were occupied by the Fred Harvey company, workers, or were designed as viewing spots for visitors to the Grand Canyon.
This card likely dates from the 1960s.
Yaki Point View, Grand Canyon, Arizona
The image here is from the commonly visited Yaki Point, a part of the Kaibab Trail. While the colors displayed seem more modest and limited than in previous photos, this can be a result of the time of day the picture was taken.
The description states:
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
Looking East from Yaki Point
In the late afternoon, the majestic architecture of the Grand Canyon becomes more pronounced with the lengthening of the shadows.
–In different lighting conditions, there is extensive red coloration as well as the yellow and brown shown here. This card likely dates from the 1960s.
Early Evening View, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This image, taken when the sun is fairly low in the sky, shows both the dramatic erosion common throughout the canyon but also the depth of the features visible from the tourists’ vantage point at the top of the south rim’s edge.
The description states:
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
The long shadows of evening accentuate the stupendous size of the ridges and chasms keep in the gorge at Grand Canyon. Easily accessible by rail, plane, and modern paved highways, Grand Canyon has become one of the most popular scenic attractions in the West.
–This card likely dates from the 1960s.
Midday View, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This view looks down the length of the Grand Canyon instead of directly across, showing the number and complexity of eroded formations that make up the canyon. While it is often assumed to be a single large and deep cut into the earth, the canyon is far larger and the erosion more complex.
The description states:
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
Nothing in the world can be compared with the Grand Canyon in form, size or glowing color. Varying in width from 4 to 18 miles, the canyon is a mile deep – an ocean of color.
–This card likely dates from the 1960s.
North Rim View in Winter, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This image shows a view similar to the one in the previous posting, but this time the season is winter, and there are snow deposits on the foreground foliage and on the rocky structures in the far background. The north rim of the canyon is at a high elevation, and though it is in the middle of the western desert, it becomes cold enough for snow to fall and remain during the winter.
The description states:
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
During the winter months, the visitor to Grand Canyon is entrance by the contrasts between the snow-capped rim and the deep warm colors in the depths of the canyon.
–This card likely dates from the 1960s.
North Rim View in Summer, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This image shows the great width of the canyon even better than its depth. The bottom where the Colorado river flows, is lost in the shadows and obstructing rock formations.
The description states:
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
Varying in width from 4 to 18 miles from rim to rim, Grand Canyon is nearly a mile deep. First discovered by the Spaniards in 1541, it is a visited by thousands of sight-seers yearly.
–Close examination of the photo will show that the promontory in the right foreground is accessible to tourists, and there is a courageous man standing very near the edge.
This image likely dates from the 1960s.
Watchtower at Desert View, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This week features several images from the world famous natural wonder, Grand Canyon, Arizona. This first image is of a Native American watchtower as it might have looked situated at the edge of the canyon cliff.
The description states:
The Watchtower at Desert View
a recreation of prehistoric Indian lookouts. It commands a sweeping view of the Grand Canyon and Painted Desert.
—The Fred Harvey Company noted in the caption to these cards is a long standing organization of shops, hotels and restaurants in the American West dating to the 1870s.
This card likely dates from the 1960s.
Wickiup Motel, Holbrook, AZ
This is a typical specialty motel of the 1940s, with unusual construction designed to replicate the tipi style tent construction of the Native American tribes of the Great Plains. It is misnamed the wickiup likely because the owner did not understand the distinction between the two construction styles. However, the wickiup was used extensively in the southwest, though it was hemispherical in shape and not a truncated cone.
The motel was built in 1950 and has since been renamed the Wigwam Motel, a variant of the term wickiup, but still incorrect regarding the structures’ shape.
The white patches on the image are from where the card became wet and the emulsion was detached after being stuck to another card. This card clearly dates from the 1950s, shortly after the motel was constructed.