This image shows the front entrance to the San Diego Natural History Museum, located in Balboa Park in the middle of the city.
The description states:
332 – NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, BALBOA PARK, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Balboa Park has been the scene of two international expositions and is the cultural and recreational center of the city. The great halls of the Natural History Museum house displays of the flora and fauna of the San Diego region.
—The museum has expanded to more than double the original floorspace, although this is not obvious from photos because half of the building was left as a facade for decades after it opened. Its increased size has allowed the museum to host traveling exhibits like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
This postcard was used and is dated 20 July 1955.
Tag: postcard
Desert Scene
This postcard is an artwork with poetry and commentary illustrating some of the clichés of the desert as they were understood in the mid-20th Century.
There is no description on the back of this card. There is handwriting there, and it appears to list the titles of several popular songs of the time, the most obvious being “I Found a Million Dollar Baby”, which was published in 1931 and first performed by Fanny Bryce, then recorded by many others, including Bing Crosby, also in 1931. This indicates the card likely dates from the 1930s.
Harvey House and Park, Needles, California
This image shows the so-called Harvey House in Needles, California. In fact, it was named the El Garces Hotel, and was also a restaurant and train depot for the Santa Fe railroad. It was built in 1908.
There is no description on the back of the card.
The building still stands, though the train depot is long closed it still functions as a transit center for the city of Needles. The automobiles shown indicate this image is from the 1940s.
Golden Canyon, Funeral Mountains, Death Valley, California
This image shows the so-called Golden Canyon of the Funeral Mountain range in Death Valley, California. The canyon name may be an alternate description of the north end of Death Valley, as the Funeral Mountains form the northern border of the valley.
There is no description on the back of the card. The Death Valley National Park is not a true valley. Instead, it is a graben, or a block of land that has been lowered by tectonic activity between two other rising blocks. It became famous for it’s borax mines which provided soap and laundry powder to the U.S. consumer in the middle of the 20th century.
The lonely automobile shown in the image indicates the card likely dates from the 1930s.
Joshua Tree, California
This image shows an ancient Joshua Tree plant. Its age is indicated by the thickness of the trunk and the multitude of ‘arms’ or branches that have grown from it over the decades.
There is no description on the back of the card.
These are part of the yucca genus, and flower most often when there is sufficient rain. Their branches develop after flowering.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.
Desert Scene with Joshua Tree, California
This image shows the typical desert areas of Southeastern California, known generally as the Mohave desert.
The description on the back of the card states:
DESERT LANDSCAPE
Colorful jagged mountains, arid wastelands, and the grotesque desert Joshua tree form a typical scene on the desert, now crossed in comfort on smooth, paved highways which connect one cool green oasis to another.
–The description refers to the US Highways, and later Interstate Highways, which facilitated safe travel across these otherwise uninhabited and inhospitable areas. Even today there are large uninhabited desert regions, many of which are state and national parks.
This card likely dates from the 1950s.
Devils Finger Cactus, California
This image shows the rare and beautiful blossom of the desert finger cactus, apparently more commonly known today as the Lady Finger Cactus, common in the desert areas northeastern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley.
There is no description on the back of the card. The colors of the flower can vary somewhat but the shape and pattern of flower and colors is consistent.
This card likely dates from the 1950s.
Donner Monument, Donner Lake, California
This image shows the large memorial erected to the Donner Party, a group of emigrants from Illinois who were trapped by snow and forced into cannibalism to survive.
The description states:
C875 – DONNER MONUMENT
DONNER LAKE, CALIFORNIA
Near the eastern end of Donner Lake, this monument marks the location where the Donner Party was snowbound during the winter of 1846-47. Of the 81 persons in the party, few survived that terrible winter.
–More recent research has determined that there were 87 people in the party, and 48 survived.
This card likely dates from the 1950s.
Donner Lake, California
This image shows Donner Lake from high above the lake level. The picture is likely taken from the popular photo spot known as McGlashan Point.
The description states:
DONNER LAKE
Located in California near the Nevada line, the serene beauty of Donner Lake makes it hard to realize that men once suffered here. The Donner party left Springfield, Illinois, in April, 1846, and were hemmed in at the lake by early snows. The sculptured figures of a man, woman, and child memorialize the Donner tragedy.
–The lake is not far from the much larger Lake Tahoe, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada.
This postcard likely dates from the 1950s.
Lake Tahoe and Cal-Neva, California
This image shows an elevated view of the north end of Lake Tahoe, and in the lower left corner the Cal-Neva Resort and Casino is just visible.
The description states simply:
LAKE TAHOE
and Cal-Neva, lower left, on the Nevada side of the Lake.
–The Cal-Neva has closed for renovation, as it was losing business due to competition from newly opened Indian Casinos.
This card likely dates from the 1950s.