Here’s a long aerial view of Harbor Island and its marina, the artificial island created by dredging which lies just south of the international airport. There are no houses here as permanent residences are prohibited by California law regarding tidal lands. The hotels are using land leased from the city.
The description states:
Harbor Island – San Diego, California
The unique beauty of San Diego is dramatized by this dazzling aerial view of Harbor Island.
— This card was mailed, and has a postmark of 28 March 1988.
Tag: used
Cypress Gardens, Florida
Below, a pastoral scene of the famous Cypress Gardens that was. While this area and view of the Gardens is still accessible, the original venue closed and was reopened as Legoland Florida.
The description says:
Beautiful waterways & flowered paths invite the tourists to enjoy their visit to Florida’s Cypress Gardens.
The botanical gardens depicted in this photo still exist mostly unchanged, but the rest of the park has been reconstructed as a more common amusement park with rides.
This card was used, and has a strip of transparent tape in the sky portion of the center of the card. I was unwilling to remove it as doing so may have damaged the card. It was postmarked October 1979.
US Capitol Building, Washington DC
An early evening photo of the Capitol Building with a full moon in the background, looking towards the Mall and the Washington Monument in the left background.
The description states: A night view of the U.S. Capitol as seen from the east side with the city of Washington D.C. in the background.
There are a few holes in this postcard, most notably above the Capitol statue and at the middle bottom of the card from when it was displayed on a cork board. The card was mailed and has a date of 24 August 1980.
Dickinson County Memorial Hospital, Spirit Lake, IA
This is an unusual subject for a postcard. It is an aerial photo of the local hospital in Spirit Lake, IA. It is in my possession because it was the hospital where my great-uncle C A Jacokes was taken after his severe stroke. The blue arrow on the building roof was added by his sister who indicated the room he was staying in at the time. The facility is now part of Lakes Regional Healthcare.
My uncle had just retired from his position as professor of Mathematics at North Park College in Chigago, and went to Iowa to visit a friend’s family when the stroke felled him. He lost total control of the right side of his body, and though he was quite assiduous about rehabilitation, he never regained meaningful control over the right arm or leg again, and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
The description on the card states:
DICKINSON COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Made possible by the generosity of citizens and friends of Dickinson County, this hospital is one of the most ultra-modern in the Middle West. It is the only hospital in a wide area equipped with Nuclear Medicine and Deep X-Ray Departments and its excellence attracts surgeons and specialists of the highest calibre. It represents an investment of more than $1,100,000.00 and has a capacity of 50 beds and 12 bassinets. It was dedicated June 7 and opened to the public June 15, 1959, at SPIRIT LAKE, IOWA 51360. Phone: 712-336-1230
The photo is dated 1969.
Soco Gap, North Carolina
This is an aerial photo of the Soco Gap and it’s current occupation by the Blue Ridge Parkway and US Highway 19. The original picture was apparently taken in early autumn by the appearance of a bit of color change among the trees.
The description states:
Scenic Soco Gap, at the intersection of the Blue Ridge Parkway and U.S. 19, is the marked boundary of the Qualla Reservation of the Cherokee Indians and was the gateway to the last Cherokee stronghold in Western North Carolina.
The postcard is used, but was mis-cancelled and the postmark is not present. The 15 cent coil stamp would indicate the card was mailed shortly after the stamp’s issue date of 1978, with the photo predating it.
Lower Tunnel, Trans Mountain Highway, Tennessee
This is a view of the tunnel entrance on the US 441 highway as it traverses the Great Smoky Mountains through Sevier County, Tennessee.
The description states:
THE LOWER TUNNEL on the Transmountain Highway U.S. 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To the left may be seen the Chimney Tops which dominate the view for several miles along this highway. This is one of two tunnels on this highway which were built in order to avoid steep grades as the highway climbs to the top of the main range of the Great Smoky Mountains.
The picture is dated on the card as taken in 1955.
Glass House Restaurant, Oklahoma Turnpike
This is a nighttime photo of the restaurant built over the Will Rogers Turnpike at Vinita, OK. While this structure still exists, it changed ownership and names over the years, and was most recently a MacDonald’s. As of this writing, it is closed for renovation and is expected to reopen in 2014.
The description reads;
Spectacular Night View of the Glass House Restaurant Broiler Room on the Will Rogers Turnpike at Vinita, Oklahoma.
This photo dates from the early 1960s. The postcard was used and postmarked August 1964.
Alaskan Glacier
This postcard is an aerial picture of one of Alaska’s larger glaciers, but it is unidentified in the picture itself.
The description on the back is very brief and not particularly informative:
A river of ageless ice forms one of Alaska’s scenic wonders. Wien Air Alaska
–This card was mailed and is postmarked 22 August 1980, so the photo likely dates from shortly before that time.
Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Arizona
Pictured is a winter scene of the picturesque mountains and landscape of Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona.
The description on the back states:
Winter’s blanket of white contrasts with the Red Cliffs of Oak Creek Canyon.
This postcard was mailed, and the postmark is 7 June 1965. I sent it as a child to my great-aunt Dorcas Jacokes just after our family visited the Petrified Forest, Arizona on our way to California that summer.
Clinch Park Zoo, Traverse City, Michigan
Pictured is an accidental performance by some bear cubs that once lived at the Clinch Park Zoo in Traverse City, MI. This is in past tense both because the bears likely died of old age long ago, but also because the zoo closed September 6, 2010, victim of budget cuts and the outdated and restricted habitats available to the animals. It had been in operation for over 75 years.
These three young entertainers were probably drinking milk or some similar formulation, and the fact they all reared up at the same moment upon receiving their meal made for the memorable photo.
This postcard was mailed and postmarked, the date being June 19, 1939, so the picture dates from the 1930’s.