The Postcards

Years ago my father gave me a box containing his father’s postcard collection which spanned the years of 1908 to 1929. I placed each card in photo album and recently realized that they are fading into infinity. I pursued this project to preserve one of the few remaining links to Hugo’s past. The cards depict events frozen in time such as one sent to Hugo by my Grandmother Elsie, writing about the ‘dress’; I can only wonder if that dress was the one she planned to wear on her wedding day? There is also one from Aunt Mamie from the Seattle World’s Fair, cousin Helmut’s new Chevrolet, and various photos made into postcards. My favorite one has Hugo sitting on the manure spreader in his Sunday best! What an event it must have been to have your photo taken back then.

A Brief Postcard History

The first American government postal cards date back to 1872 when the United States Congress authorized the 1 cent postcard. Businesses had these postcards printed with advertisements, greetings, or illustrations. In 1898, Congress put privately printed postcards, which had cost two cents (to send) on an equal footing with government-issued cards by cutting their price in half. It was the establishment of rural free delivery around the same time that made sending postcards a way of life.

Free mail delivery in cities began in 1863, and home delivery was made to residents of towns with populations of at least ten thousand, but it was not until sometime between 1896, when RFD began, and 1906, when RFD was fairly well established that farmers no longer had to travel considerable distances to the nearest post office to send or receive mail. Many had made this trip only once a week. The mail arrived every day, in cities sometimes two or three times a day, so people used the mail more often. You could send a card in the morning saying you expected someone for dinner at seven, certain in the knowledge that the dinner guest would receive the card well before seven o’clock. A penny postcard was a bargain. It was half the price of a letter and required less effort on the sender’s part. The price of the penny postcard only went up to three cents in 1958!

I've been on a quest to visit the sites pictured and capture what they look like today. Some of the places are no longer there but others haven't changed much such the Lake Park one:

I do need to get another shot showing the road and what little that you can see of the overhead bridge -- always looking for that perfect picture . . .