Souvenir Folder - Picturesque Scenery
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| Souvenir Folder Picturesque Scenery along the line of Great Northern Railroad, Montana, Idaho, and Washington (Mailed from The Top of The Cascade Mountains) |
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| Back of the Folder with space for return address. (Unidentified location but possibly Hell Gate Canyon near Missoula, Montana.) |
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| Bad Lands near Montana Dakota Line |
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| A Montana Grain Field |
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| Lake McDermott and Mt Wilbur from "Many Glacier" Hotel Glacier National Park |
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| Mallett Compound Engine |
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| A Group of Blackfeet Indians* |
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| The Narrows, Flathead Lake, Montana |
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| The Lakes in the Clouds Rocky Mountains |
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| Great Northern Bridge over Pend O'Reille River |
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| Great Northern Trestle over Lower Falls, Spokane River, Washington |
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| Mt. Rainier, Washington |
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| Seattle, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains (Photo by Asahel Curtis) |
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| Loop on the Great Northern Railroad, near "Scenic," Washington |
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| Freight train coming out of the Horseshoe Tunnel, Near Scenic on the Great Northern R. R. Wash |
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| Electric Locomotive pulling The Oriental Limited, Emerging from Cascade Tunnel on Great Northern Railway |
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| Great Northern Train entering Horse Shoe Tunnel, Washington |
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| Lake Wenatchee, Washington |
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| An Avenue of Apple Blossoms, Wenatchee, Wash. (Copyright 1910 by Kiser Photo Co. for Great Northern Railway.) |
The folder includes 18 views in a style similar to postcards. It was published around 1910 for the Great Northern Railway to encourage travelers to travel by train. The folders were available in train stations and in stores frequented by travelers. The folders could be purchased and kept as a souvenir of a trip taken, or mailed to friends and family. In 1910 this folder was postmarked "Mailed from the Top of the Cascade Mountains, Cascade Tunnel, Elevation 3373 ft., Wash." The postmark was probably applied aboard the train on its transcontinental journey across the continent. Back in 1910, the folder was mailed with a 1¢ stamp. To mail the folder today would probably cost close to 68¢.
 Unfolded view. |
| A combined Header and Thresher at work in a Washington Wheat Field |
Did you notice the image featuring the Blackfeet Indians? The
Great Northern Railway, blazing trails through untamed landscapes, chose to pay
homage to the indigenous peoples of the land by featuring portraits of Native
Americans on its postcards and promotional materials. I especially enjoy this
aspect of collecting Great Northern memorabilia. I’ll focus on that in a future
post.
Thanks for stopping by.
*The Blackfeet Indians knew the value of critters. Linking up with Saturday's Critters. Check it out!
Linking up with Thankful Thursday just to say I’m thankful
for learning so much about history via vintage postcards. Thanks to Michelle
for hosting.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteYou do have a great collection of park and railroad memorabilia. Washington State is very scenic, hubby and I have traveled from the Cascades, Mt Rainer, the Olympic Nat'l Park and Glacier Nat'l Park in Montana. They are all beautiful places. I think you are that the Blackfeet Indians valued their critters. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Great images in that 1910 folder, many thanks for sharing them here.
ReplyDeleteGoing back a few years (quite a few actually) I can remember holidays where this type of postcard folder could be sent to family/friends to share, and I did use to send quite a few. Nowadays it's a single postcard, but they are still nice to send and receive.
Happy weekend wishes.
All the best Jan
Wonderful to see all these photos.
ReplyDeleteLove the train ones.
Fascinating piece of history! Love the postcard-style views along the Great Northern Railway route.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very scenic area. Nice that the early tourism is remembered through photos on post cards.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing these cool old pictures from the Great Northern Railway. I love how they show what travel was like back then. It's neat to see the Blackfeet Indians featured too.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting post, John!
Happy Sunday!
you made me enter into old fascinating world dear John
ReplyDeletei really enjoyed the all views as their grip on senses is strong in short so CAPTIVATING !
i wonder about such railway travels often .ours is hear also full of lush views from Sindh to Northern areas but not as dramatic as these ones .
thank you so much for sharing .
times of my childhood are hardly forty years back yet i remember how popular were post cards those days and sometimes the sender would use only them instead a letter .i had kept some for long until we moved and things were in the hands of my brother and his wife .
sending heartfelt best wishes for the days ahead !
Are they Blackfoot or Blackfeet? I know the postcard says “Blackfeet” but I’m not sure that’s correct. And indigenous people were still referred to as Indians back then. It’s interesting to see these old views and to understand how tourism was promoted as the west opened up to travel. You must have quite a collection of material like this, John.,
ReplyDeleteThank you, David, for the interesting question. When putting the post together, and adding the captions for the images, I noticed there were some discrepancies in the way descriptions were printed on the images. For example, one referred to Horse Shoe Tunnel and another referred to Horseshoe Tunnel. My decision was to go with whatever was printed on the image. As for Blackfeet vs Blackfoot, a Native peoples website says this: “The Blackfoot tribe can be referred to as “Blackfoot” or “Blackfeet,” though the Blackfoot call themselves the Niitsitapi or “The Original People.” Another search engine result says this: Blackfoot and Blackfeet are the same group of people. The Blackfoot Confederacy is a historic collective name for the Blackfoot or Blackfeet people. The Blackfoot Confederacy is made up of three main groups: the Siksika, the Kainai or Blood, and two sections of the Peigan or Piikani. Thanks again for your comment and question. John
DeleteThanks for this, John. Today I learned something and that's never a bad thing!
DeleteWhat a treasure the images are! I wonder what that landscape is like now, all these years later. I especially love the train images since the railway was a big part of the life of my father’s family in Newfoundland. Thank you for sharing them, John.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures of an earlier time. The mountains, however, remain as always. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat is a "Very Beautifull" post card set John.You did an "Excellant Job" of putting this on your Blog.Its nice,so that you can blow up each scene,and look at the detail of each.I am Very Happy,that you ended up with it.Your Railroad Friend,Craig R. Bassett
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful piece of history. Except for the Olympic Mountains in the background, I would not have recognized Seattle in 1910. It's interesting the characteristic way the photographs are colorized, which was common before color photography was invented. Only one cent for postage? I looked up the annual household income in 1910, which was $687. It's all relative. Thanks for sharing these photos with your readers.
ReplyDeleteThe folder was a great way to depict a journey one may have taken! From the front card to the back card and every card in between, there is much beauty to be seen and history to be told! This piece must bring you much joy when you open the folder and the cards fall into place! Thank You for sharing this with us!
ReplyDeleteYour enthusiasm is infectious. And I'm delighted to read this, to experience this special trip in pictures.
ReplyDeleteWonderful souvenir from an era long before digital cameras, Facebook and Instagram... :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the postcards. It's a shame that postcards are disappearing from our communications as they are wonderful historical evidence of time and place as well as the sender's message.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the trains and the scenery that surrounds these beautiful places. I hope they are still wild and untamed. Love the Blackfeet Indian photo too. Amazing! A lot of history right there in that folder. Thanks for sharing my friend!
ReplyDeleteAs I was slowly scrolling down, I thought of walking in a museum. Then I of course had to look at the enlarged photos as well. This is an incredible collection. There is something very special about postcards. Even though I take photos, I often pick up postcards during my travels. Thanks for sharing, John!
ReplyDelete-Soma
These are such interesting images in the folder - quite fascinating. The trains going over the bridges look stunning!
ReplyDeleteHello John :=)
ReplyDeleteYour collection of railroad memorabilia is fascinating. The spectacular views are all breathtaking, and the folder was a great idea to introduce people to the joys of travelling on the Great Northern Railroad. I did notice the Blackfeet Indians, and would like to know more about them in your next post-
Have a Happy Easter John
All the best
Sonjia.
Hello John :=)
ReplyDeleteI have just read your comment and was deeply moved. Thank you so much.
Thank you for sharing this piece of history, and I eagerly anticipate learning more about the rich tapestry of experiences associated with the Great Northern Railway.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I am so glad to see you linking up and sharing a tiny portion of what I can only imagine is a vast postcard collection. I always learn something when I visit your blog. Thank you for linking up.
ReplyDelete