Oldest House in United States

How do you like this old adobe house? It is alleged to be the oldest house in the United States.

In October, 1908, Mrs. W. F. Cobb decided to send a postcard to Mr. R. W. Wagner. The card features a photo of the adobe house in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  On the front of the card she added the words, "Built before Spanish Conquest." The publisher of the card was Frank S. Thayer, Denver.

The card is postmarked Albuquerque, N. Mex., Oct 1, 1908. (Just 106 years ago.) The card includes the printed statement: "After March 1, 1907, This space can be used for a written message using one-cent stamp."  A curiosity of old postcards:  Prior to March 1, 1907, you could write a message on the card but had to add more postage ... TWO cents! Don't ask us why. : - )

Mrs. Cobb had easy-to-read handwriting.

You can see a  2014 picture and read more about this old house here.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Friday Random Five

Five Random Photos
That don't seem to fit elsewhere

The green grass and blue sky say summer to us.
"It will be here before you know it!"  LOL

Getting your side mirror knocked off is kind of common
in the city, but this is the first time we've seen
this type of replacement.

Biking Billboards ... have you seen these before?

The story of the birds and bees starts here.

This is the Maserati Ghibli.
We snapped this photo yesterday at the nearby dealership.
Did you ask Santa for this?
No, we didn't ... LOL

Linking up with Tanya today.... (Thank you Tanya!)

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Souvenir Folder -- N P Railroad Scenes

Sometimes one postcard is not enough ...

You may need a folder full of views ... this one has 18, which fold out as you can see in the photo above. Title:  Souvenir Folder of Scenes Along the Northern Pacific Railroad. The folder is ready to be addressed and apply postage for mailing, perhaps to a friend, to show them what you have just seen on your journey. Probably issued in the 1920s or 1930s. Published by J. L. Robbins Co., Spokane, Washington.  Folder # 3326, and, in another spot 3326 - 6170.  Most of the views are labeled so we will let them speak for themselves.

Folder Cover

The Northern Pacific Railroad provided passenger service between Chicago and Seattle among other points. It was famous for its service to Yellowstone National Park's northern entrance, seen in the view above.

Back cover

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Most Fair Belles

This old postcard pushes the limits of the envelope (no pun intended) when it comes to collecting Yellowstone memorabilia. According to the front of the card, "Pretty girls, pretty girls, everywhere, But the Montana Belles are claimed most fair." We will leave it up to you, dear followers, to tell us if this is accurate. The card shows the Belles surrounding the Grand Canyon (of Yellowstone, of course) from Artist's Point. What we don't know is whether other "Belles" postcards were printed up for other locations, and if those Belles were also claimed to be most fair.

Now, the back of this card ...

Close up of the message ...

The message as best we can determine ...

Dear cousin, I received your letter and will answer it soon. How is every one back there? We are having pretty fair weather here. I went to the S. C. with my aunt last Friday. Answer soon. Leona

________________

Info for card collectors ...

Raphael Tuck & Sons

“Our Belles” Postcard No. 2801

Art Publishers to their Majesties the King and Queen

Processed in Saxony

Postmark Billings, Mont.

1914 Feb 26

In a rather unusual notation ... the recipient of the card noted the date received as 2 – 28 – 14 10:30 AM ... AND, since the card has been in our collection prior to last February, we don't think it took 100 years and two days to be delivered.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Greetings from Yellowstone

Greetings from Yellowstone Park
Curt Teich & Co., Inc.

There are several versions of "Greetings from Yellowstone Park" cards ... this one, of course, features the bears. Card # 951 published by Curt Teich & Co., Inc. Printed by Sanborn Souvenir Co., Denver, Colo. Printed prior to 1952.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Highway to Yellowstone -- 1938

On the Red Lodge-Cooke City, Montana,
Highway to Yellowstone National Park in June

E C Kropp Co Card 11459

We surely hope your roads don't look like this today. For those of you not familiar with Yellowstone Park, tourists frequently toured the Park in buses, like the one shown on this card, in the days before private automobiles were common. This old card is a "Natural Color Post Card Made in U. S. A. by E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis." Their card #11459.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Buffalo Bill [William F. Cody]

The Last Portrait of William F. Cody ... Buffalo Bill

The card was published before 1952 and the Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum still exists in Colorado. Website is here.

Cody, Wyoming

From Wiki:  "In 1895, Cody was instrumental in the founding of Cody, the seat of Park County in northwestern Wyoming. Today the Old Trail Town museum is at the center of the community and honors the traditions of Western life. Cody first passed through the region in the 1870s. He was so impressed by the development possibilities from irrigation, rich soil, grand scenery, hunting, and proximity to Yellowstone Park that he returned in the mid-1890s to start a town. The town was incorporated in 1901."

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.