It’s time for a trip with some vintage US postcards. As a Canadian, I tend to be focused on Canadian sights, but it never hurts to branch out. 😉
Bethel, Vermont Train Station Vintage US Postcard
A Bethel, Vermont, train station. This Bethel train station now known as Babes Bar and retains its 1850s charm with its original architectural details. A progressive entertainment space with its own library and kids’ zones, Babes looks and sounds like a cool place to visit.
If you do go, tell them you found them on The Paper Girl. 😉
There are records for the Bethel, VT train station that go back to 1875; it was part of the Central Vermont Railroad Company and operated as a train station until the 1940s.
Vintage US Postcard of Everglades National Park
A palm-lined drive in Everglades National Park, Florida, number 291 in a series. This linen-textured postcard features someone taking a drive through the scenic Everglades. It looks like a pretty place to be—when the temperature isn’t skyrocketing!
The car looks like a Buick Century or a Chevrolet Special Deluxe, but it’s difficult for me to make out. The grille doesn’t seem right.
Everglades National Park was established in 1947 with over 1.5 million acres of land—making it the largest subtropical wilderness in the USA. Invasive pythons thrive there. So, you know, just stay inside the vehicle. It’s safer that way!
Speaking of Florida, you might wanna skip this postcard if you don’t like snakes. It’s a bit of a slithery fella.
This is a postcard of a double-headed rattler (and a single-headed cousin). Animals with two heads are bicephalic. This genetic anomaly happens in the womb and is the result of an embryo attempting to split into twins but not quite getting there.
Bicephalic snakes are one of the most common types of two-headed animal. Unfortunately, they don’t survive for very long in the wild, but have proven to live full lives in captivity—one such snake lived for over 20 years.
Hair Pin Turn, Mohawk Trail, Massachusetts Postcard
Hair Pin Turn, Mohawk Trail, Mass., is another linen-textured postcard. This location is accessible today, though the scenery has changed somewhat—the Golden Eagle Restaurant in the background is now located behind a nearby rock cut.
Why, you ask?
After 44 years without trouble, two major big rig accidents took place that destroyed the restaurant and forced a rebuild. The first accident took place in 1958, the second one just 4 months later.
Although you’re less likely now to get taken out by a truck while eating, it’s still a kinda dangerous roadway—especially when the fog rolls in.
Three Ways to Detroit
For 61 years the ferries plying the waters between Windsor and Detroit were the only way to get to the Motor City from Essex County. From 1877 to 1938, The Detroit and Windsor Ferry Company’s steamers carried people and cargo across the waves and contributed to the local economy.
When the Ambassador Bridge opened in 1929 it heralded the beginning of the end for Windsor’s ferries, and the death knell came with the Detroit-Windsor tunnel in 1930. Unable to compete, the ferries were shut down in 1938.
This is another of those vintage US postcards with that weird linen texture, which is why it looks the way it does up there.
That’s all for this week. See you again soon!
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