Contributions of the group American Midwest

Maintaining social distance. Like always.

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 19:41:54 +0000

We Will Never See It Again—The Ferris Wheel at the St. Louis World's Fair, 1904

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 04:16:04 +0000

A cyanotype real photo postcard for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of pick a particular format (daguerreotype, cabinet card, CDV, real photo postcard, cyanotype, slide, Polaroid, or what have you?).

Handwritten message: "It's been a long time since we saw this, and we will never see it again. I'm sorry it has been destroyed. I haven't forgotten the promised pictures of St. L. You shall have them some day. Yours, J.W."

Addressed on the other side to Miss Virginia Stone, Pulaski, Va., and postmarked at Tazewell, Va., on Jan. 24, 1907 (the year is illegible on this card but I have another St. Louis cyanotype from J.W. that was postmarked on Aug. 25, 1907).

J.W. and Miss Virginia Stone were two of the more than 19 million people who visited the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. The Ferris Wheel that's visible in this blue-tinted cyanotype photo was originally constructed in 1893 for the Chicago World's Fair. The wheel was disassembled in Chicago, transported to St. Louis, and rebuilt in time for the fair in 1904 (mouse over the image above for an enlarged view of the Ferris Wheel).

After the St. Louis World's Fair ended, the Ferris Wheel met its fate on May 11, 1906, when it was dynamited and sold for scrap. "It's been a long time since we saw this," said J.W. in his note to Virginia in 1907, "and we will never see it again. I'm sorry it has been destroyed."

The Missouri Historical Society's World's Fair Ferris Wheel album on Flickr contains photos showing the installation and demolition of the wheel.

Men Out Standing in Their Field, Ohio, 1909

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:01:22 +0000

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This real photo postcard was addressed to Miss Olive Hanner, Strasburg, Ohio, and was postmarked Akron, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1909. There was no greeting or message.

Miniature Railway, House of David Park, Benton Harbor, Michigan

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 21:09:22 +0000

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"Miniature Railway, House of David Park, Benton Harbor, Mich. 14."

A miniature railroad at an amusement park that was operated by the House of David, a religious commune in Benton Harbor, Michigan, whose members also performed in touring bands and played on baseball teams.

Check out another view of the Miniature Railway, House of David Park, Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Miniature Railway, House of David Park, Benton Harbor, Michigan

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 20:24:10 +0000

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"18. Miniature Railway, House of David Park."

Part of an amusement park that was opened in 1908 by the House of David religious commune, this miniature railway ceased operations when the park closed in 1972. Fortunately, however, the railroad was recently restored, and it reopened for rides in 2011.

For a history of the railway, see Dave Schoeffler's article, "The House of David Railroad," in Discover Live Steam: The On-Line Magazine of Rideable Model Railroading.

See also another view of the Miniature Railway, House of David Park, Benton Harbor, Michigan.

House of David Band, Benton Harbor, Michigan

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 21:43:28 +0000

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"61. House of David - Benton Harbor, Mich."

The House of David was a religious commune in Benton Harbor, Michigan, whose members performed in touring bands (like the one above), played on baseball teams, and ran an amusement park that featured miniature trains (like the ones below). Benjamin Purnell (see below) and his wife Mary formed the group in 1903.

Benjamin Purnell, Founder of the House of David, Benton Harbor, Michigan

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 21:43:26 +0000

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"Benjamin, founder of the House of David."

Benjamin Purnell (above) and his wife Mary founded the House of David, a religious commune, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 1903. The members of the commune performed in touring bands (see below), played on baseball teams, and ran an amusement park that featured miniature trains (like the ones below).

Amazing Feats on Board the Steamer Dubuque

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 22:11:22 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

A Vintage Photos Theme Park posting for the topic of hands/feet (a photo in which hands or feet are prominent)--if you have both, please feel free to post 2 photos.

This jolly bunch documented their trip on board the steamer Dubuque by writing "STR DUBUQUE" on the bottom of their shoes and then propping their feet up for the photo (mouse over the image for a better view of the shoes). If you look closely enough, you may be able to see a faint erased "S" on the "T" shoe. Notice also the steamboat's smokestack, which is located behind the boy on the right. Part of the boat's decorative trim is visible to the right of the smokestack, too.

This Dubuque was the fourth and last steamboat with that name, according to the Encyclopedia Dubuque. The description for a postcard in the collection of the Davenport Public Library (see Steamer Dubuque on Mississippi River) provides some additional details about this Dubuque, which was "a stern wheel packet steamboat originally named Pittsburgh and built at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1879. It was rebuilt at Dubuque, Iowa, in 1896 for the Diamond Jo Line and renamed Dubuque. The boat sank in 1901 but was raised and Streckfus Steamers [another steamboat company] took over. In 1919-1920 it was converted to an excursion boat and renamed Capitol."

Given that chronology, it seems likely that this photo was taken sometime in the 1900s or 1910s. Whatever the date, I'd wager that this photo was a shoe-in for the funniest one taken of this bunch during their excursion on the steamer Dubuque.

Milking the Euclid Beach Cow

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 16:25:10 +0000

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Judging from the Euclid Beach pennant visible on the right-hand side, this real photo postcard of a girl milking a fake cow while two fake bulldogs stand guard was probably a souvenir from Euclid Beach Park, which was an amusement park located along Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio.

Just a man and his monkey

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 00:56:08 +0000

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This isn't good

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 13:56:44 +0000

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Maybe some people see the world in these colors

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Tue, 19 May 2015 17:28:27 +0000

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How would we know?

The old red barn

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:34:34 +0000

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Acorn season

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:38:49 +0000

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Two Men and a Paper Moon, Riverview Exposition, Chicago, ca. 1910s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 21:56:03 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Post Card Souvenir from Riverview Exposition, Chicago. Foster & Coultry - Official Photographers."

This photo was taken at Chicago's Riverview Park, which was an amusement park that operated from 1904 to 1967 and was known as Riverview Exposition Park for a few years early in the twentieth century (one source says that it was called Riverview Exposition between 1909 and 1913).

Both of the men in the photo are holding cigars, and the man on left has some sort of dog figurine or toy attached to his lapel. The man on the right is holding something under his arm but I can't tell what it is.

Another bindweed

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 14:02:11 +0000

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These flowers can be so pretty in the early morning sun as to take one's breath away. It's a struggle to weed the garden, though weed it I must.

Morning foxtail

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 14:03:24 +0000

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It was cool out this morning, almost autumnal. In the morning light, with a bit of dew, even ordinary plants seem especially pretty.

Cocklebur in bloom

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 22:48:02 +0000

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If you have a dog that runs free outside in summer, chances are you've encountered these at a later point in their life cycle, and chances are you do not remember the experience happily. If you look at the spines, you'll see why these are so problematical to remove from the fur of a collie.

Queen Anne's lace, snowflake edition

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:42:31 +0000

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With its little crab spider sidekick.

Longhorn beetle dines with Queen Anne

nobody@ipernity.com (depscribe) — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 16:07:25 +0000

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