Ray Hahn
Catching up with Postcard History
PART TWO
Postcard History will celebrate two years of publication at the end of May. As the editor, it has been a pleasure to work with a team that strives to make postcard collecting both fun and educational.
The website statistics are encouraging and some should be announced. The basic team consists of three individuals who literally pour their hearts and souls into this project. There are over sixty people who have made contributions as writers, consultants and advisors, or card lenders. And most importantly – our 90-day averages show that more than 15,000 readers view the pages of postcardhistory.net each month. Your comments are a much appreciated source of inspiration.
If you would like to join the team, your contribution will be reviewed and considered for publication when you email it to editor@postcardhistory.net.
Thank you, loyal readers,
Ray Hahn, editor
Postcardhistory.net
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As the weeks go by Postcard History Online Magazine publishes four articles with the hope that we can cover the entire story in one shot. Needless to say, it does not happen the way we plan. As new material is sought, we “accidently” discover cards that would have made “perfect” illustrations for the article we published last month, last week, or yesterday.
Like we did in Part One, here are three more examples of wonderful cards that help tell the stories in Postcard history, but these are from our second year of publication.
On September 10, 2020
I Never Met a Man I Didn’t Like by Bill Burton
When Postcard History published an article about Will Rogers last September (2020) the illustrations were cards that reminded the reader of Rogers’ most popular characteristic – his sense of humor.
Rogers was the kind of person who made us laugh at ourselves and enjoy doing it. He loved to poke fun at mankind and our treatment of each other, and his ability to laugh at the most dire circumstances helped others do the same.
Rogers had a love affair with adventure. Sadly though, it was the cause of his demise in August 1935.
A coincidence of the time was the on-going construction of a shrine by a Colorado philanthropist who made his fortune from mining and real estate. Spencer Penrose founded the Utah Copper Company in 1903. The circumstance in which Penrose found himself was simple: he was a copper miner and most of the world wanted electricity that was carried into their home using copper wire.
Aside from his philanthropy, Penrose had a penchant for high places. One of his favorites was Pikes Peak. It was he, along with a partner, Charles L. Tutt, who built the road to the top of that mountain. He was also instrumental in establishing the annual “Race to the Top” in 1916. The event was popular and within the next two years Penrose had dabbled enough in real estate that he was able to build one of Colorado’s most famous resorts – the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
Other projects including the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, amused Penrose, but he started his crowning achievement in 1933 when plans for his Shrine to the Sun were complete. The four-year project was interrupted when his friend Will Rogers died in that plane crash in Alaska. Penrose immediately appended Rogers’ name to the Shrine.
This newly discovered postcard may encourage you to visit the shrine or read more about Will Rogers. If you want to read the original article, I Never Met a Man I Didn’t Like by Bill Burton, click here.
On January 3, 2021,
The Ripon Hornblower by Tony Shepard
This Tuck postcard is one of a set that honors the famous landmarks in Ripon, England.
The village has a long history going back more than thirteen hundred years and a tradition of horn blowing as a ceremonial event held daily on the square near the cathedral.
From the Cathedral’s Website: For 1,349 years Ripon Cathedral has been welcoming visitors, making it one of Yorkshire’s longest standing visitor attractions!
Since its crypt and the original church above it were built by Saint Wilfrid in 672, there has always been a warm welcome for pilgrims and visitors alike. On Monday May 17, 2021, the cathedral threw open its doors once more, as the Covid restrictions on indoor attractions were lifted. As ever, entry is free of charge.
This stunning building has long been a must-see for day-trippers, those enjoying a staycation in the Dales, and tourists from around the world. From its links to World War One, poet Wilfrid Owen, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author, Lewis Carroll, to the famous Ripon Jewel, believed to date back to the seventh century, wonderful medieval woodcarvings, enormous stained-glass windows and modern sculpture, there is something for everyone.
If you want to read the original article by Tony Shephard, The Ripon Hornblower, click here.
When the Staff at Postcard History prepared the first series of Mystery Card Challenges, which many readers tackled with great enthusiasm, we had nine cards to choose from to make the six mysteries. The Split Rock Mystery (#4), published on January 3, 2021, was chosen for the simple reason that no one knew where it was. In the spirit of a “back-stage-tour,” the second Split Rock card is presented for you to see, but without a mystery. The location is in the Joshua Tree National Park in California.
And, just a reminder, the First Mystery Card, published on October 4, 2020, (see below) is still unsolved. If you want to take a second shot at the prize, click here.
Postcard History begins our third year on Sunday, please join the fun.
I’d like to see someone solve the Mystery Card conundrum before the third anniversary of Postcard History rolls around!