Union Station at Night ~ Los Angeles, California

This is a 1941 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" linen vintage postcard. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co., Los Angeles, California.

The postcard shows Union Station in Los Angeles, California. Union Station opened in May of 1939 and is still in use today. In fact, according to an article on Wikipedia, Union Station is "…the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States." Union Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I found this awesome photo of Union Station on the Wikimedia Commons website. Union Station is the red-roofed building in the foreground of the photo.

Union Station - Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Basil D. Soufi

At the bottom left side of the front of the postcard are the words: "Terminal Annex Post Office in Background." It looks like this refers to the white or cream building just to the left of Union Station.

I did an online search for the Terminal Annex Post Office and found an article on Wikipedia. The article stated that the building was completed in 1940. It also said that it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

This is a picture of the Terminal Annex Post Office building.

Terminal Annex Post Office Building - Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Los Angeles

The typed description from the back of the postcard says:

Typical of California, beautiful and spacious, the Los Angeles Union Station is one of the most attractive in the country. Built at a cost of $11,000,000, in a setting of unusual beauty, it typifies to visitors, the charm and hospitality of Los Angeles and Southern California.

Thanks for stopping by!



© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Villa Riviera and Pacific Coast Club ~ Long Beach, California

This is a 1941 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co., Los Angeles, California.

The postcard shows the Villa Riviera and Pacific Coast Club in Long Beach, California. I did a little research online and found that the Villa Riviera (the tall building in the postcard) officially opened in 1929 as a hotel. Today it houses condominiums. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. You can read more about the Villa Riviera building, including the building's history by clicking HERE and HERE.

This is a picture of the Villa Riviera building found on the Wikimedia Commons website. The photo was taken in 2009.

Villa Riviera Building
Wikimedia Commons
Author: Los Angeles

From what I read online, the Pacific Coast Club pictured on this vintage postcard is no longer standing. It was demolished in 1988.

Typed description from back of postcard:

Long Beach is justly proud of one of the finest and most popular bathing beaches on the California Coast. Many fine hotels, apartment houses, beach clubs, and homes, front on this delightful shore, in full view to the resort activities.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Bronze Cast Typifying "Mormon Hand-Cart" Pioneers en route to Salt Lake City in 1856

Today is Pioneer Day in Utah. It's a state holiday that celebrates the day Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also celebrate Pioneer Day outside of Utah as well.

Not only did Mormon pioneers use wagons to cross the plains as they traveled to the Salt Lake Valley, some of them used handcarts like the one shown in this postcard. Handcarts were a less expensive alternative to wagons.

The handcart pioneers placed their belongings in their handcart and walked 1,000+ miles across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley, which is an amazing thing to me. It shows the great faith and courage these handcart pioneers had.

This postcard is a 1939 genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard.

Transcription from postcard description:

The Hand-cart migration was a distinct movement in Western pioneer travel. From 1856 to 1861 nearly 4,000 people crossed the plains on foot. Men and women pushed or pulled their Hand-carts for 1,000 miles between the Missouri River and Salt Lake City. The Hand-cart companies brought to the State artisans, traders, agriculturists, blacksmiths, and men learned in the professions.

________________________

Nor gold nor glory their exalted quest,

who won for East the wide unconquered West.

They toiled o'er frozen crest, o'er parching plain

Eternal wealth in higher worlds to gain.

Forever in remembrance let them be, who gave

their all for truth and liberty.

                               Orson F. Whitney

Thanks for stopping by!

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Air View of Juarez, Old Mexico

This is a 1950 genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection.

In July of 1955, my grandparents traveled to Mexico. They traveled alone, leaving their children at home. On their way to Mexico, they stopped in Texas to visit family. This is a postcard they sent home. I've blurred the name of the recipient of this postcard for privacy reasons.

The postcard is written in Portuguese. I had to ask my mom to translate it for me, since I don't read or speak Portuguese. In essence, the translation is as follows:

Dear (name blurred) ,

We arrived at 6:00 p.m. in El Paso.  We spent the night at the home of cousin Pearl.  This morning cousin Jackie and the boys took us for a ride sight-seeing.  They are so wonderful.  They are very blonde (tow-heads), very beautiful and very well educated.  They look a lot like our family, almost exactly. 

Hugs to the children and to you from Debs and Willis.

The person that this postcard was sent to was my grandmother's sister. Perhaps she was watching the children while my grandparents traveled to Mexico.

There are a couple more postcards from Mexico in my grandparents' collection. I'll be sharing those in future posts.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Hill Cumorah, Bureau of Information and Angel Moroni Monument, near Palmyra, New York

Here's another vintage postcard that my grandparents purchased while they traveled across the United States in the summer of 1952. My regular readers may remember that they had emigrated from Brazil in July of 1952, and after they arrived in New York, they bought a car and some camping equipment and traveled across the United States on their way to their final destination in California.

They visited many LDS historic sites along the way. One of these sites is depicted in this postcard.

This postcard is a 1947 Genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard. It shows the Hill Cumorah, Bureau of Information and Angel Moroni Monument, near Palmyra, New York.

Transcription from the postcard description:

ANGEL MORONI MONUMENT AND BUREAU OF INFORMATION NEAR PALMYRA NEW YORK

In 1827 Joseph Smith received from the Angel Moroni, a resurrected being, the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon, including a record of Christ's Ministry in America, was translated. The plates had been buried in the Hill Cumorah for more than 1400 years. Since its first publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been translated into 25 and published in 20 languages. The Bureau of Information supplies information and literature to visitors without charge.

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ has been translated into many more languages since this postcard was published in 1947. It has now been translated into 82 languages, and more than 150 million copies of the Book of Mormon have been printed.

When my grandparents and their family visited The Hill Cumorah, they took a photograph of this historic site.



This photo was taken at a different angle than what is shown on the postcard, but you can see the word "Cumorah" on the hill, and if you look closely, you can see the Angel Moroni Monument on top of the hill.

Thanks for reading!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

The Sea Gull Monument, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

This is a 1950 Genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparent's collection. It shows the Sea Gull Monument which stands on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Transcription of Postcard Description:

THE SEA GULL MONUMENT

TEMPLE SQUARE

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

was erected in commemoration of the miraculous delivery of the "Mormon" pioneers from starvation. In the early summer of 1848, their first wheat crop was threatened with destruction by hordes of crickets. After all normal measures had failed, the Saints offered up prayers for their deliverance. Almost immediately, swarms of sea gulls flew in from the Great Lake to the west to devour the pests and save the crops.

My grandparents and their family visited Temple Square in the summer of 1952 as part of their immigration trip from Brazil to the United States.

They took this photo during their visit. You can see the Sea Gull Monument in front of the Assembly Hall.



Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Angel Moroni Monument, Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra, New York

This is another beautiful vintage postcard that was found in my maternal grandpa's scrapbook from 1952. That scrapbook was filled with photos and postcards from his family's immigration trip to the United States.

This postcard is a 1947 Genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone postcard. It shows the Angel Moroni Monument  which is near Palmyra, New York.

Transcription of postcard description:

ANGEL MORONI MONUMENT NEAR PALMYRA, NEW YORK

The Angel Moroni Monument, a forty foot granite and bronze structure which stands atop the Hill Cumorah, a large drumlin formation, near Palmyra, New York, was erected in 1935 at a cost of $30,000.

Near the monument in 1827 Joseph Smith, twenty-one years of age, received from the Angel, Moroni, a resurrected being, a record of the inhabitants of North and South America, ancestors of the people now known as the American Indians, and a record of Christ's Ministry in America.

My grandpa, Debs Webster, and his family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil in the early 1950's. They visited several LDS historic sites after they arrived in the United States in the summer of 1952. This monument was one of the places they visited. While they were there, they took photos of the family in front of this historic monument.





To learn more about the Hill Cumorah, where the Angel Moroni Monument stands, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Early Home of Joseph Smith, Near Palmyra, New York

This is a 1937 "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard made by Curt Teich & Co., Inc. of Chicago, Illinois. It shows the Early Home of Joseph Smith, Near Palmyra, New York.

My maternal grandparents and their family emigrated from Brazil to the United States in July of 1952. They traveled on the ocean liner, S. S. Brazil. After they arrived in New York, they bought a car and some camping equipment and traveled across the country to their final destination in Southern California. They had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil, so they included some LDS historical sites as they traveled to California. One of the places they stopped was the early home of Joseph Smith near Palmyra, New York.

Not only did the Webster family purchase this special postcard, they also took a picture of themselves in front of this historic home. I don't see my grandpa in this photo. He must have been the one taking the picture.



Here's a zoomed in view of the photo above.



Description from back of postcard:

Joseph Smith's Home, near Palmyra, New York. In addition to being near the Sacred Grove, the house includes such points of interest as the Prophet's Bedroom, a relic room and the room in which part of the Book of Mormon plates were translated. Here Joseph spent his youth.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Great Salt Lake Cut-Off at Sunset, Great Salt Lake, Utah

This is a 1936 genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my maternal grandparents' collection. It was published by the Deseret Book Company of Salt Lake City, Utah.

I think it's a very pretty postcard. It shows the Salt Lake Cutoff at sunset.

I did a little research online about this Cutoff and found some interesting information from the following websites: Wikipedia - Lucin Cutoff, Tresslewood - Lucin Cutoff Railroad Trestle, and History Utah to Go - The Lucin Cutoff. I learned that the railroad track across the Great Salt Lake was built by the Southern Pacific Company in the early 1900s. It was built to avoid the railway through Promontory Summit. Doing so cut off 44 miles of travel. The Cutoff begins near Ogden, Utah and ends at Lucin, Utah. In the 1950s the wooden tressles were replaced with a parallel causeway.

Transcription from back of postcard:

Fifteen miles west of Ogden, Utah, you actually "go to sea by rail" over the famous cut-off across Great Salt Lake. Affording an unique view of this great inland sea.

This cut-off extends west 102.9 miles across the northern arms of Great Salt Lake to Lucin. it was opened March 8, 1904, having cost $4,500,000 and two years of effort.

Seventy-two miles of the way the rails are laid on land and for thirty miles on rock fills and heavy trestle work.

The Great Salt Lake is more salty than any other body of water except the Dead Sea of Palestine.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Salt Lake City and Wasatch Mountains from Airplane, Looking East

This is a 1939 Genuine Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my maternal grandparents' collection. It was published by the Deseret Book Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. It shows Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Mountains looking east from inside an airplane. Hal Rumel is named as the photographer on the postcard.

Transcription from back of postcard:

Salt Lake City, the Capital of Utah, was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and a company of "Mormon" pioneers. From a barren waste, this city has become one of the most beautiful in America.

Located in the heart of the intermountain region, it is referred to as the "Cross Roads of the West," the "Center of Scenic America."

If you look closely, you can see the Salt Lake Temple in the postcard. It's on the left side. Do you see it? For those unfamiliar with the Salt Lake Temple, here's a photo of this beautiful temple. It may help you to locate it in the postcard.


Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Main Street at Night, Salt Lake City, Utah

This is a 1940 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Deseret Book Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. This postcard shows Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's interesting to see how it looked back in 1940.

Transcription from back of postcard:

East Temple Street (Salt Lake City's Main Street) like all of Salt Lake's standard streets is 132 ft. wide. These wide, straight streets are the admiration of all who see them. They afford ample room for parking on both sides leaving plenty of room for traffic without fear of congestion.

Main Street at night is almost as light as day.

My grandparents, Debs and Willis Webster, collected quite a few postcards while they were in Utah, which I will be sharing in future posts. Their family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil. When they immigrated to the United States in 1952, they traveled by car across the country after arriving in New York. Their final destination was Southern California. The family stopped in Utah to see the sights there.

One of the places they visited while they were in Utah was Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is the headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a worldwide church consisting of approximately 15,000,000 members. As recent converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my grandparents' visit to Salt Lake City was very special to them.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

The Large Cage, Bird Park, Santa Catalina, California

This is a 1939 Curt Teich, "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Company of Los Angeles, California.

It shows the large cage at the Bird Park on Santa Catalina Island.

Santa Catalina Island, often referred to as Catalina Island, or simply Catalina, is about 22 miles off the coast of Southern California.  The Catalina Chamber of Commerce has an official website.  If you’d like to check it out, here’s the link.

According to an article in the The Catalina Islander, May 11, 2001, found online at Google News, the Bird Park was established in 1929 and covered eight acres of land.  It had over 500 cages and housed over 8,000 rare and exotic birds.

The Bird Park was a very popular attraction on Catalina Island for over thirty-five years.  During World War II, the Park was scaled back and never regained it’s prewar vitality.  It closed in 1966.

Transcription from back of postcard:

In this giant cage, 110 feet in diameter, 90 feet in height, are several hundred rare and beautiful birds, collected from all over the world – African Crowned Crane, golden and silver Pheasants, Peacocks, Australian Swans, Mandarin Duck, Cockatoos, Macaws, and many other interesting birds.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Arroyo Seco, Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena, California

This is a 1931 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Company of Los Angeles, California. It shows the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, California.

The bridge was built in 1913 and turned 100 years old in December of 2013. To learn more about this historic bridge, and to see some amazing historic photos, including an "electric car" crossing the bridge in 1930, click on the link below.

Colorado Street Bridge at 100: The Birth of a Pasadena Landmark

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

The Salt Lake Temple ~ Salt Lake City, Utah

This is a 1933 genuine Curt Teich, C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection.

Transcription from back of postcard:

The Salt Lake Temple was commenced in 1853 and completed in 1893 at a cost of approximately $4,000,000. It is 186½ feet long by 99 feet wide. The stone footing is 16 feet thick. The basement walls are 9 feet thick, and the upper walls 6 feet thick. The side walls are 107½ feet high. The east center tower is 210 feet high, surmounted by a hammered copper statue of Angel Moroni, 12½ feet high, gilded with pure gold leaf.

My grandparents and their family visited Utah on their way across the country in 1952. They had emigrated from Brazil and arrived in New York. After buying a car and some camping equipment, they set out on their journey across the country toward their final destination in Southern California.

My grandparents and their family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a couple of years before they immigrated to the United States. I'm sure that visiting Utah was a very special experience for them. There are several vintage postcards from Utah in their collection, as well as photos too.

During the week of Thanksgiving, my husband and I went to Utah to spend time with some of our children. While we were there, we took the opportunity to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. The Salt Lake Temple (pictured in this postcard) is located at Temple Square. It is a magnificent and beautiful temple. Construction of this temple took 40 years to complete.

I thought I'd share a few pictures I took of the Christmas lights on Temple Square.







Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last