Library, General U. S. Grant's Home, Galena, Illinois

This is a vintage postcard by the E. C. Kropp Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's part of my grandparents' vintage postcard collection.

The postcard shows the Library at the General U. S. Grant Home in Galena, Illinois. My maternal grandparents and their family stopped to visit this historic home as they traveled from New York to California in 1952 as part of their immigration to the United States from Brazil.

Transcription from back of postcard:

General Grant's home built in 1857 by Alexander Jackson, was presented to him by the citizens of Galena in 1865 and later presented to the city by his children in 1904 to be used as a Memorial. Here are found the original furniture, carpets, dishes and what-have-you used by Grant and his family while living in Galena.

If you'd like to learn more about the historic General U. S. Grant Home, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Home of General U. S. Grant ~ Galena, Illinois

This is a Curt Teich "C.T. American Art" vintage postcard. It is one of several postcards of the historic General U.S. Grant home in my grandparents' collection.

Transcription from back of postcard.

This home was built in 1857 by Alexander Jackson. Eight years later it was purchased by the City of Galena, furnished and presented to General U. S. Grant on his return from the Civil War. In 1904 the heirs of the Grant estate deeded it to the City as a memorial to their father. In 1932 it became a state memorial and is open to the public daily from 9 A. M. to 5 P. M. Admission Free.

My grandparents, Debs and Willis Webster and their family, visited this historic home as they traveled across the United States from New York to California in 1952. Below is a photo of the Webster family in front of the General U.S. Grant home.



Here's a zoomed in view of the sign in front of the home.



Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Ocotillo In Bloom On The Desert

This vintage postcard was manufactured by the Longshaw Card Company of Los Angeles, California. I'm not sure what year this postcard was created. After doing research online, I've seen it dated sometime in the 1930s or the mid-20th century.

Transcription from back of postcard:

Ocotillo (candlewood), one of the oddest desert shrubs, is not a cactus despite its thorny "canes" which form the tall stems of this scarlet-tipped plant. The bark contains resin, gum and wax, and burns fiercely giving off intensely black smoke. The Cahuilla Indians eat both flowers and seeds.

Here is a photo of the Ocotillo plant.

Ocotillo Plant in Phoenix, Arizona
Wikipedia - No Copyright

This photo (below) shows a close-up of one of the Ocotillo flowers. See the bee hovering above it?

Ocotillo Flower
Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Jeff Dean

To learn more about this plant, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

The Bird Park, Santa Catalina, California

Did you know there used to be a bird park on Catalina Island? It was established in 1929 and closed in 1966. To read more about the bird park, click HERE.

This 1939 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard shows the Santa Catalina Bird Park.

Transcription from back of postcard:

The Santa Catalina Bird Park comprises about eight acres in a beautiful canyon where thousands of rare species of birds, collected from all over the world, are exhibited free to the public. Here dwell together in a colorful community rare and beautiful birds from every land and clime.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

With the 2013 college football season about to begin, I thought this was the perfect time to share this fun vintage postcard with you.

This is a 1951 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard showing The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Transcription from back of postcard:

ROSE BOWL, PASADENA

     The scene of the annual East-West football championship, which is played on New Year's Day. Each year the Tournament of Roses Association invites the western university whose team has made the most outstanding record during the season. The university in turn invites its opponent of similar standing from the East. This game has become a national classic. Over 100,000 football enthusiasts crowd this immense stadium.

     Of interest to the visitors are the 5,000 beautiful rose bushes, some 157 varieties, that encircle the stadium.

Thanks for stopping by!

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Beach Clubs and Homes, Santa Monica, California

This 1941 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard shows beach clubs and homes in Santa Monica, California.

Transcription from back of postcard:

The beautiful shaded park that crowns the famous Palisades at Santa Monica, overlooks one of the finest bathing beaches in the West. Many of the movie stars have homes along the shores of the Pacific, and also there are numerous fashionable beach clubs.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Catalina Island

This is a 1935 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection.

It shows Catalina Island, also referred to as Santa Catalina Island, or simply Catalina, which 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, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last