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Near Ophir: 1940
... 1940. "Trestle of narrow gauge railroad near Ophir, Colorado." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2018 - 10:52am -

September 1940. "Trestle of narrow gauge railroad near Ophir, Colorado." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. BarrelsI see small platforms with steel barrels, placed at intervals along the far side. What purpose do the barrels serve? [Fire extinguishers. - Dave] It's a long way downHow 'bout that for a clever title for my comment? Dual purposeIs that standard gauge also on the trestle? ********** Thanks to both Steamcrane and Wormy for the guard rail information. I knew of standard gauge guard rails, but not the narrow gauge type. As always, Shorpy is informative as well as artistic and entertaining. Outside guard railsThe smaller section rails outside the running rails are intended to keep derailed cars from going completely off the trestle deck. Additionally, there are guard timbers at the ends of the ties as a last resort. On a standard gauge railroad, the guard rails would be between the running rails, with the guard rails brought together at a point at the end. Not so good with tippy narrow gauge cars. With modern welded rails, and very few bolted joints, the chance of a spontaneous derailment is greatly reduced, and the guard rails are now frequently omitted, especially if passenger trains do not use the line. Also note the extended timbers on the near side, presumably to allow laying down planks to make maintenance work easier. Safety RailsThe outer rails are there to keep the trucks traveling relatively straight over a trestle, viaduct, or bridge during a derailment. A rough ride but better than the alternative. AcrophobiaI seem to have Ophir of heights. (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Chapel in the Sky: 1943
... Cerro, not Cerros. It's in Taos county just south of the Colorado border. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, John Collier, Landscapes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:31pm -

Spring 1943. Church at Cerros [Cerro], near Costilla, New Mexico. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Collier. bothThe stucture probably served both purposes....church and school. Schoolhouse?Looks more like a church to me, with a steeple topped by a cross at the far end. [You're absolutely correct. Thanks! I should have blown this one up. Anyone familiar with where this is? - Dave] Cerro, NMThe actual town name is Cerro, not Cerros. It's in Taos county just south of the Colorado border. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, John Collier, Landscapes)
Montrose Newsies: 1940
... train to newsboys at the railroad station. Montrose, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2018 - 12:55pm -

September 1940. "Distributing newspapers off the morning train to newsboys at the railroad station. Montrose, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. EssentialA bicycle for a paperboy. I made more money per paper on non-subscription sales, hawking them in public, but the bulk of my papers were delivered to houses on my route, and I couldn’t have done it without a bike. Breaking news: Still there! In the bagThe newsie about to depart doesn't use a strapped shoulder bag to hold his papers. Must have a flat route or be really gifted riding with one hand. Also, I seem to remember seeing grocery delivery trucks using those insulated canvas bags (against the wall) to transport frozen food, especially ice cream. They must have done okay at melt prevention. Small TownWith Montrose's population at fewer than 5,000 in 1940, we may be looking at that town's entire cadre of newsies here. The bikesremind me of the ex-service Parachute bikes, Model BSA 'Airborne folding para troops bicycle,' that were left by the Canadian troops in southern Netherlands (Zeeland) after the liberattion of our country in 1945. People could buy them. Heavy-Framed Bicycles with Balloon TiresNote that these bicycles have a heavy-duty frame with the top horizontal member doubled ! Not two thin tubes side-by-side, but rather two full-size tubes, one above the other. They weigh perhaps twice what a modern bicycle weighs! I learned to ride in the 1960’s on a hand-me-down Elgin Four-Star from the 1930’s which was very much like the bicycles depicted here. While I cannot positively identify these newsboy’s bikes as Elgin’s, the resemblance is very strong, including the two curved bars extending front the top of the steering tube to the axle ends. (These were purely decorative, as far as I know.) The scene seems like a bit of Americana that happened every morning in many towns for many decades: The morning train from the nearest large city unloaded bundles of papers etc. from the baggage/express car onto a high-bed, high-wheeled Railway Express Agency pull cart. The REA Agent then brought the cart to the street side of the depot and the bicycles and small local delivery trucks converged on it. The performance might be repeated again if there were evening papers. (Remember them?) (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Deadville: 1939
October 1939. "Georgetown, Colorado. Ghost mining town." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2020 - 1:59pm -

October 1939. "Georgetown, Colorado. Ghost mining town." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hotel de Paris on the leftThis is Sixth Street looking west. Things are still pretty much what you see here. The building on the left is the Hotel de Paris. The lion above the gate is still there. On the other side of the street is the town hall, which still has the bell tower. In the middle distance on the right, the three-story building has lost one of its floors but the expansive cornice and roof are still there. I've been to Georgetown many times. It's a fun old mining town that has been pretty well preserved. And of course there's the Georgetown Loop RR, which is fun to ride. Guanella PassI took a "shortcut" from Grant across Guanella Pass to Georgetown and the big excitement that day was an 18-wheeler that had to reverse all the way down the pass into Georgetown after someone at the local bar told the driver that it was a shortcut to Missouri and pointed him in that direction. We followed him all the way down, he in reverse and us right in front of him. As describeddeemery provided such an articulate description I decided to embed the map: LivevilleNot so dead about 3 yrs ago. It's become quite the tourist attraction especially in the fall when the leaf peepers are heading up to Guanella Pass for the colors. +73Below is the same view from October of 2012. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Frontier Life, Mining, Small Towns)
Raised on Radio: 1942
... Lone ranger, The Shadow, Buster Brown and others. Denver, Colorado didn't get TV until 1952. As a high school senior, I installed TV ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2018 - 11:08am -

Spring 1942. Provincetown, Massachusetts. "Family of a Portuguese dory fisher­man." Photo by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Bigger ScreenMy brother and I listened to our favorite programs every night after supper. And the screen was limited only by the size of our own imaginations. In many ways I really liked radio better than TV! I'm sure that folks today, especially kids, would never understand that sentiment! You were right, Maria -- We should have got a bigger screen. At Last! An Answer to a Persistent Question!I have often asked my father something like this: "What did you look at while you were listening to the radio in the olden days?" He usually says, "We looked at the radio." Quod erat demonstrandum! OG CartoonsShhh -- I think I hear Plankton trying to steal the Krusty Krab secret formula again! Will SpongeBob stop him in time?? The pictures are better!!Reminds me of the two children being questioned by a news reporter at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The kids had just viewed a television for the first time. The reporter asked the kids “Well you have now seen television, which do you like better, television or radio?” One of the kids says “Radio!” The perplexed reporter asked “Why’s that?” The kid says “The pictures are better!” I wonder what the same kids would think about 4K TV today? The radio in this photo appears to be a 1935 RCA Model 117. I was listening to...Hop Harrigan, Lone ranger, The Shadow, Buster Brown and others. Denver, Colorado didn't get TV until 1952. As a high school senior, I installed TV antennas that summer For Joslin's Dry Goods store. (The Gallery, John Collier, Kids)
Powder Play: 1939
... Powder Bowl game on a mountain gridiron in Gunnison, Colorado." New York World-Telegram and Sun Newspaper Photo Collection. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2015 - 4:12pm -

Oct. 14, 1939. "Hit that line, coed! Captain Alice Shanks, carrying football, running behind good interference as the young women from Western State College staged their annual Powder Bowl game on a mountain gridiron in Gunnison, Colorado." New York World-Telegram and Sun Newspaper Photo Collection. View full size. I Spy...... a chop block and a pancake. Down South it was called Bloomer Bowl.The best part for us girls was the male football players were dressed as female cheerleaders!, all was hilarious, good clean fun and gender bending in good taste. Football PumpsApparently the girl on the ground on the right was a spectator who wandered onto the field. She certainly didn't come prepared to play. Foul!That is a chop block! Going low on a blocker that is already engaged. (The Gallery, Sports)
Gawkers: 1913
... and 1204 I street. The building on G street adjoining the Colorado building, the old Masonic Temple, and the structure at 923 H street ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:40pm -

Washington, D.C. "Storm of July 30, 1913." After almost 100 years, these people finally get to be on the Internet. National Photo glass negative. View full size. We've been here beforeOr at least nearby. This is the same storm that destroyed the B.F. Saul building at 7th and L: https://www.shorpy.com/node/7165 PsstThese moments always fascinate me. After this picture was taken everyone probably went about their day. This was probably a highlight of their day no doubt. And to think about the history that these people would live. The stuff we read about today -- you want to jump into the picture and tell them about the world that will unfold for them and their families. Maybe give them some stock tips. Well, warn them about 1929 anyway. So glad to knowthat there's at least one "sanitary fountain" in town! Is this your roof?Note: the Southern Railway office was at 905 F St. NW. I think roof of the old Masonic Temple is pictured here. Washington Post, Jul 31, 1913 Havoc Wrought by Storm in Various Sections of the City Damage Done in the Business Section The business section suffered with other portions of the city. Here the greatest toll was taken in the form of broken windows. Roofs blown wholly or in part from business structures also made a big item of the total damage. ... A small part of the roof of the National Theater was blown from its place without serious damage. Garfinkle's building at Thirteenth and F streets, and the building in which is situated the Globe Wernicks Company also lost portions of their roofs. Roofs were also blown from buildings at 1218 F street, 516 Thirteenth street, and 1204 I street. The building on G street adjoining the Colorado building, the old Masonic Temple, and the structure at 923 H street were also roofless as the result of the storm. A tin roof, whose origin is unknown, was found on the Market lot between Tenth and Eleventh streets. ... View Architecture - Historic Photos, Washington D.C. in a larger map (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Silverton Jail: 1940
September 1940. "Jail. Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2020 - 2:19pm -

September 1940. "Jail. Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. BarsI’ll have a room on the first floor, please. Hard to Dig a Tunnel to EscapeI'm making an assumption here...The first floor with windows without bars is probably administrative while the upper floors containing the bars on the windows would have the cell blocks. Digging a tunnel out of there from the upper floors would be difficult to accomplish. Still standing The Rock(ies)According to their local history website, there was an escape from the prior jail building used right before this one made its debut in 1902. Maybe it's because of the simple yet ingenious upper floors cellblock, but the site claims there were no more escapes from Silverton during the tenure of this jail building. Up Close and PersonalIf I had to guess, I would say that the first floor was probably the residence of the sheriff. That arrangement was pretty common in the mid-20th century. (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Delta County: 1940
1940. Delta County, Colorado. "Hay stack and automobiles of peach pickers." View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/27/2009 - 7:30am -

1940. Delta County, Colorado. "Hay stack and automobiles of peach pickers." View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the FSA. Will RogersWill Rogers once said something like "This is the only country in the world that ever went to the poorhouse in an automobile". The motor car probably had more to do with the westward migration of Americans during the depression era and post WWII than the wagon trains and railroads. CarsAnd they've done nothing but befoul our atmosphere and ruin city planning ever since! They are pretty, though. [They do one other thing: Get you where you want to go. - Dave] CarsNot to mention enabling the greatest wealth and standard of living the world has ever seen. Wonder how many horses would be required to replace those cars??? And the resources required by city planners to support them. Guess we could all go back to walking or bicycling across the country. But then you'd need to give up on fresh fruit and veggies. The world would certainly get much bigger again for the masses. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
Laundry Legs: 1940
September 1940. "Old house in Silverton, Colorado. This was the type of house built by mine and mill operators in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/06/2018 - 3:54pm -

September 1940. "Old house in Silverton, Colorado. This was the type of house built by mine and mill operators in the early mining days and indicates that the owners felt that the mining operations would be of a permanent nature." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Ice-free eaves, anyone?I like this early answer to the ice-dam problem: start with about 3 feet of a smooth material (probably sheet metal), then shingle the rest of the way to the peak. Snow may pile up on the roof, but ice and snow will slide off that slippery colder area over the eaves. Pretty slick. (pun intended) Schmatte Hari In case you missed it, here are the Laundry Legs, with well-turned ankles and fashionable shoes to match. But horrors, what kind of shenanigans might be going on here? Has a nude clothes hangerupperist invaded our family-friendly web refuge? Has Shorpy been hacked by a Russian spy? Will she show up in the Pretty Girls Gallery?       All hail the QueenLovely example of the Queen Anne style. Love the dotted-Swiss curtains in the parlor. Bet that upstairs bedroom is hot in the summer as evidenced by the expanding screen in the window. Looks like one or more fireplaces have been closed up in the present-day picture as evidenced by the missing chimneys. Note that the front porch has also been enclosed into the body of the house. Even older nowAmazingly, still there. Heavily modified but same old bones and main features still recognizable. The 1940 photo would make a wonderful reference if the owner ever wanted to bring it back. Spatially-challenged dept.I’m wondering if anyone else had a problem with that horizontal board running the width of the house, separating upper from lower floor. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how, at the front of the house, it was in the same plane on the left as on the right, where the porch appears to jut out. So I consulted a carpenter friend, who patiently and charitably pointed out to me that the outer edge of the porch is in fact on the very same plane as the two windows on the left, due to the fact that the doorway is inset. Just to the left of the single window in the center, the façade dives in on a diagonal, creating the setback of the porch. Sometimes I really don’t know what I’m looking at, and it helps to have friends who are not similarly afflicted. [That's a bay window with four lights. - Dave] (The Gallery, Dogs, Mining, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
High Lonesome: 1940
... 1940. "Rooming house and lodge hall at Silverton, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2020 - 4:24pm -

September 1940. "Rooming house and lodge hall at Silverton, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. "The Lodge"The Lodge is an Edwardian style boutique hotel offering luxurious furnishings and opulent amenities to those lucky enough to book a stay. Once a secret Masonic Lodge Hall, the Lodge is now a plush collection of stately Suites and Grande Suites. Come stay with us and allow yourself to be pampered in the lap of luxury. https://www.historicsilvertonlodge.com/ Dave --- best comeback yet ! No secrets hereTake it from a Master Mason. Mason's Masons are not a secret society. We are part of the community and benefactors to the same. There are many such misrepresentations and generally we do not dispute them as it does no good and only causes arguments. 2B1ASK1. Secret?All those Masonic signs on the corner of the building are not doing a very good job of keeping knowledge of the lodge there to themselves.. I Can't Tell from HereIs that Opie Taylor or Dennis "the Menace" Mitchell out in front? [Ask Mr. Wilson! - Dave] (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Hip, Hip Ouray: 1939
October 1939. "Ouray, Colorado, center of a gold mining region and developing tourist center." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/11/2018 - 5:27pm -

October 1939. "Ouray, Colorado, center of a gold mining region and developing tourist center." Nowadays a sort of alt-Aspen without the skiing. Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Room for Rent?I would ALMOST be willing to bet that I rented a room in the house at lower left for a night while hitchhiking through. That was the 70s! Nothing available to rent in town, but I got the skinny on private people who rented. Nice lady allowed me to stay for a ridiculously low price. IceboxOne of my favorite towns on the continent! The little box canyon occupied by the town of Ouray is aligned north and south, thereby affording very few hours of direct sunlight - especially in winter. That fact, combined with the little burg's 7,800 ft altitude, makes Ouray a really frosty place! Ice climbing competitions are held annually (January 18-21, 2018 http://ourayicepark.com/ouray-ice-festival/). After an icy afternoon watching climbers scale frozen, piped-in waterfalls, celebrants can warm up in one of the county's several hot springs. The city just refurbished the municipal pool/hot spring and several hotels have private soakers. One establishment has a thermal spring in a grotto/cave blasted out of the rock foundation. The sulphur-scented trickle heats the "Vapor Cave" up to about 108 degrees. That'll thaw your frosty bits. Goober Pea Just been curious!Dave, I've been wondering, do you get ANY sleep of substance? Why, I ask! Because I see you staying up nights thinking of all the quirky, clever, "right-on" titles you're always using! Kudos! Wish I could think of a clever, quippy something to say here, but I am at a loss! [Kudos and coffee are what keep us going! - Dave] For Great SkiingOnly about 10 miles as the crow flies here to Telluride. But from my time living on the Western Slope? Trust me, in the winter it can be a two hour drive. Incidentally, in the photo the slight jog of the road down on the bottom to the left starts the heavily switchbacked trek up the Million Dollar Highway, one of the true engineering marvels of the West, and still in the right conditions one wild, white knuckle ride and without many guardrails. LocationUsing Google Maps and the shape of the mountains as a guide, my best guess is that this was taken from the Million Dollar highway or the hills to the south, looking north up Main Street. This is the best view I could get: https://tinyurl.com/yaumgcb2 (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Landscapes, Small Towns)
The Excitement Begins: 1938
... The heads of these don't seem so fancy as the ones in Colorado. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Small Towns, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:44pm -

August 1938. Girls at the fair in central Ohio. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. More carnival canesThe heads of these don't seem so fancy as the ones in Colorado. (The Gallery, Ben Shahn, Small Towns, Sports)
Vegetable Kingdom: 1939
... W. Kirk Jr. with his two sons on their farm near Ordway, Colorado. They hold fruits of their farm, coming from their labor, which has ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2018 - 10:55pm -

September 1939. "Ernest W. Kirk Jr. with his two sons on their farm near Ordway, Colorado. They hold fruits of their farm, coming from their labor, which has placed them in a few months from almost hopeless condition to a family with net worth approaching a thousand dollars." Medium format negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The value of working hard$1,000 in 1939 works out to a tad over $18,000 according to the BLM inflation calculator. Really oddMultiple pictures show he has a wife and a young daughter in addition to his two sons. And I believe I found an obit from his oldest son but they are nowhere to be found in the 1940 Census. PerspectiveMy parents bought their first house for $500 during the 1930s. Dad made the huge sum of $40 a month. $1000 may not be a lot of money today, but it was a sizable sum back then. High cost of goodiesBack in those days candy bars were a nickel, as was a bottle of pop, six pack was a quarter. When I was sent to the store I sometimes got a penny or two for candy, if I was lucky. We had quite a choice, from licorice cigarettes, licorice chewing tobacco, white candy cigarettes -- lotsa goodies, all for a penny. The importance of beingIn the 1940 Census our man is listed as Earnest W. Kirk Jr., born in Oklahoma in 1900. In 1925 he married to Ester Adams, born in Oklahoma in 1905. The two boys are Earnest (b. 1928) and Carl D. (1932); they had a sister, Delorise, born in 1937. ["Delorise" -- really? - Dave] (The Gallery, Agriculture, Dorothea Lange, Kids)
Board & Room: 1937
... on the wall framing, reminds me that most buildings in the Colorado Rockies needed a way out when the snow was real deep. I wonder if this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2018 - 9:54am -

September 1937. "Boardinghouse in Littlefork, Minnesota." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Watch that first stepThe upper door, an old balcony/upper porch judging from the scars on the wall framing, reminds me that most buildings in the Colorado Rockies needed a way out when the snow was real deep. I wonder if this upper door was used the same way in winter. Miss VickyThat 1932 Ford Victoria would be worth a small fortune, today RadioThe lower right window pulls in an antenna wire and a ground wire outside the window framing. I can't tell if the wire continues from the first roof post to the second. 3rd and FrontBoarding house was likely at 3rd and Front St, assuming this building is the larger one in the background (but viewed from another direction). Got That Right Horace!1932 Ford V8 Victoria Average asking price $57,431; lowest price in last three years $26,500! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Our House: 1934
... Similar to the very popular sculpture in Loveland, Colorado: Stacked like hotcakes I'm the youngest of 9 and can remember ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/29/2015 - 10:08am -

October 1934. "Children in front of their new home. Reedsville, West Virginia." Photo by Elmer Johnson for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Our second look at ArthurdaleOne of the first type of houses built in Arthurdale, WV, the first New Deal homestead project. Nearly all of the original houses are still standing, and most remain in excellent condition. Like the SongLooks like what C,S,N,&Y might have had in mind. Inspiration?Similar to the very popular sculpture in Loveland, Colorado: Stacked like hotcakesI'm the youngest of 9 and can remember when all but my oldest sister was at home; but I find it hard to imagine a house that small having enough bedroom space for 9 kids, unless they lined up bunk beds like army cots in every room. (The Gallery, Kids)
The Barber of Silverton: 1940
... September 1940. "Detail of front of building. Silverton, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2020 - 2:08pm -

September 1940. "Detail of front of building. Silverton, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hare raisingI didn't understand your headline at first, but I eventually figaroed it out. And Just UpstairsAre the Shorpy showrooms. Laundry by rail?The sign for the Montrose Laundry and Dry Cleaning Co is interesting -- in 1940, would laundry have traveled some 60 miles north, from Silverton to Montrose, by rail? Or driven via truck on the Million Dollar Highway? This could be it (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Mining, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
American Picker: 1936
... spent one day picking cherries at an orchard in Loveland, Colorado. I ended that day scratched, sticky and 35 cents richer. The only good ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2013 - 7:29am -

July 1936. "Picking cherries. Yakima, Washington." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Yuh-KEE-muhYakima is just down the road a piece from where I've lived all my life. When I was a kid my brothers and I would go into hysterics when TV ads for cheap junk told us to send our $1.95 ("cash only, no checks!") to Box 10, Yuh-kee-muh, Washington. It's actually pronounced Yak-ih-maw. Likewise, we could sometimes buy our cheap Like Seen on TV junk from an address in Spoh-cane Washington, instead of the real Spokane, pronounced Spoh-can. Washington State has some unusual place names, many of which get routinely mangled when spoken by non-natives. Puyallup and Sequim are probably the most mangled. Why is this woman smiling?When I was a kid I spent one day picking cherries at an orchard in Loveland, Colorado. I ended that day scratched, sticky and 35 cents richer. The only good thing was the mid-day meal, which included unpasteurized milk and homemade bread. This suburban boy might as well have been on another planet. Today it's a cherished memory. Khaki LinenShe is beautiful and very elegant in her khaki linen. Still PickingThere are still some orchards in Yakima, though most are now in outlying areas. Most of the workers and increasingly orchard owners are of Mexican heritage. The wires in the background are probably there for hops to climb, not power lines. Classic three leg ladderShe's at the top of a 3 legged cherry picker ladder, favored for its stability on rough ground and the ability to wedge its way into brambles of branches. Have seen those up to at least 20 feet high. The basic principles of ladder safety are not being well observed here, but there's a lot of cherries to be picked and not much time to do it. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein)
Dad's Best Friend: 1939
... borrowers, on the porch of their farmstead in Mesa County, Colorado." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/18/2018 - 9:21pm -

October 1939. "Carl Higgins family, tenant purchase borrowers, on the porch of their farmstead in Mesa County, Colorado." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Quiet family momentI'm guessing Dad just got home from a hard day’s work. Time to relax and spend quality time with his family & dog. It seems Dad is glad to see his little guy. Nice to see the photographer caught this moment. Little GuyIt looks like his little guy has a matching outfit. Very cute! Rothstein's PortraitsThere is a reason that Gisele Bündchen is paid so much to be a model. Rothstein got so much beauty out of very regular looking folks. He was a genius. Times are betterThe house is painted and everybody has shoes. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dogs, Kids, Rural America)
Imperial Hotel: 1940
... September 1940. "Old Imperial hotel built in Silverton, Colorado, during its heyday." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2020 - 2:09pm -

September 1940. "Old Imperial hotel built in Silverton, Colorado, during its heyday." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Still GrandMy wife and I stayed there a couple of years ago, and it was a pleasant visit. The rest of Silverton keeps it grand. Still in businesshttps://www.grandimperialhotel.com Awesome photoI would have loved to see Silverton back then before the tourist wave hit. Beautiful little mountain town. I'll bet that building could tell some stories. I'm told this is where the phrase "There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight" came from. Still a beautiful area. One of the most beautiful places on EarthI stayed here for four days about 12 years ago and found it to be incredibly beautiful and still largely unspoiled. It was Labor Day weekend and very uncrowded. The train pulled into the middle of town and there was a brass band under the streetlight. The statue of Christ of the Mountains made of Italian marble is impressive. When we were there the town had a dispute with the cable company so they cut off all the cable so we had no internet, no TV and one religious radio station. We went and rented old movies off the shelf at the grocery store and played cards at night. Went to a blind auction at the town hall. A wonderful weekend. I want to go back (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Mining, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Urban Infrastructure: 1941
... fac(ad)es here. Dominating the background is the Colorado Building, which we previously saw from the inside . Further ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/23/2017 - 10:29am -

July 1941. "Work on streetcar tracks, Fourteenth and G Streets N.W., Washington, D.C." Medium format negative by Martha McMillan Roberts. View full size. Capital Transit 1120Capital Transit Company 1120 was an Electric Railway President's Conference Committee or “PCC car” built in 1937 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was one of Capital Transit's initial order for 45 PCC cars. By 1946, Capital Transit would operate a fleet of 489 PCC cars. That cars were being built for Capital Transit during World War II shows just how important Washington's street car system was to the war effort. Washington PCC cars were one window shorter than standard PCC car because of transfer table clearances. They were also the only PCC cars ever equipped for underground conduit operations, as can be noted by the trolley pole in the “retrieved” position. Washington's streetcar system used underground conduits in the heart of the city but switched to overhead lines as the routes left the downtown area. It took a few minutes to make the transition. An inbound car would pull over a “plow pit” in the middle of the street where one worker would lower the trolley pole and another, working in the pit under the car, would attach the “plow,” the device which hung from a truck of the car, through the slot in the street between the rails, and made contact with the conductor rails under the street. For outbound cars the procedure was reversed. After WWII, Capital Transit developed an automatic device for raising and lower the pole without the need of the “trolleyman.” This photograph clearly shows just how complicated the conduit system was. There would have been dead spots in a crossing such as this and a street car would have to coast through it. If a motorman had to stop a car in the intersection to avoid hitting an automobile, it would not have any power and would need to wait for a following car to push it through the intersection. This would cause delays for the streetcar and its passengers and congestion for automobile traffic. 74 Washington PCC cars went to Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in 1959-1962 and 101 cars went to Barcelona, Spain in 1962-1963 but 1120 was not one of them. Under the AsphaltI wonder how much steel was left in these streets as most of the tracks were not removed, but merely asphalted over. Don't Get Hurt!I see no hi-viz vests, no hard hats, and doubtless no steel toed boots on the workmen. Thank goodness the wooden crossbucks surrounding the work zone contain the admonitions "Safety First" and, more importantly, "Don't Get Hurt!" Plow pitOverhead wires were not allowed in most of Washington. It made for cleaner views but the resulting plow pits certainly complicated track work. Lots of old friendsMany familiar fac(ad)es here. Dominating the background is the Colorado Building, which we previously saw from the inside. Further east is Epiphany Church, now with a taller bell tower. At far right is a glimpse of Jordan Piano Co. (13th & G NW, northeast corner), seen to better advantage in an earlier Shorpy post. Sleep carsThe street car was half a block from my house. They would put me to sleep. My grandma would set me on the hot box near the center of the streetcar. Winters were great, but summers made for a very hot rear. (The Gallery, D.C., Martha Roberts, Streetcars)
Delta County Fair: 1940
... October 1940. Fun at the Delta County Fair in western Colorado. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, Farm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:44pm -

October 1940. Fun at the Delta County Fair in western Colorado. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. SvelteLooking at this picture, I think people weren't as fat as they are now. Lean times, Lean peopleNot as much high-energy food and a sight more physical activity in the course of every day life... the same observations apply to Australians then and now. StylishToward the right, note the very stylishly clad mother and children trio: Mom in slacks with matching top, daughter at left in puttees and little boy in what looks like a sailor suit. (The Gallery, Kids, Rural America, Russell Lee, Sports)
Sterling Sliver: 1939
October 1939. "Georgetown, Colorado. Silver mining town ghost town." From its heyday in the 1890s, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2020 - 7:18pm -

October 1939. "Georgetown, Colorado. Silver mining town ghost town." From its heyday in the 1890s, Georgetown had dwindled from over 10,000 inhabitants to just a few hundred by the time this picture was made. Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Alive and wellAs it looks today -- a remarkable revival (and even part of the railroad got rebuilt). Pop. 2?From this photo, looks like just two residents, or maybe the one is waiting for the hotel to open. Nowadays, they are mining tourist pockets! +73Below is the same view from October of 2012. The town is dead ...long live the pigeons! (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Frontier Life, Mining, Small Towns)
Academy of Music: 1907
... into slavery. Pumpkin dance From a review of a Colorado performance in January 1907: “’Under Southern Skies’ has proved ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/17/2021 - 4:59pm -

Saginaw, Michigan, circa 1907. "Academy of Music, Washington Avenue." Coming Sept. 23: the "great success" Under Southern Skies. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. 'Success' is relativeAccording to the Internet Broadway Database Under Southern Skies opened on Broadway at 42nd Street's Theater Republic (which itself has an interesting history) in November of 1901 and closed there on New Years Day '02 after 71 performances. Good ol' Wikipedia notes that it was one of writer/actor Lottie Blair Parker's three notable sucesses. It's a melodrama not to be confused with the Australian historical documentary of the same name from about the same time. An American silent film of 1915, now lost, was based on the play. Shorpy sends you down some fun rabbit holes sometimes! Michigan DreamingProbably took more than four days in 1907 to hitchhike from Saginaw to Pittsburgh. My home town.The building burned down April 17, 1917. A link to more information. https://www.castlemuseum.org/post/the-academy-of-music A detail from a panorama in 1916(the Academy on the far right)by the Goodrich Brothers whose parents were born into slavery. Pumpkin danceFrom a review of a Colorado performance in January 1907: “’Under Southern Skies’ has proved the greatest in point of popularity and large houses, of all the recent plays of southern life. It has had five seasons of high prosperity and indications point to still greater success for this, its sixth year upon the road.” (The Gallery, DPC, Music, Performing Arts)
Fair Beauty: 1940
October 1940. "Winner at the Delta County Fair" in Colorado. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:48pm -

October 1940. "Winner at the Delta County Fair" in Colorado. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Her DressThat is probably a homespun dress, and look how well they have matched the pattern.... fabulous! (The Gallery, Pretty Girls, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Family Farmers: 1939
... borrower, on their dryland farm in Weld County, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/11/2018 - 12:38pm -

October 1939. "Family of Fred Schmeeckle, Farm Security Administration borrower, on their dryland farm in Weld County, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. Schmeeckle familyFred Carl Schmeeckle was born in Eustis, NE, on Feb 28, 1887. He homesteaded in the Stoneham area of Weld County, CO, in 1910 and, on Jun 17, 1914, married Anna (or Anny) Louise Hanson, who was born in Norway on Sep 9, 1892. They had 5 children: Leonard H. Schmeeckle - Sep 1, 1915 - Aug 1, 1972 (age 61) Ruby Schmeeckle Patrick - Oct 3, 1919 - Sep 10, 2003 (age 83) Floyd Lester Schmeeckle - Dec 8, 1924 - Jan 28, 1997 (age 72) Glenn O'Neil Schmeeckle - Jun 13, 1927 - Apr 23, 1997 (age 69) Julius "Jay" Schmeeckle - Mar 23, 1931 - Sep 29, 2016 (age 85) Anna died on Dec 23, 1953, at age 61. Fred married again, to Christina Lee Carlson on Valentine's Day 1960, and retired from farming. He died in a nursing home in Sterling, CO, on Jul 29, 1975, at age 88. His second wife died 2 1/2 years later. Navy ManFloyd (far right) enlisted and served in the USS Lesuth in the Pacific Theatre. The Real McCoyDead ringer for Walter Brennan. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Bicycles, Cats, Kids)
Votes for Women: 1913
... East, Young Women The delegates from Utah, Wyoming and Colorado look like they're having fun in the big city. It must be early in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/03/2019 - 10:55am -

Feb. 10, 1913. "Washington hikers. Suffragists on bus in New York City, part of the 'hike' to Washington, D.C., which joined the March 3, 1913, National American Woman Suffrage Association parade." 5x7 glass negative. View full size. Center of GravityI hope the driver doesn't go around any turns too fast. The center of gravity is a bit high and the vehicle might tip over. Indifference, Disgust or Awe?The expressions on the women's faces that are on the trolley looking up at the suffragettes is interesting. It's hard to tell if they are indifferent, disgusted or in awe of them. Suffragists don't appear to be suffering too muchJudging by the smiles all around I suspect the ladies have a few flasks up there. Hear! Hear! Whenever I've read the archaic word suffrage I've wondered about the word source. So, I looked it up this time. Etymology. The word suffrage comes from Latin suffragium, meaning "vote", "political support", and the right to vote. Oh! no. Not more Latin as in horticulture. I've heard enough of that for one lifetime amidst the hortisauris community. EnthusiasmRemembering that it's not a coincidence that the 18th and 19th Amendments are so close together, I'm guessing it's enthusiasm, not flasks, on top of that precarious bus. One of the big reasons for both Prohibition and women's suffrage was the horrendous damage done by excessive use of readily available distilled spirits. Too cold for me!The women will no doubt abandon the upper deck for the confines of the lower once this motorized charabanc gets up to 15 mph in February breezes, trundling to Washington on the "roads" of the day. You wonder why not use the train. Do they expect crowds along the way? [Hikers don't trundle, they hike. These ladies walked the 230 miles from New York to Washington in 17 days, leaving from Hudson Terminal on February 12. They were hailed by thousands along the way. - Dave] Go East, Young WomenThe delegates from Utah, Wyoming and Colorado look like they're having fun in the big city. It must be early in the day because the 34th Street crosstown trolley looks relatively empty. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC, Politics, Streetcars)
Mizpah Arch: 1908
Denver, Colorado, circa 1908. "Welcome arch at Union Depot looking down 17th ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2014 - 1:02pm -

Denver, Colorado, circa 1908. "Welcome arch at Union Depot looking down 17th Street." The arch, with the Hebrew benediction "mizpah" soon replacing WELCOME on the other (departure) side, was torn down in 1931. View full size. HistoryWho erected the Arch and why? What's the 'back story'. Reverse viewHere's what it looks like from the other side. Guy on the roofI wonder why that man is sitting on the roof (behind the SUPPLY CO sign). (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Horses, Railroads, Streetcars)
Ouray Depot: 1940
... of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad at Ouray, Colorado. This narrow-gauge line formerly had passenger service but now is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/01/2018 - 7:06pm -

September 1940. "Station of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad at Ouray, Colorado. This narrow-gauge line formerly had passenger service but now is confined to freight service." Acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Dutch Bonnet DepotReminds me of the Dutch bonnet or cap seen in vintage costumes. Is there a name for this style of architecture? Roof nomenclatureI looked up "chamfered roof peaks" and found reference to a "jerkinhead roof". D&RGW RR Royal GorgeThe logo & the Royal Gorge itself. D&RGWThis was one of the greatest sources of inspiration for many model railroads. Probably the most famous was John Allen's "Gorre & Daphetid" in Monterey, California. Worth looking up for the incredible detail and landscape scale it depicted. Sadly, the entire structure burned down just days after John died of a heart attack in 1973. (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
B is for Bisbee: 1940
... this image. I thought for sure it could only be Salida, Colorado. Love Cafe Roka I spent a lot of time in the early '90s at Fort ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2018 - 1:18pm -

        If anyone needs us, we'll be at our table at Cafe Roka. Just as soon as those painters get done. And the 1990s roll around. May 1940. "Main street of Bisbee, Arizona. Copper mining center." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. An UninviteThe 1940 view is black and white and by my count there's only eleven people shown, yet I'd rather be there than in the today view. And: S is for SalidaI did a quick double-take seeing this image. I thought for sure it could only be Salida, Colorado. Love Cafe RokaI spent a lot of time in the early '90s at Fort Huachuca. I'd head to Bisbee, and if Roka was open, that's where I'd go for dinner. They're in the building that's between the two cars, with a bit of awning dangling in front and the painters at work on the scaffold. The storefront to the left of "The Fair" is preserved. The classic Woolworth storefront to the right is gone, though. A Simple Street Scene... with so much wonderful signage! I could really go for a Giant Malt right about now. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
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