US-5381309 Amtrax serving 46 American States and 3 Canadian Provinces

The American National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak is a passenger railroad service that provides medium- and long-distance intercity service in 46 contiguous United States (lacking Wyoming and South Dakota) and to three Canadian cities. It serves more than 500 destinations and operates more than 300 trains daily. Amtrax was founded 47 years ago in 1971 as a quasi-public corporation to operate many U.S. passenger rail services. 

Amtrak is no longer required by law to operate a national route system, but it is encouraged to do so. Amtrak services fall into three groups: short-haul service on the Northeast Corridor, state-supported short haul service outside the Northeast Corridor, and long-distance service known within Amtrak as the National Network. Amtrak receives federal funding for the vast majority of its operations including the central spine of the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington DC as well as for its National long distance routes. In addition to the federally funded routes, Amtrak partners with transportation agencies in 18 states to operate other short and medium haul routes outside of the Northeast Corridor, some of which connect to it or are extensions off of it. In addition to its inter-city services, Amtrak also operates commuter services for three state agencies including MARC in Maryland, Shore Line East in Connecticut, and Metrolink in California. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Elzbieta of New Mexico (Postcrossing, 2 July 2018)

US-3595921 The United States of America

The United States of America (USA) is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major territories and various possessions. The 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., are in central North America. The state of Alaska is located in the northwestern part of North America and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. At 3.8 million square miles (9.842 million km²) and with over 320 million people, the country is the world's fourth-largest by total area and the third most populous. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.The geography and climate of the United States are also extremely diverse, and the country is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

This postcard shows the map of the USA - insets show Alaska and (partially) Hawaii.  It came from Laura L. (24 September 2015) Postcrossing.

US-3574063 Norman Rockwell - Happy Skiers on a Train

Norman Rockwell painted this oil on canvas painting (Happy Skiers on a Train) in 1948.  It appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post of 24 January 1948.

I could not find much information on the internet about this painting except a list of the models used.  What is interesting to me is the look on the young suited man who is obviously not a skier but who is silently enduring all the noise from the happy skiers.

This great postcard came from Helen (17 September 2015) Postcrossing.

WC 94-532 The Emancipation Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln

The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. In a single stroke, it changed the federal legal status of more than 3 million enslaved persons in the designated areas of the South from "slave" to "free." It had the practical effect that as soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, by running away or through advances of federal troops, the slave became legally free. Eventually it reached and liberated all of the designated slaves. It was issued as a war measure during the American Civil War. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion. Because it was issued under the President's war powers, it necessarily excluded areas not in rebellion - it applied to more than 3 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time.

The Emancipation Proclamation outraged white Southerners (and their sympathizers), angered some Northern Democrats, energized anti-slavery forces and undermined forces in Europe that wanted to intervene to help the Confederacy.  Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from Megan J. (14 August 2015) Swap-bot.

SW ED-334a Norman Rockwell - Boy with Fishing Pole

This Norman Rockwell painting appeared on the cover of the magazine St. Nicholas in August 1919. St. Nicholas only published three Rockwell illustrated covers between 1916 and 1919. It is a fact that Rockwell submitted to smaller magazine publishers his illustrations only when they were declined by publishers of the larger magazines.

The picture is that of a red-headed boy on his way to go fishing. He carries a homemade fishing pole fashioned from a stick. It is a well used rod as part of the bark has been worn off..  The straw hat on the boy's head is a very familiar item. That hat has appeared on the covers of many magazines, including The Country Gentle-man, The Saturday Evening Post and even Farm And Fireside. And in the boy’s left hand is perhaps his bait.

This postcard came from Maggie 249 Swap-bot.

SW L-018 US-3062511 Battle flags of the Confederacy

The Confederate States of America adopted three different national flag patterns between 1861 and 1865.

(1) The First National pattern also referred to as the “Stars and Bars,” flag flew over the Capitol at Montgomery, Alabama, where the Provisional Congress met prior to the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861. 

(2) The Second National pattern is referred to as the “Stainless Banner”.

(3) The Third National pattern shortened the white field and added a vertical red bar to the end of the Second National pattern.

These three National patterns can be seen on the top row of the first postcard.

In addition to the national flags of the Confederacy, there were many battle flag patterns used by the Confederate armies. A lot of information is available on the website of the ‘The Museum of the Confederacy’.

The second postcard shows Dreux’s First Louisiana Battalion flag which is basically the First National pattern with the addition of the State crest (the pelican) and the motto “Non Sibi Sed Suis” (Not For One’s Self, But for One’s Own).

The first postcard came from Dawna K. (26 March 2014) Swap-bot.

The second postcard came from Rose (19 November 2014) Postcrossing.

 

US-3044969 Go Green

This card from the United States Postal Service (USPS) encourages the recipient to put it into a pot and cover with soil.  With water and sunlight the embedded seeds will sprout.  (I am not doing this of course as the postcard is going into my postcard album.)

This postcard came from Cardiffgal (11 November 2014) Postcrossing.

A tornado in the USA

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long. In an average year, 1,000 tornadoes are reported in the USA alone.

Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but they are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust. Most (less violent) tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (177 km/h), are about 250 feet (76 m) across and travel a few miles (several kilometres) before dissipating.

Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms. In the USA, when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cool, dry air from Canada, instability is created in the atmosphere. A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. Rising air within the updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation.

This very interesting postcard came from Cathy (beesknees) 3 October 2014 DS Postcrossing.

US-3559892 & SW DO-287 Liberty Bell - a revered symbol of American freedom

The Liberty Bell bears a timeless message: "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof".  This is from Leviticus 25:10.

US-3559892 Postcard from Michaela (2 Sep 2015) Postcrossing

 

The State House bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, used to ring in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall).  It was originally meant to be a signal bell.

The State House bell became a herald of liberty in the 19th century. The bell's inscription provided a rallying cry for abolitionists wishing to end slavery. The Anti-Slavery Record, an abolitionist publication, first referred to the bell as the Liberty Bell in 1835, but that name was not widely adopted until years later. Millions of Americans became familiar with the bell in popular culture through George Lippard's 1847 fictional story "Ring, Grandfather, Ring", when the bell came to symbolize pride in a new nation.

The bell weighed 2,080 lbs. at order. It is made of bronze. It's 70% copper, 25% tin and contains small amounts of lead, gold, arsenic, silver, and zinc. The bell's wooden yoke is American elm, but there is no proof that it is the original yoke for this bell. There is no evidence that the bell rang on July 4 or 8, 1776.

These postcards came from (1) Carol (15 September 2014) Swap-bot and (2) Michaela (2 September 2015) Postcrossing.

SW DQ-290 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg.  Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid. Tom’s love interest is Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town. In some of his exploits, Tom is accompanied by Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain is the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910). He was an American author and humorist. Twain is noted for his novels ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)’ and ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ (1885), which has been called "the Great American Novel".  Mark Twain also wrote poetry.



A young Mark Twain

This postcard is a reproduction of the cover of a Puffin book and was sent by John (12 September 2014) Swap-bot.

 

 

American Indians - costume

Why a feathered headdress should not be worn for ‘fun’

The feathered war bonnet or headdress of the American Indians is more than a cultural item and not a ‘fun’ item for anyone to wear.  According to a source:

“The headdress is reserved for revered elders who, through their selflessness and leadership, have earned the right to wear one. It’s a spiritual garb, not just cultural; it’s not merely an addition to one’s attire. Wearing one, even an imitation headdress, belittles what the elders have spent a lifetime to earn.”

Feathered war bonnets or headdresses are worn by honoured Plains Indian men. In the past they were sometimes worn into battle, today they are worn primarily for ceremonial occasions. They are seen as items of great spiritual and magical importance. The eagle is considered by Plains tribes as the greatest and most powerful of all birds and thus the finest bonnets are made out of its feathers.

The bonnet had to be earned through brave deeds in battle because the feathers signified the deeds themselves. Some warriors might have obtained only two or three honour feathers in their whole lifetime, so difficult were they to earn. The bonnet was also a mark of highest respect because it could never be worn without the consent of the leaders of the tribe. After about ten honours had been won, the warrior went out to secure the eagle feathers with which to make his bonnet.

A chief's war bonnet is made of feathers received for good deeds to his community. Each feather would represent a good deed.

 

This postcard came from Michelle (28 August 2014) Swap-bot.

SW CR-225 North Carolina

North Carolina was the 12^th state to join the Union on November 21, 1789.  The State is known as the Tar Heel State and the Old North State.

This postcard came from Shirley (6 August 2014) Swap-bot and it contains various interesting sights in North Carolina.

1          View of Mount Pisgah

2          Lynn  Cove Viaduct after a snowfall

3          Battleship North Carolina docked at Wilmington

4          Wright Brothers National Memorial

5          Sunset over Richland Balsam

6          Autumn view of Crabtree Falls

7          Elizabeth II at Manteo

8          Wild ponies on the Outer Banks

9          Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

North Carolina is composed of 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh and the largest city is Charlotte. In the past five decades, North Carolina's economy has undergone a transition from heavy reliance upon tobacco, textiles, and furniture-making to a more diversified economy with engineering, energy, biotechnology and finance sectors.

North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level on the coast to 6,684 feet (2,037 m) at Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the Eastern US.  North Carolina consists of three main geographic sections: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which occupies the eastern 45% of the state; the Piedmont region, which contains the middle 35%; and the Appalachian Mountains and foothills. The extreme eastern section of the state contains the Outer Banks, a string of sandy, narrow islands which form a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and two inland waterways or "sounds": Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south. They are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States.

Personal Note:

I visited Charlotte and Greenville some years ago on a State Dept- sponsored visit but I did not go to Raleigh.

 

SW CD-188 The 50th State - Hawaii (Hawaiʻi)

Hawaii joined the Union on August 21, 1959. It is the only U.S. state located in Oceania . The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Archipelago, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the south-eastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. The last is the largest and is often called the "Big Island" to avoid confusing the island with the State. The capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.

This map was drawn by Joe Fehér circa 1950’s

 Hawaiʻi is the state with an Asian plurality mainly due to its mid-Pacific location.  Besides North American and Asian influences, Hawaiʻi also has its own vibrant native culture.Hawaiʻi’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, (wind) surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike.

25th Anniversary of Hawaii statehood

Very short historical notes

The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was sovereign from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy (Queen Liliʻuokalani was on the throne) was overthrown by resident American (and some European) businessmen. It was an independent republic from 1894 until 1898, when it was annexed by the United States as a territory, becoming a state in 1959.

The map postcard came from Florence (18 July 2014) Swap-bot and the maxicard came from Cathy N. (14 August 2015) DS Postcrossing.

SW CH-196 Hemet - in the San Jacinto Valley

Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California. It covers a total area of 27.847 square miles (72 km²), about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighbouring city of San Jacinto. The population is about 80,000.

The city is home to the Hemet Valley Medical Center, a 320-bed general hospital. The city is also known for being the home of The Ramona Pageant, California's official outdoor play. Started in 1923, the play is one of the longest running outdoor plays in the United States.

The City of Hemet was incorporated in January 1910. In the 1960s, large-scale residential development began, mostly in the form of mobile home parks and retirement communities, giving Hemet a reputation as a working-class retirement area. Currently, the retirement orientation of the town is still there but the area's affordability, its proximity to employment centers such as Corona, Riverside and San Bernardino, and its relatively rural character makes it an attractive location for younger working-class families priced out of other areas of Southern California.

This postcard came from  Julia W. (16 July 2014) Swap-bot.

SW CK-203 Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is located in Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. It is a United States military cemetery.  Casualties and deceased veterans of America’s conflicts beginning with the American Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars are buried in the 624 acres (253 ha) of this Cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery  was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee.

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia contains the remains of more than 400,000 people.  It averages about 5,000 funerals each year. The flags in Arlington National Cemetery are flown at half-staff from a half hour before the first funeral until a half hour after the last funeral each day.

The Tomb of the Unknowns (aka Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) is a memorial to the dead of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War whose identities are not known.

Personal Note:  I visited this Cemetery some years back.

This postcard came from Jan H. (22 July 2014) Swap-bot

SW CH-198 Second Beach, Washington Coast

The Washington Coast

Washington State’s maritime playground is the stretch of Washington coast from Ocean Shores down to Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River.  This area has expansive beaches and locally run oyster farms.  Unlike the coastline further north this area is free of wild coves and stormy sea stacks. According to a tourist site “this is where the whole of Washington (and beyond) comes to sail, fish, fly kites and hang out.”

Second Beach is, with First Beach and Third Beach, collectively known as La Push Beach.  First Beach and Third Beach cannot be accessed from Second Beach even though the other two beaches are within a mile in each direction, north or south; they are inaccessible due to the protruding headlands and steep bluffs.

Trails to Second Beach start at the Quileute Indian Reservation and one has to walk a mile before reaching the coast. Second Beach is the longest and flattest of the three beaches. Half a mile offshore is an archipelago. Sea stacks are mixed throughout the small islands and are known as the Quileute Needle.

This postcard shows Second Beach at sunset and was sent by Craftybarbie (21 July 2014) Swap-bot.

SW CG-193 Raleigh, the “City of Oaks”

Raleigh was founded in 1792 as North Carolina's capital city. It was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, who attempted to establish the first English colony on the shores of the New World in the 1580s. Raleigh is the only state capital to have been planned and established by a state as the seat of state government, and it is the largest city in a combined statistical area known as Raleigh-Durham-Cary (the Research Triangle Region). The city's founding fathers called Raleigh the "City of Oaks" and dedicated themselves to maintaining the area's wooded tracts and grassy parks.  In present days there are many oak trees in Raleigh and these line the streets in the heart of the city.

Raleigh covers a land area of 142.8 square miles (370 km² and has an estimated population of more than 430,000 people.

 

This postcard came from marles (16 July 2014) Swap-bot.

 

 

SW CI-201 Beverly Hills – homes of the rich & famous

Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Originally a Spanish ranch where lima beans were grown, it was incorporated in 1914 by a group of investors who had failed to find oil, but found water instead and eventually decided to develop it into a town. It is now home to 34,290 inhabitants. Sometimes merely known by one of its primary ZIP codes, "90210", it has been home to actors and celebrities. The city also includes the shopping district Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Hills Oil Field.

This postcard shows the Beverly Hills Hotel.  According to the sender, this hotel has been seen in many films and many famous people have slept there.

Personal note:

When we were doing a tour of the American South-West, we were in Los Angeles and were taken on a tour of the houses in Beverly Hills.  I wasn’t very impressed as I have very little interest in TV / movies celebrities or other famous personalities except for people who gained fame from work in research, community work, aid or faith.

I received this postcard from lovesreward (18 July 2014) Swap-bot.

 

WC 18-135 20-139 Denver - the Mile-High City

Denver, officially the City and County of Denver  is the largest city and capital of the State of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city and county located in the South Platte River Valley. Denver is nicknamed the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile or 5,280 feet (1,609.3 m) above sea level, making it one of the highest major cities in the United States.

SW CA-181 Indiana - the Hoosier State

Indiana is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America. Indiana is the 38th largest by area and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th U.S. state on December 11, 1816. Before it became a territory, varying cultures of indigenous peoples and historic Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years.

This postcard received from Sandy (7 July 2014) shows 6 scenes from different places in Indiana.

Top Left (South Bend)

The Joseph D. Oliver House, also known as Copshaholm, was built in 1895-96. This mansion  is a 38-room Romanesque Queen Anne house. The furnishings on all three floors are original, giving visitors a glimpse of how the mansion appeared during the 72 years the Oliver family had occupancy.

Top Right (Fort Wayne)

This iconic statue is that of revolutionary war general, Anthony Wayne. It stands in Freimann Square in Fort Wayne.

Middle Left (Bristol)

Established in the mid-1830's, Bonneyville Mill has produced quality, stone ground flour for over 150 years. Each year the mill receives 30,000 visitors. Bonneyville Mill is located in the heart of Bonneyville Mill County Park.

Middle Right (La Porte)

This Nonagon Barn is a very photographed structure.  This image is used often to represent Indiana farmland.

Bottom Left (Deep River)

This shows the interior of John Wood Mill in Deep River originally called Woodvale which is a community that sprang up around the mill started by John Wood in 1835.

Bottom Right (Shipshewana)

This is a photograph of a typical Amish farm.