Miss Lillian's Postcards: A Christmas Postcard from Father

Sender: Henry Maguire, Lillian's father
Addressee: Miss Lill Maguire, 1902 G Terry Ave, Seattle, Washington
Postmark: Santa Barbara, Cal
Date: Dec 25, 1909
Image: Potter Hotel, Santa Barbara, California. Coast Line, S.P.R.R.

This amazing resort hotel no longer exists, alas. It was still rather new at the time of Mr. Maguire's visit to Santa Barbara, having been built in 1903. It was a veritable phenomenon, in size, luxury, and accommodations, and many families stayed a month or more. Along the front were sun, shaded and glassed-in porches. Above, roof gardens provided spectacular views of the ocean, islands, mountains and the city. The grounds were elaborately landscaped and included tennis courts, a zoo, a palm and fernery building, cactus gardens and enchanting pathways. The gardens were constantly renewed to astonish the winter guests with a showy variety of blooms.

The Potter had its own post office, water system, power plant and a railroad siding that led onto the grounds to allow the bulk shipment of fuel and groceries. Directly behind the Potter the Southern Pacific Railroad built their new station with a pathway leading directly to the Potter. Alas, the hotel burned down in 1921.

Message:

12-25-09

Dear Daughter

Package received.

Much oblidge[d].

your Father

H Maguire

Written and posted on December 25th, 1909, this postcard from Henry Maguire conveys his thanks to his daughter for a Christmas gift received. Very sweet in its brevity, it shows family reaching out to family at this special time of year.

Season's greetings and best wishes to all my readers!

Miss Lillian's Postcards: Father Remains in California for the Holidays

Sender: Henry Maguire, Lillian's father
Addressee: Miss Lill Maguire, 1902 G Terry Ave, Seattle, Washington
Postmark: Santa Barbara, Cal
Date: Dec 24, 1909
Image: Santa Barbara Mission, California. Founded 1786.

The Old Mission in Santa Barbara is still there, and looking much the same as it does in this vintage postal. See http://www.santabarbaramission.org/ for more information about this beautiful site.

Message:

12-23-09

Dear Daughter,

Wishing you

a Merry Xmass

And a happy new year.

Your father

Henry Maguire

Still in California, Lillian's father wrote a Christmas greeting on this postcard on December 23rd, and then posted it on December 24th. This postcard means that Lillian's father was in California for Thanksgiving as well. He is far from all his family at a time when being with family is important. 

While I have been assuming Lillian's father went to California for business, another possibility was that he went for his health. Santa Barbara at this time was a world-famous resort town, in the sense of health resorts as well as tourism. While we will never know, I think this latter possibility is the most likely reason. Lillian, after all, went to Seattle for her health. Perhaps her father suffered from health problems in St Louis as well. Staying at a resort for his health would account for the long stay in California.

Miss Lillian's Postcards: A Postcard from Father

Sender: HM (Henry Maguire, Lillian's father)
Addressee: Lill Maguire, 1902 G Terry Ave, Seattle, Washington
Postmark: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Date: November 20, 1909
Image: Old Spanish Convent, N.M.

The text for this postcard states "The town of Lamy, between Las Vegas and Albuquerque, was named for the good Archbishop who founded nearby a convent, the wall of which are still standing, and who also once taught the Indians in a little adobe school house. At the time of the founding of this convent he was a missionary priest, but afterwards became Archbishop Lamy of Santa Fe."

I could find no record of this structure on the internet, and Lamy is a tiny town of about 200 people, mostly a train station stop.

Message:

Still going

Country looks bum

HM

This brief postcard from Lillian's father is so very interesting. He is traveling from St Louis, Missouri to California. Clearly this stop in New Mexico did not impress him. "Bum" he called the countryside! New Mexico is surely much drier than Missouri, so I suppose we cannot fault him for his perception. But New Mexico is an amazing state with much beauty.

In 1909, the fastest way to get from St Louis to the west coast would be train, a long trip of several days. We do not know the reason Henry Maguire is traveling, but at least he found time to drop a short postcard to his daughter at this stage in his journey. He must have written this in a hurry, for the penmanship is not neat or tidy, and seems hurried.

It is rather fun to see how direct and to the point Lillian's father is. I look forward to his next postcard!

Miss Lillian's Postcards - Miss Lillian Goes to the World's Fair in the Summer of 1909

Such excitement! Opening on June 1, 1909, the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition was a world's fair hosted by Seattle to publicize the development of the Pacific Northwest, including Canada, Alaska, as well as countries of the Pacific rim. In Miss Lillian's postcard collection are 24 official postcards from the A-Y-P, sporting its official seal. Since personal cameras were a rare thing in those days, the purchase of official postcards was the best thing to commemorate a special outing. 

I can image Lillian taking the trolley to the fairgrounds, which were located on the campus of the University of Washington. This was such a huge event, with so many special events scheduled throughout the summer and so many fabulous things to see. I wouldn't be surprised if she went several times over the course of the fair, which closed on October 12.

 A series of official postcards featured scenic sights of Washington state and Alaska.

Miss Lillian's Postcards: A Vintage Tweet from Chile!

Sender: Jerome C. Huff
Addressee: Miss Lilian M. Maguier [sic], 1902 G Terry Ave, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
Postmark: Talcahuano Chile
Date: January 7, 1909
Image: Jardin del Palacio en el Parque Cousino, Concepcion, Chile

This beautiful, and dare I say it, rare postcard from the country of Chile in South America (probably worth a few dollars!) provides an image of the Jardin del Palacio en el Parque Cousino - the Palace Garden in the Isidora Cousiño Park. The park is also called Lota Park (Lota de Parque) because it is located in the port city of Lota, Chile, overlooking the bay. It was designed between 1862 and 1872 and includes trees, gardens, statues, and pools. Guides dress in the style of the 19th century and recall the time period of Isidora and Luis Cousiño, who oversaw much of its development. The park also includes a zoo, a meteorological observatory and a conservatory with tropical plants. It contains the tomb of Carlos Cousiño, the son of Isidora and Luis. Carlos also worked on the development of the park, and was alive at the time of this postcard. The "Cousiño Palace", home of Isadora and Luis, and the "Palacio" referenced in the postcard, was located within the park. Though the home itself was demolished in the 1960s, the adjacent gardens remain.

The view in the postcard is of the central part of the park where the palace once stood. Below is a current image from the park.

If you speak Spanish, check this Wiki article for the history of the park. For the Spanish-challenged, this YouTube video provides a long tour of the park.Or this one! This YouTube video provides a very quick tour of the park.

Message:

Dear friend,

Am far away

and still going

farther, we never

stop to think any

more.

Jerome C. Huff

This postcard from Lillian's collection is one of my favorites. It is special because it comes from a friend who is traveling in a foreign country. Chile was not a common destination for travel in those days. It is also special for the writer's beautiful penmanship. But most especially it is a treasure because of its simple yet poignant message. It almost reads like a Haiku or poem. It is such a thoughtful, pensive message. It speaks of loneliness, and reflection on decisions in life. Perhaps he is just homesick, or perhaps lonely. We will never know.  But his message still speaks to the heart after more than a century.