Two More Postcards...With A Twist

The main goal of our recent postcard expedition was to bolster the TSG Vintage Hotel/Motel Collection. The basic criteria is "cards in good condition featuring street views, signage and/or interesting design elements". The back of the cards aren't really a consideration...at most there will be a quick look for a postmark date. So it came as a bit of a surprise when scanning the latest acquisitions to discover a pair from the same 1971 road trip. 

 Checking on street view it's nice to see the Highlander in Williams AZ is still in business. The Balboa in Denver (Aurora) is now the Carriage Motor Inn and doesn't seem to have fared so well. The latest imagery from November of '24 looks a little grim.

Might As Well Jump

Recent additions to our postcard collection. Acquired at the San Francisco Vintage Paper Fair.

What a sight. Sitting in breathless suspense a half mile out over the Atlantic Ocean while a beautiful bay and white gelding, without urge of any kind, leaps from a small platform through forty feet of space, landing safely with his fair rider in a shallow tank of water-And what a thrill.

The hammiest performer of all is Ralph doing his beautiful swine dive.

 

 

 

 

It goes without saying that horse diving falls under the category of animal abuse as entertainment. Originating in the 1880s, the Atlantic City "attraction" ran from 1924 until being finally being shut down in the 1970s.  

On the other hand, Ralph "The Swimming Pig" seems more benign (and maybe even kind of fun). Ralph became the star of the Texas tourist destination Aquarena Springs in the 1950s and his descendants carried on the tradition until the 1990s.