Help with USA photos from 1952

HaraldEHaraldE Registered Users Posts: 161 Major grins
edited March 9, 2008 in The Big Picture
Friends,

I very much need help to identify USA photos from 1952. For some of them I can identify the place (like when the background is Niagara Falls), for some I have done some decent guessing and many I am very unsure about

My father worked and traveled in US between February and September 1952. Mother joined him in August and they returned back to Sweden month after. Not till my father died did I find all these USA slides.

In the caption you will see my own guessing of where photo was taken. I have also looked carefully for street signs, name of buildings or hotel or text in general. Such text can also be found in the caption.

If you recognise the motive please add a comment. Also if my own guessing is correct, do confirm this.
  • USA 1952 ... is the overall category
  • Various Places ... handwritten words on the slide frames gave me 9 names
  • Unknown ... are four galleries with all unknown locations
    >>> UNKNOWN CITY identified as Boston (thanks to DJ-S1)
    >>> UNKNOWN FORT is Fort Smith, Arkansas (thanks to DJ-S1)
    >>> UNKNOWN TOUR is probably the Ludlow, CO Ghost Town (thanks to DMMATIX)
  • Travel ... the To USA and From USA are ok but the other two, Train and Airplane, are mysteries
  • Relatives ... if you recognise any place or person or name then add a comment
  • Chicago ... in a way easier since I lived there for a year but anyway many unknown places in the city
  • Colorado Springs ... I believe my father stayed in CS some period, and made tours in the neighborhood
  • New York ... here I believe I recognise a few motives
I would appreciate any help with this. Also, it is a bit of a challenger since the motive may well have changed in the 50+ year since the were taken.
If the links above doesn't work ypu find it all under HaraldE.smugmug.com/USA 1952

Best regards, Harald
==================
My focus is on digitizing memories

Comments

  • DJ-S1DJ-S1 Registered Users Posts: 2,303 Major grins
    edited February 29, 2008
    Unknown city is Boston. I'll try to figure out some more.
  • DJ-S1DJ-S1 Registered Users Posts: 2,303 Major grins
    edited February 29, 2008
    The unknown fort is Fort Smith, Arkansas. "Frisco" refers to the Frisco Railway Lines, a train company.
  • DJ-S1DJ-S1 Registered Users Posts: 2,303 Major grins
    edited February 29, 2008
    I added a few comments Harald, hope that helps. Neat seeing old photos like those! thumb.gif
  • dmmattixdmmattix Registered Users Posts: 341 Major grins
    edited February 29, 2008
    DJ-S1 wrote:
    The unknown fort is Fort Smith, Arkansas. "Frisco" refers to the Frisco Railway Lines, a train company.

    Yes and I found this quote about the "Noon Civics Club".

    In 1936, the Noon Civics Club sponsored the erection by the Works Progress Administration of nine historical markers in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Fort Smith</st1:place></st1:city>. These indicate the location of the Old Wharf, the place of birth of Fort Smith's first white child, the Old Commissary Building, the old Federal Court and Jail, Belle Point - site of the first Fort Smith, the "Reserve," Zachary Taylor's home. Judge Parker' s home, and the site of the last encampment of the Cherokee Indians on "The Trail of Tears" from their ancestral homes in the south to the land allotted them in the <st1:place w:st="on">Indian Territory</st1:place>.
    _________________________________________________________

    Mike Mattix
    Tulsa, OK

    "There are always three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth" - Unknown
  • dmmattixdmmattix Registered Users Posts: 341 Major grins
    edited February 29, 2008
    The unknown tour is probably the Ludlow, CO Ghost Town. The buildings in the pictures are probably part of the remenants of the Hastings mine. Located south of Pueblo near Trinidad, CO
    _________________________________________________________

    Mike Mattix
    Tulsa, OK

    "There are always three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth" - Unknown
  • HaraldEHaraldE Registered Users Posts: 161 Major grins
    edited March 1, 2008
    Great, thanks a lot

    I am positivy surprised that these unknows has been targeted so quick. Thanks a lot.

    And don't forget I am also very interested in knowing if the "known" locations are correct.

    And all the comments are very much welcome ... I will make Captions of them. And if you know someone living in any of the "known" places ... tell them to look and leave a comment.

    Regards, Harald
    ==================
    My focus is on digitizing memories
  • DJ-S1DJ-S1 Registered Users Posts: 2,303 Major grins
    edited March 4, 2008
    This photo is of the Elks National Memorial in Chicago. There's 2 more from that memorial as well.
  • DJ-S1DJ-S1 Registered Users Posts: 2,303 Major grins
    edited March 4, 2008
    This is Grant's Tomb which is in New York, not Chicago.
  • henryphenryp Registered Users Posts: 144 Major grins
    edited March 5, 2008
    Your "NY Arriving" stuff is almost certainly the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It'd be 5th Avenue. The march route these days is on 5th Avenue from 44th St past St Patrick's Cathedral (at 50th St) north to the reviewing stand at 86th St. There are visible 5th Ave street signs in your pics.

    The skating rink in your "NYTour" collection is certainly Rockefeller Center.
    Henry Posner
    B&H Photo-Video
  • ZanottiZanotti Registered Users Posts: 1,411 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2008
    I'll try and figure out all the Chicago ones. My wife's family is from there and they will know.

    This one:

    http://haralde.smugmug.com/gallery/2699859_c9ZwD#251198487

    Is the old water tower on Michigan Ave in downtown. Its still there and looks the same, but the John Hancock building is near by.

    http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/watertower.htm

    One of the few buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire was the Old Chicago Water Tower.
    The Tower is situated at 800 N. Michigan Avenue, near the John Hancock Center. The Water Tower provides a sharp contrast with the surrounding high-rise buildings.


    Castle Design
    Constructed in 1869 using big limestone blocks, the Chicago Water Tower, with all its small towers in a 'gothic style', resembles more a tiny European 13th century castle than a water tower. It was designed by the architect William W. Boyington and houses a 40 meter standpipe which was needed to equalize the pressure of the water pumped from the pumping station to the east. The total height of the tower is 154 ft or 47 m.


    Water Landmark
    Since its survival of the Great Fire, the Chicago Water Tower became one of Chicago's main symbols. The tower became functionally obsolete many years ago, although the pumping station still pumps water for the city.

    In May of 1969, during the year of its centennial anniversary, the Chicago Water Tower was selected by the American Water Works Association to be the first American Water Landmark. It now houses a visitor information center and has become one of the major tourist attractions in Chicago.
    It is the purpose of life that each of us strives to become actually what he is potentially. We should be obsessed with stretching towards that goal through the world we inhabit.
  • HaraldEHaraldE Registered Users Posts: 161 Major grins
    edited March 9, 2008
    Hello McLeod,

    In a comment you asked for the Street sign to a Boston photo and this is how it looks like. Not very sharp and also the two signs overlap. Hope you can figure out what it means

    Regards, Harald
    ==================
    My focus is on digitizing memories
  • HaraldEHaraldE Registered Users Posts: 161 Major grins
    edited March 9, 2008
    Morning,

    All of these photos are slides. On some slide frames words were written that made me guess the location of the photos. If someone knows these places it would be great to have it confirmed they are correctly named.

    There has already been a photo labeled Chicago which was from New York so I can not be all sure the naming is correct.
    • Washington DC
    • Niagara
    • St Louis
    • Denver
    • Oklahoma
    • Peoria
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Texas
    • Walsenburg
    Regards, Harald
    ==================
    My focus is on digitizing memories
  • ZanottiZanotti Registered Users Posts: 1,411 Major grins
    edited March 9, 2008
    Chicago Street market is most likely the "Maxwell Street" Market, on the near south side of the city. This market is still in existance today.

    The Chicago shots with water are around North Ave beach. The common Swedish neighborhood was called Andersonville and was on the North Side of town. My father remembers them even having Swedish language newspapers.



    New Maxwell Street MarketNeighborhood: Little Italy/University Village Canal Street and Roosevelt Road
    500 W. Roosevelt Rd.
    Chicago, IL 60607 312-922-3100

    After 120 years of operation, Maxwell Street Market was closed down in the mid-90s in a controversial decision from the city. It was soon relocated to become the New Maxwell Street Market along Canal Street about a half-mile from its original site. Continuing its long tradition of offering Chicago immigrants and locals a space to sell odds and ends, the colorful flea market hosts more than 450 vendors each Sunday, year-round. In addition to household goods, clothing, CDs, jewelry, power tools and produce, there are several Mexican food stands offering authentic fare like enchiladas, tacos, tamales, plantains and horchata. Live blues is played at the market weekly (weather permitting).
    It is the purpose of life that each of us strives to become actually what he is potentially. We should be obsessed with stretching towards that goal through the world we inhabit.
Sign In or Register to comment.