Randolph
St., east from La Salle St., Chicago
E.C.
Kropp Publ., Milwaukee, No. 441.
To:
Gustaf Ekman, Galeton, PA
From:
Gerda, Chicago; Oct 25, 1904 *
---
K.B.
[Käre Broder] Hjärtligt tack för pengar o för v.k. [vykort] som
jag idag fick. Många kära hälsningar från Gerda.
* 25 oktober var Gerdas födelsedag, så pengarna var säkert avsedda som födelsedagspresent. (Hon var född 1881; så 1904 fyllde hon 23.)
Dear
Brother, Many thanks for the money* and for the postcard that I
received today. Lots of love from Gerda.
* October 25 was Gerda's (23rd) birthday; so the money was
probably a birthday gift.
---
Zooming in the street picture:
The vehicles on this photo seem to be horse-drawn, except for the tram/streetcar/trolley. Checking up on this, I find that the
first streetcars in Chicago were horse cars, but the companies began
substituting cable cars in the 1880s. By the 1887, Chigaco
had the largest cable railway system in the world. It was also in the
1880s that electric-powered trolleys first became practical. The
Chicago companies hesitated at first to install these faster and more
efficient systems, but by the mid 1890s most of them had begun the
conversion to electricity, which was completed in 1906. [Source:
Wikipedia - Chicago Surface Lines]
Wow! It actually doesn't look too different to Chicago these days as regards the volume of traffic. I love old photos like this, it makes you realize just how different life must have been even 100 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that someone found his way to this post. :) I'm afraid my progress with this blog has been very "on and off" - too many other things in the "here and now" tend to come in the way. I hope to perhaps back to the old postcard album some time later on in the autumn (?)
DeleteHi Monica,
ReplyDeleteIt's very much the same with my blogs these days, they get tragically neglected due to too many commitments and lack of time.
Best Wishes.