Lover's Lane, St. George's Island, Calgary
"Hello, I was looking up St. Georges park Calgary as I have a book of old postcards that belonged to my maternal Grandfather Alexander Herd. One postcard as follows was addressed to him at Glidehurst, Alberta postmarked August 30 1909 and was dated/written on August 29 1909. The writer appears to be Edna his sister-in-law.
She writes in the card that the picture is of Calgary's lovers lane and comments that they do not have one like that in Strathcona (Edmonton).
The card it titled A Driveway. St. Georges Island Calgary. Very interesting to visit the past in this way and read the correspondence between my Grandfather and his friends and family during the early 1900s.
Have a great day. From John Dahl Ottawa (formerly of Calgary 1992 to 2001)."
Out of the blue, I received the above email on Saturday March 19, 2016. I quickly emailed back saying "thank you" and that I would love to see more images of Calgary from the book of old postcards. Soon a flurry of emails started to pop up on my computer, laptop and iPhone.
Realizing that I hit the motherlode, I asked John if he would allow me to share with Everyday Tourist readers not only the postcard images, but also the stories on the back. I am thrilled that he agreed.
Early 20th Century Calgary Postcards
Postcards vs Tweets
It was amusing to read the correspondence on the back of the postcards. It was like a modern day twitter conversation. I love that they are called "Private Post Card." How can a post card be private?
I was also surprised to learn that 100 years ago postcards weren't just used by tourist on vacation, but were a way of communicating with family and friends on a regular basis.
Today our communication is instantaneous and often several times a day.
Oh how our world has changed!
Last Word
If you like this blog, you will like:
Calgary: Historical St. George's Island Postcards
Calgary: Historical Downtown Postcards
