Search All Items

Caption: "Ostrich Farm, Los Angeles," c. 1935. View of several ostriches in a corral at the Cawston Ostrich Farm in Pasadena. Opened by Edward Cawston in 1886, this was the first ostrich farm in the U.S. It became a popular tourist stop along the Pasadena and Los Angeles Electric Railway in the early twentieth century, where visitors could ride an ostrich, or be pulled by one in a light card. They could also buy merchandise made out of ostrich feathers, such as hats and boas. The farm closed in the mid-1930s.

Date: 1935

Caption: "Glacier Point - Over Hanging Rock - Yosemite Falls In The Distance," c. 1935. A group of unidentified people looking out from Glacier Point. Both Upper and Lower Yosemite Fall are visible across the valley at the right side of the photograph. Glacier Point, on the south wall of the valley 3,200 feet above what is now known as Half Dome Village, provides panoramic views of the valley and many of its features. By the time this photograph was taken, safety railings had been installed at the Point to prevent visitors from tumbling over the cliff while trying to get the best views.

Date: 1935

Caption: "Fort Casey Lighthouse.," c. 1909. Located on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, the Admiralty Head Lighthouse was built overlooking Admiralty Inlet in 1903. It replaced an earlier structure that had to be moved in 1890 to accommodate the construction of Fort Casey. The second lighthouse, shown here, was built with thick walls in order to withstand earthquakes and the concussion of guns at Fort Casey. Deactivated in 1922, the lighthouse has since been restored by Washington State Parks, and is part of the Fort Casey State Park.

Date: 1909

Caption: "Fort Worden, Wash.," c. 1909. Panoramic view of Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Washington, on Admiralty Inlet of Puget Sound. Construction began on the fort in 1898. By 1902 it was serving as an active U.S. Army base. Fort Worden was part of the "triangle of fire," three coastal defense fortifications (Fort Casey, Fort Worden, and Fort Flagler) guarding the entrance to Puget Sound. The U.S. sold the property to the state of Washington in 1957. In 1973, the fort and surrounding area opened as Fort Worden State Park.

Date: 1909

Caption: "Grants Tomb. N.Y." The remains of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the U.S. and Commanding General of the Union Army during the last year of the Civil War, were laid to rest in this elaborate tomb, designed by architect John Duncan. Grant died in 1885, but construction on the granite and marble structure did not begin until 1891. Grant's remains were transferred to the tomb on April 27, 1897. The tomb is the largest mausoleum in North America. See also 96-07-08-alb11-209.

Date: 8/10/1934

Caption: "Last Rites." Shows a grave site with dozens of caskets ready for burial. A priest and two altar boys stand at one side of the caskets, while a large group of U.S. Navy sailors looks on from the other side. While sailing from port in San Diego on the morning of July 21, 1905, the boiler of the USS Bennington exploded, killing sixty-six of her crew. The victims were laid to rest in the cemetery at Fort Rosecrans. See also 96-07-08-alb05-142 and 96-07-08-alb08-222.

Date: 1905-07-23

Caption: "The California," c. 1906. This photograph shows the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the Golden State's name. Launched in 1904 and commissioned in 1907, this Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser served in the Pacific fleet. Her name was changed in 1914 to the USS San Diego, in order to free up the name for a new, Tennessee-class battleship. The USS San Diego went on to serve in both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets during World War I, until being sunk off the coast of New York by a German mine in 1918, with a loss of six lives. See also 96-07-08-alb05-009.

Date: 1906

Caption: "OSTRICH FARM, Pasadena, California.," c. 1905. View of several ostriches in a corral at the Caswston Ostrich Farm in Pasadena. Opened by Edward Cawston in 1886, this was the first ostrich farm in the U.S. It became a popular tourist stop along the Pasadena and Los Angeles Electric Railway in the early twentieth century, where visitors could ride an ostrich, or be pulled by one in a light card. They could also buy merchandise made out of ostrich feathers, such as hats and boas. The farm closed in the mid-1930s.

Date: 1905

Caption: "The Chutes, S. F.," c. 1905. View of the Fulton Street Chutes, a 350-foot water slide. Boats or toboggans careened down the slide into a man-made lake at the bottom. Such "chutes" were very popular throughout the U.S. and Europe at the turn of the century. The Fulton Street Chutes operated from 1902-1907 as part of an amusement park area that also featured the "Circle Swing Flying Machine" (also visible in the photograph), a theater, bar, merry-go-round, and a zoo.

Date: 1905

Caption: "California - Living Giant - Mariposa Grove," c. 1917. William and Grace McCarthy, with an unidentified friend, pose with their vehicle in the tunnel through the California Tree, a Giant Sequoia in the Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park. The tunnel was cut through the tree in 1895 to facilitate travel on the road into the grove, and also as a tourist attraction. It is now the only living Giant Sequoia with a tunnel cut through it (so-called "tunnel trees"), the others having all fallen.

Date: 1917