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Caption: "Golden Gate Bridge, Opening Day, May 28, 1937." Dozens of automobiles are visible crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in this photograph, taken on the bridge's Opening Day, the first day that vehicular traffic was allowed over the bridge. Completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge spans the mouth of San Francisco Bay (called the Golden Gate), connecting San Francisco with Marin County to the north. It is one of the most recognizable bridges in the world, and was named in 1994 as one of the Modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Date: 5/28/1937

Caption: "Empire State Building in Center, Lower Manhattan in the Distance. View from Radio City Bldg. New York. Aug. 3, 1934." The Empire State Building dominates this bird's eye view of New York. Construction began on this iconic 102-story building, designed by William F. Lamb, in 1930. Completed by early 1931, it held the title of world's tallest building for almost 40 years, until being surpassed in 1970 by the construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower. It is now the fifth-tallest building in the U.S., and the 28th-tallest in the world.

Date: 8/3/1934

Caption: "Jones's [sic] Beach. Where Thousands of Automobiles are Parked. Long Island, N.Y. Aug. 17, 1934." Photograph of a large parking area full of automobiles on Jones Beach Island. The Long Island State Park Commission began to develop the area for a park in the 1920s, dredging enough sand to connect several of the barrier islands south of Long Island and raising the elevation of the islands by fourteen feet to create one large park. It opened to the public in 1929. It is now a state park, with an estimated six million visitors each year.

Date: 8/17/1934

Caption: "Decorated Locomotive. Fifth Liberty Bond Drive -- Benicia, Calif." During World War I, the U.S. government raised funds for the war by issuing "liberty bonds." Citizens who purchased the bonds could later redeem them for the purchase price plus interest. Liberty Bond Drives were held to encourage people to purchase the bonds. This photograph shows a locomotive employed in the fifth Liberty Bond Drive, held in 1919. Decorated with bunting and flags to inspire patriotic feeling, Liberty Bond Trains crisscrossed the U.S. to round up funding.

Date: 1919

No Caption: See also 96-07-08-alb08-217 with 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 US 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.

Date: 1905

Caption: "San Diego Fair Grounds." and "39-6, 3,400 Men, Naval Training Station, Balboa Park, San Diego Cal.," c. 1917. With the advent of World War I, the U.S. Navy needed additional training grounds for sailors. In 1917, the City of San Diego offered to lease the Navy a portion of Balboa Park as a temporary training site until a new, more permanent facility could be constructed. This postcard shows 3,400 sailors lined up to form a Navy flag while at the temporary training ground.

Date: 1917

Caption: "Sutter [sic] Fort. Sacramento.," c. 1920. A gun tower at Sutter's Fort, and a gate bracketed by two cannons. John Sutter established the fort in 1839, calling it New Helvetia. After the discovery of gold at one of Sutter's mills (at Coloma, on the American River), almost all of the fort's inhabitants left for the gold fields in the foothills. The fort deteriorated until being restored from 1891-1893. The fort is now the site of a State Historic Park. See also 96-07-08-alb05-118.

Date: 1920

Caption: "Columbia River Jetty, Or.," c. 1910. View of a jetty built at the mouth of the Columbia River, carrying a railroad trestle. Train cars loaded with large rocks are visible at the left side of the photograph. This is likely the so-called South Jetty, extending more than six miles into the ocean from Point Adams on the Oregon side of the river mouth. The jetty system at the mouth of the Columbia River was constructed between 1885 and 1917. Designed to funnel water from the Columbia River in a more concentrated fashion into the Pacific Ocean, the jetty system helped create a deeper, more stable shipping channel.

Date: 1910

Caption: "Empire State Bldg. 1250 Ft. High, 102 Stories. 34th St. New York. Aug. 13, 1934." View from the sidewalk, looking up at the Empire State Building. Construction began on this iconic 102-story building, designed by William F. Lamb, in 1930. Completed by early 1931, it held the title of world's tallest building for almost 40 years, until being surpassed in 1970 by the construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower. It is now the fifth-tallest building in the U.S., and the 28th-tallest in the world.

Date: 8/13/1934

Caption: "U.S. Mint unhurt," c. 1906. Pictured is the U.S. Mint building in San Francisco, which opened in 1874, after the original 1854 building was outgrown, which had been established to serve the gold mines during the California Gold Rush. The building suffered little damage after the 1906 earthquake. The facility served as the San Francisco U.S. Mint until 1937, when workers moved to a larger and more modern building. In 1961, the old U.S. Mint, known as the "Granite Lady," was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Date: 1906