Snow Trains

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad - EMD SD40T - Eagle, Colorado, December 26, 1981 - With headlights blazing, one hundred car eastbound coal #788 emerges from a snow storm just east of Eagle on the day after Christmas.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad - EMD SD40T - Granby, Colorado, January 09, 1982 - Led by 5382, five Tunnel Motors on an eastbound coal await a meet with the westbound Rio Grande Zephyr at Granby.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad - EMD SD40T - Fraser, Colorado, January 09, 1982 - An eastbound coal crawls out of Fraser on the final leg of the climb to the Moffat Tunnel.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad - EMD F9 - Bond, Colorado, February 13, 1982 - Slowing through Orestod, for a crew change at nearby Bond, the westbound Rio Grande Zephyr passes a frozen Colorado River.

LINK: To see more of Chris Nuthall's railroad photography, visit the "CN Rail Gallery"

Denzel @ BAMC

Denzel Washington at Brooks Army Medical Center - A true American and friend to all in uniform!

Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States, especially burn victims.

There are some buildings, there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel where the soldiers' families can stay for little or no charge while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his checkbook out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot.

The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.

The question is, why do Brad Pitt, Madonna, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood fluff make front page news with their ridiculous antics and Denzel Washington's Patriotism doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the local newspaper in San Antonio.

Lady Liberty

On this date 123 years ago, The Statue of Liberty, officially titled
Liberty Enlightening the World, was dedicated on October 28, 1886. Commemorating the centennial of the signing of the
United States Declaration of Independence.

It was given to the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution. It represents a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals, trampling a broken chain, carrying a torch in her raised right hand and a tabula ansata tablet, where the date of the Declaration of Independence JULY IV MDCCLXXVI is inscribed, in her left arm.

Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, it welcomes visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans traveling by ship. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue and obtained a U.S. patent for its structure. (Photo Credit: William Warby - November 13, 2007)

Maurice Koechlin, chief engineer of Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and designer of the Eiffel Tower, engineered the internal structure. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for the choice of copper in the statue's construction and adoption of the repoussé technique, where a malleable metal is hammered on the reverse side.

The statue is made of a sheathing of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel (originally puddled iron) with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf (originally made of copper and later altered to hold glass panes). It stands atop a rectangular stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 151 ft tall, but with the pedestal and foundation, it is 305 ft tall.

Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States and was, from 1886 until the Jet Age, often one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants after ocean voyages from Europe. The statue is the central part of Statue of Liberty National Monument, administered by the National Park Service.

ATSF To The NYWF?

This great 1964 Santa Fe Railroad New York World's Fair map and brochure from my collection says "There's so much to see when you travel Santa Fe to the New York Fair".

In fact the Santa Fe went only as far as Chicago and you would connect there with other rail companies to the New York.

SUPER CHIEF - All room service featuring the famous Turquoise Room for private dining enroute. A special observation dome lounge and many deluxe features highlighted by famed Fred Harvey menus which include a Champagne Dinner.

It's easy to travel Santa Fe! - New hi-level chair cars on El Capitan and San Francisco Chief, give you the best of economical coach travel fare.

Rapid Transit Facilities Map - When you are in New York be sure to visit FREEDOMLAND U.S.A.

You'll be surprised how much your family can save traveling Santa Fe - Family fares apply for travel in Pullman or chair car.

Map of the Main Passenger Routes of the Santa Fe Lines. - Make sure when you travel clear across the country to the New York World's Fair that you really see America.

LIFE With Jane

Just because she's such a beauty and a truly wonderful lady, I thought I would do a post on Jane Russell. You don't mind, DO YOU?

Jane Russell was born on June 21, 1921 as Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Bemidji, Minnesota. She now lives in the Santa Maria Valley on the Central Coast of California.

In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract by film mogul Howard Hughes and made her motion picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous figure.

Although the movie was completed in 1941, it was released for a limited showing two years later. There were problems with the censorship of the production code over the way her ample cleavage was displayed. When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946.

Together with Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, Russell personified the sensuously contoured sweater girl look. Bob Hope once introducing her as "the two and only Jane Russell". The photo of her on a haystack glowering with sulky beauty and youthful sensuality was a popular pin-up with Service men during World War II.

LINK: Read more about Jane Russell on Wikipedia

Las Vegas Nevada 1959

Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas metropolitan area after the Las Vegas Strip. Named in honor of explorer John Charles Frémont.

Fremont Street is, or was, the address for many famous casinos such as Binion's Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club.

Fremont Street dates back to 1905, when Las Vegas itself was founded. Fremont Street was the first paved street in Las Vegas in 1925 and received the city's first traffic light in 1931.

Biff's Famous Food and Las Vegas Club - Located across the street (Fremont) from The Golden Gate. To the left of the picture would be the Union Pacific Railroad Station, where the Plaza Hotel and Casino stands today.

El Rancho Vegas was the first resort on what would become the Las Vegas Strip (US Hwy 91). It was located at 2500 Las Vegas Boulevard, at the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara, and opened on April 3, 1941 as the largest hotel in Vegas with 110 rooms.

The legendary stripper Candy Barr was headlining at El Rancho Vegas in 1959 when she was arrested by the FBI after her appeal on a marijuana conviction originating in Texas, and prison sentence, was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Harry James and Betty Grable were performing a late show on stage when the hotel was destroyed by a fire on June 17, 1960.

LINK: Pictures from Actionlog's Photostream on Flickr. THANKS RYAN!

Along Your Way

"Along Your Way" - Facts about stations and scenes on the Santa Fe. A 1946 booklet (shown in part) from my Santa Fe memorabilia collection. Produced by the Santa Fe, this booklet details a station by station description of the Santa Fe Route through the Southwest.

~ Santa Fe System Lines ~

~ Brief History of the Santa Fe ~

~ Santa Fe Route - Southwest ~

~ Superchief Crossing Canyon Diablo ~

~ AT&SF Railway President Fred Gurley ~

~ Dome Room in Carlsbad Caverns ~

Thanks Brittany & Robbie!

Since 2004, teens Brittany and Robbie Bergquist and Cell Phones For Soldiers have raised millions of dollars to help our troops call home. Proceeds from donated cell phones are used to purchase prepaid calling cards for American troops.

Brittany Bergquist was named one of America’s Top Ten Youth Volunteers in 14th Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards on May 4, 2009.

The Gold Country Girls

It has been said by some that they enjoy my blog because you never know what I will post. Like the proverbial "Box of Chocolates" reference from the movie "Forrest Gump". The same goes for a blog called the "Gold Country Girls". True "Americana" with a woman's touch. I love it!

The girls are three sisters who grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, in the area known as the Gold Country, and the Mother Lode. Heidi began her blog in September of 2007 with the hope that her sisters would join in somewhere along the way.

Mostly, they will write about memories, family, friends, vintage collections, crafting, cooking, music, entertainment - pretty much anything that strikes their fancy! And as they say "Maybe something we have to say, show, or tell will strike a chord within you, or spark a memory".

So if you have never visited their blog, check it out and ENJOY !!! And for those of you that have, take another look! Here are the links to a few of my favorite posts they have done. Just click on the pictures and GO! there.

~ Railtown 1897 ~

~ Then And Now #49 Karo Syrup ~

~ The Mad Tea Party ~

~ The Brady Bunch Turns 40 ~

~ California Songs ~

~ Heidis and Goats ~

Thanks ladies, all is truly appreciated, Richard.

Columbus Day

Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1905, and became a federal holiday in 1934. But people have celebrated Columbus' voyage since the colonial period. In 1792, New York City and other eastern U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of his landing in the New World.

In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of the event. During the 400-year anniversary in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of patriotism.

These patriotic rituals were framed around themes such as support for war, citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and celebrating social progress.

First landing of Columbus on the shores of the New World at San Salvador, West Indies, Oct. 12th 1492. (Source: Library of Congress - Currier and Ives Publisher)

Longshaw Cards 1946

I have always been partial to the linen type postcards of the 1940's. Here are a few of my favorites, published by the Longshaw Card Company, from my collection. They happen to be from the year I was born. How time fly's when your having fun!

The Earl Carroll Theatre - Seats reserved in advance $2.50 - A Gay Night Spot of Hollywood, California.

Editors Note: The Earl Carroll Theatre was built in 1938. After changing hands it eventually became the "Hullabaloo" Rock and Roll club, capitalizing on the popularity of the television variety show Hullabaloo. It then became the "Aquarius Theatre" in the late 1960s and was used as a venue for the long running musical Hair and made famous as the place where The Doors performed on July 21, 1969. - LA WOMAN ROCKS !!! -

In a setting of Old China, with shrines, lily pools, and courts, the Chinese have gathered the art treasures of the Orient - Enchanting Chinese Settlement, Los Angeles, California.

The New Homes of C.B.S. and N.B.C. broadcasting stations. The ultramodern architecture and equipment make the guided inspection tours an interesting attraction - Radio City, Hollywood, California.

The Motion Picture Industry is one of the first four industries in the United States. More than 70% of the pictures shown throughout the world are produced in Los Angeles County - Home of Warner Brothers, Burbank, Calif.