Vintage Postcards: Postcard Blog

With the temperature predicted to be a balmy 4 degrees F. on Thursday morning, our thoughts have suddenly turned to…keeping warm. We know it could be worse, and thought we’d bring you examples of how it probably could be worse where you are, too. Think positive! In the unused c. 1964 postcard above, we see the devastation along 4th Ave. in Anchorage, Alaska which was caused by the Great Alaskan Earthquake of Good Friday, 1964. Shops, bars and theaters sank from 20 to 35 feet into the ground.

Moving along from seismology, we thought about a good friend who lives in Minneapolis who’s tired of snow. Shortly before Christmas, while stuck at work on the graveyard shift, she sent us a picture of the blizzard she encountered when she ventured out to smoke a cigarette. The picture was captioned: “Merry F****** Christmas!” At least she wasn’t in Fairbanks, Alaska at the First National Bank when the bank’s thermometer displayed a temperature of minus 54 degrees in 1969. The postcard’s caption helpfully explains that “ice fog makes visibility even worse at this 2nd Ave. and Cushman location.”

So there you go, your winter weather probably could be worse. Be grateful for small favors.

Read about an early native American post card, or cheer up while viewing more Alaskan postcards at our website. Or, curl up and browse the world’s largest postcard bookstore.

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