Happy Fourth! In 1900, town picnics and other community events, like church picnics, were the order of the day.
I love zooming in on online digital photographs. Below is a link to a candid shot of people enjoying the Fourth of July at Alpine Park in Salida, Colorado, in 1903. The lone man in the bandstand may have just finished reading the Declaration of Independence aloud, which was usually part of July 4 celebrations. Two women talk under a parasol. People are dressed up, and girls wear ruffly dresses.
Click here to open the link to the photo. (Trouble linking? See end of this post.)
Zooming in amazes me. Here’s how to do it:
- Locate the yellow bar with a minus and plus sign at each end. Beside the plus sign is an icon that says Full Browser when you scroll over it.
- Click on Full Browser. (If you want to return to previous view, just click this again.)
- Move the blue square along the yellow bar, toward the plus sign, but not all the way. This enlarges the center of the photo.
- Hold the mouse key down and drag the picture up. As you move, wait for the new parts of the photo to load. You can drag from side to side.
Here’s another photo of the same celebration with a carriage draped with flag bunting and the decorations on the horses’ heads. Check out the little girls in their best hats!
I will start posting on Thursday mornings. Happy Fourth of July!
Trouble linking? Type in digital.denverlibrary.org and search for: City Park Salida 573 and Alpine Park Salida 574
Hey, what’s that little boy doing with that wire? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter now.
Ha,ha! If it was a fuse to the fireworks pile, he would have gone down in history.
Pam, Thanks for the post and the two photos of my town! The trees in the park are much bigger now, and our dresses are a lot shorter and less ruffly. The bandstand has been replaced by a basketball court, but the crowds are just as big every Saturday morning for the Farmer’s Market. Some things change, some don’t! (The park is still called Alpine Park, though no one knows why, as it’s in the bottom of the valley, not the top of a mountain.)
Thanks for the update, Susan! The trees must be huge by now.
My mother and aunt tried to locate the Florida dairy farm where they grew up. My mother is “90% sure” of the spot and recognizes a couple enormous trees, which she climbed when they were much smaller. We like that it’s now a park and baseball field, with kids running around and playing.
I love this photo thing. Great stuff!
I’ll post more photos in the future. I could get addicted to these.
Those are great. Thanks so much for sharing!
Glad you like them, Natalie.