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
