1905 Postmark Souvenir Scarf + Travel Routes in Google!

Okay, I just lost it on this one - a silk scarf, stamped with the postmark of every place our Winchester Kentucky antiques collector travelled - on two journeys, in 1905 and 1907.

I figured it this way - let's see how many of the postmarks we can figure out! They were stamped on both sides of the scarf - so I put on Turner Classic Movies, get Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDOnald to howl in the background as we discover a route that includes Alaska.

Okay - now we can sort the list in date order.

And - well, how about if we try to trace the route? The best way, I guess, is a Google Map. Sheesh. So, sports fans, here is the resulting listing, and an embedded link to the Google Map I came up with. Please tell me you like this object -- !!

Here's the link to the listing with all the photos:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=200359697458

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This sweet silk scarf was carried on two voyages, most likely by Ella Haggard Watson, in 1905 and 1907. The light strong fabric is smooth and simple, with a hand-rolled edge. We had a great time deciphering all the postmarks, then tracing her journeys! Here are two modern links of her path. (Keep in mind that we don't seem to be able to tell Google Maps that we are on a ship or a train in 1905! Obviously, the fastest way between two points in Alaska is to get back on the BOAT! And when you are in Boston, you get on a boat to go to Halifax Nova Scotia - other than that, the maps are a fun look at these trips! She was starting near Lexington, Kentucky..and wouldn't have bothered to get postmarks til she was near something fun...)

Trip to Alaska:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117402284285035999555.00046dd860f435a1c395a&z=4

Trip to New Brunswick and Virginia:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117402284285035999555.00046dd86cfc79de1b20e&z=6

A couple of neat points of interest:

Guardian of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove: This was a period when the grove of the Giant Sequoias were managed by the State of California; the Guardian was a paid position, the manager of the park and grounds.

Shasta Springs, California: a popular summer resort on the Sacramento River, on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Their natural springs were the original source of the Shasta soft drinks.

Jamestown Exposition: held from April 26 - December 1, 1907, near Norfolk, Virginia, commemorating the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the US. Its novelties included: a re-creation of the (recent) San Francisco Earthquake; the battle of the ironclads, the Monitor and the Merrimac (only 40 years earlier!); and a 23 foot high section of the new East River underwater tunnel to Penn Station in New York City.

We find this collectible to be enchanting, with historic signficance - a glimpse into the recreational life of a woman of means at the turn of the century. A fascinating piece of Edwardian art!

Pattern: The postmarks are grouped into two main areas, documenting both trips.

Yosemite, California, May 29, 1905
G.T. Herlow, Guardian of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree grove,
Fresno, California, May 31, 1905
Long Beach CA , California, Jun 1, 1905
Southern Pacific Co, San Gabriel, California, Jun 2, 1905
Southern Pacific Co, Redlands, California, Jun 3, 1905
Shasta Springs , California, ,
Riverside Ca, California, Jun 3, 1905
Trans-Continental Passenger Assoc, Jun 5, 1905
Trans-Continental Passenger Assoc, Jun 16, 1905
Pacific Coast Steamship Co, Spokane, Washington, Jun 18, 1905
Pacific Coast Steamship Co, Tacoma, Washington, Jun 20, 1905
San Francisco, California, Jun 21, 1905
Hotel Butler, Seattle, Washington, Jun 21, 1905
Victoria, British Columbia, Jun 22, 1905
Juneau, Alaska, Jun 24, 1905
Ketchikan, Alaska, Jun 24, 1905
Skagway, Alaska, Jun 24, 1905
Metlakatla, Alaska, Jun 26, 1905
White Pass & Yukon Railway, White Pass, Alaska, Jun 26, 1905
White Pass & Yukon Railway, Skaguay, Alaska, Jun 26, 1905
Killisnoo, Alaska, Jun 27, 1905
Sitka, Alaska, Jun 20, 1905
Alaska Treadwell Gold Mountain, Treadwell, Alaska, ,
Wrangell, Alaska, Jun 29, 1905
Northern Pacific Railway, Seattle, Washington, Jul 3, 1905
Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, Jul 5, 1905
Yellowstone Lake Hotel, Yellowstone Park, , Jul 8, 1905
Grand Canyon Hotel, Northern Pacific Railway, Jul 9, 1905
Hot Springs Hotel, Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, Jul 10, 1905
West Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jul 13, 1905
Chicago Statn 6, Chicago, Illinois, Jul 24, 1905
Boston, Massachusets, Aug 13, 1905
Boston & Maine RR, Lexington, Massachusets, Aug 20, 1905

Niagara Falls Centre, New York, Jul 26, 1907
Niagara Falls, New York, Jul 28, 1907
Buffalo, New York, Jul 29, 1907
Chautauqua, New York, Jul 29, 1907
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Aug 14, 1907
I.C. (InterColonial) Railway, Moncton, New Brunswick, Aug 16, 1907
Saint John, New Brunswick, Aug 17, 1907
I.C. (InterColonial) Railway, Truro, Nova Scotia, Aug 17, 1907
Eastern Steamship Co, Aug 17, 1907
Plymouth, Massachusetts, Aug 19, 1907
Salem, Massachusetts, Aug 19, 1907
Hotel Chamberlin, Fortress Monroe, Virginia, Aug 24, 1907
C&O Railway Co, Williamsburg, Virginia, Aug 25, 1907
Jamestown Exposition, Aug 26, 1907
Petersburg, Virginia, Aug 31, 1907
Appomattox, Virginia, Sep 2, 1907
Natural Bridge, Virginia, Sep 7, 1907

Size: 20.75 x 20.75 inches.

Wear: For display purposes, there are some challenges: the postmarks face both sides, in all directions. Could be framed with two-sided glass or, simply kept as it has been these many years - rolled lightly over a tube, to be admired.