Photographs in black and white appear somber, yet the image becomes dominant when color is no longer there to distract. In the following photographs, I've included a bit of background information about each one.
Merritt Stampede 1936
A relative is in the first row of cowboys, second from the right, wearing a black outfit, and black hat on a black horse. Notice the cars parked alongside the parade route. A stampede is like a rodeo which includes western skills in races, roping and agility. This was a time without television, so anything coming to town was exciting news. Radio ruled.
Merritt, B.C., now sponsors Rodeo Fair Days, while larger cities such as Calgary, Alberta, hosts a much larger stampede event.
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| Merritt Stampede Parade, 1936, Local cowboys, prop. DGH Collection |
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The Royal Hudson
A special steam train previously operated by BC Railway and used for tours of the coastline between Vancouver and Squamish, B.C. This class of steam engine, built in 1938, earned the title of 'royal' for its never-failing service to the royals during their cross-country tour in 1939.
King George VI and the queen consort, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the Queen Mother) arrived in Canada on May 17, 1939. Their train was a silver and blue 2850 steam engine. The King allowed the name to be called the 'Royal Hudson' and to display Royal Crowns on the running boards.
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| The Royal Hudson 2860, 1940s Vintage Steam Engine, by Green Eye |
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Fort Jefferson
In 1846, a coastal fortress is built in the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles from the Florida Keys.
The arches shown below used some of the total 16 million bricks that were carted by ship from Boston, Massachusettes, to the Dry Tortugas. Small windows were set in the brick walls, narrowed for sighting of guns, and to prevent entry of enemy cannonballs. Dripping water from rain and constant humidity leaves deposits of sediment on the corridor floor.
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| Dry Tortugas, Ft. Jefferson arched corridor, by DG Hudson |
Fast-forward to 2006, when we went to the Dry Tortugas on a catamaran adventure tour. See Key West, a previous post with more details. Fort Jefferson, the monument, is an interesting place with a history connected to Abe Lincoln and his assassination, one of the dark times in American history. When we were there, reconstruction was underway for some storm damaged sections.
http://www.nps.gov/drto/historyculture/fort-jefferson.htm
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Do you like black and white photography? OR do you prefer color? Who doesn't like cowboys, trains or pirate islands? Please share in the comments and thanks for stopping by.
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References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Hudson - Royal Hudson Trains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jefferson,_Florida - Fort Jefferson Monument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_Tortugas_National_Park - The Dry Tortugas
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