The Circular Bridge

These three post cards are pictures of what Thaddeus Lowe called “The Circular Bridge”, and for a very good reason. According to the Mt. Lowe Preservation Society this bridge is “a circle of 400 feet with a diameter of 150 feet, built on a grade of 4 ½%”. It was one of many points of interest on the Mount Lowe Railway. In my previous posts you can see the Mt. Lowe Incline and the Granite Gate.

The top card is the oldest. It was postmarked 1909. You can see that the trolley car is very open in this view (sunny California) and perhaps a bit primitive. But, there is nothing primitive about the construction of the bridge. You can see the timbers and pilings quite clearly. It looks very sturdy. I like looking at the valley below. This railway was just above Pasadena. When you look at the San Gabriel Valley in this post card, it looks like it is neatly laid out in agricultural sections. Well, this is from over 100 years ago. The middle card is from 1912. You can see that they have changed the design on the trolley car. You can also see clearly the slope that the bridge encompasses. The purpose of the bridge was not just to turn you around to go back in the direction you just came from, it was to get you higher up the mountain, too. This view certain demonstrates that. The bottom post card is from 1913. The first thing I notice is how the valley has changed. Those agricultural squares in the first card now show housing development up against the mountains. On the left side of this view one can see the path that leads to where the Echo Mountain House and the Observatory was located. This is where the incline took people; then, they transferred to these trolley cars and went farther up to the Alpine Tavern.

The backs of the post cards are all postmarked. They cover the timeline from September 2, 1909 to April 7, 1913. The first card contains a message correcting a mistake made in a previous letter. It says that the writer thought that the person they were staying with had not been to Columbus, Ohio (the destination of the card) for 20 years. It turns out that a Mr. Stewart had not lived in Columbus for 20 years but had visited there 3 years ago and cooked dinner with a mutual friend. It also declares that they intend to go up Mount Lowe before they head home, but that they are going to Long Beach tomorrow. The post card is going to what they call today, Old Towne East. It is east of Interstate 71 and about 1 and a half miles from where the river bends to the south. It was published by Edward H. Mitchell. He was a very prolific post card publisher. The second post card is dated September 7, 1912. It is going to Seattle, Washington. This is near Green Lake and a few blocks north of Woodland Park Zoo. The message tells us that this writer actually took the trip up Mount Lowe. “It’s beautiful up here. B. has mentioned so many times ‘Belle was with us’ We are sure having a dandy trip with Tom.” Then the writer declares that they took an auto trip that went 165 miles. That must have been amazing in 1912. The first Model T Ford was produced in August of 1908!! Again, we have no clue as to who published this post card. It does, however, sport the logo for Mt. Lowe California on the back. The last post card is written in beautiful penmanship. It was sent from Los Angeles to Mapleton, Minnesota. It is southwest of St. Paul, Minneapolis by just over 50 miles “as the crow flies”. On the map, it looks like a farming community. The message on this post card tells us that is was 99 years ago. “Hello George: How are you getting along by this time. I suppose you are busy on the farm now. Have you driven your bay colt yet? He must be a dandy by this time. I am getting along fine.” We will never know if this writer ever went up the mountain or not. This post card was also published by Edward H. Mitchell. The postal cancelation says, “WORLD’S PANAMA PACIFIC EXPOSITION IN SAN FRANCISCO 1915” If you have ever been to San Francisco, you have probably seen the remnants from this exposition.