Review of "Post Cards of LaPorte City," collected by Junior L. McBride

Review of

Post Cards of LaPorte City, collected by Junior L. McBride


Five out of five stars

 La Porte City is a town in Eastern Iowa with a population slightly over 2,000, first reaching the level of 1,000 at the 1880 census. It is typical of most small towns in the midwestern United States, until recently the economy was based primarily on agriculture.

 The post card images in this collection are from the last years of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth. Most of them feature the prominent landmarks of the city, of specific interest is the railroad depot. It was rather large, very attractive and served local and interstate train traffic. One image shows the campaign train of William Howard Taft when he was running for president in 1908. It is a reminder that back then, candidates for high office campaigned in the towns served by the railroads.

 The explanatory text in minimal, just enough to identify the main object(s) or event that was captured on film. There is no major underlying theme other than how the city appeared as the first two digits of the calendar transferred from 19 to 20.