Casa Del Desierto Barstow CA 1936 Fred Harvey Railroad Station Postcard

✍️ Message on the Postcard

Back:
On our last
lap – Get there
today we hope!
Are here and
now for the last
day – Love, Connie

🖼️ Information on the Front of the Postcard

📝 In-Scene Text
Not visible

🏢 Publisher Information
Not visible (There are postal cancellation marks visible on the upper left and center-right of the sky, but no publisher information.)

💬 Captions
H-1913 CASA DEL DESIERTO, FRED HARVEY HOTEL, BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA

📬 Information on the Back of the Postcard

📮 Address
Mrs. X. G. Mallison
211 Gen’l Gardner
Lafayette, Louisiana

📅 Postmark & Stamp
**Postmark**: A circular machine postmark from BARSTOW, CALIF, dated APR 10, 1936, at 10:30 AM.
**Stamp**: A 1-cent green U.S. postage stamp depicting George Washington, with “UNITED STATES POSTAGE” at the top and “ONE CENT” at the bottom. The stamp is cancelled with horizontal killer bars.

🏛️ Publisher & Postal Note
**Publisher**: The postcard features “Fred Harvey TRADE MARK” at the top left. Below this, it describes the “Casa del Desierto (House of the Desert) the Fred Harvey Hotel at Barstow,” noting its architectural style and location as a “junction of Santa Fe lines.” This indicates Fred Harvey, a prominent hospitality company associated with railroad travel, is the likely publisher or at least the subject/sponsor of the postcard.
**Postal Note**: “POST CARD” is printed prominently at the top center. “MESSAGE” and “ADDRESS” are printed at the bottom of their respective sections. A small code “AQ140” is present at the bottom center.

📌 Context
This postcard, sent on April 10, 1936, during the Great Depression era, provides a glimpse into travel and communication practices of the time. The sender, Connie, was in Barstow, California, a known junction for the Santa Fe Railway, which aligns perfectly with the Fred Harvey hotel featured on the card. Fred Harvey establishments were famous for their quality service along railroad routes. The message “On our last lap – Get there today we hope! Are here and now for the last day” suggests Connie was on a journey, likely by train, and Barstow was a significant stop, possibly marking the penultimate stage or a farewell to a part of their trip. The 1-cent stamp was the standard domestic postcard rate in the U.S. at the time, and the George Washington design was a common low-denomination issue.

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