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Upper Dells, Stand Rock
Unused, aging, but yet somehow aggressive Mike Roberts card C2949, showing “the most famous rock formation in the Dells of the Wisconsin River” and “one of the most famous in the world”. Though we’re not so certain about that claim, both the card and the natural feature are impressive in their own ways. Grade: 1
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Lower Dells, Baby Grand Piano
Unused “local” card. Grade: 1
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Lower Dells, Hawk’s Bill
Unused “local” card. Grade: 1
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Lower Dells, Lone Rock
More of a caption on this unused “local” card — actually a bit gushing — than on some others. Grade: 1
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Lower Dells, The Sugar Bowl
Some explanation of the scene, in the caption of this unused “local” postcard. Grade: 1
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Wisconsin Dells, The “Badger” entering Cold Water Canyon
Unused Dexter Press card 88626. Grade: 1
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Wisconsin Dells, Chimney Rock, The “Badger”
Unused Dexter Press card 88629. Grade: 1
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Lower Dells, Duck and the High Rock Formations
Some local publishers seem to be using older photos and reproducing them on more contemporary descriptions. Like this one — but no guarantees. The card was mailed in 2014 with a round Global Forever stamp and postmark. USPS barcoding straddles the lower reverse. Grade: 1
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Wisconsin Dells, Duck at Hawk’s Bill
Unused “local” card J4275, not really an ad card but promoting the tours. Grade: 1
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Wisconsin Dells, Hornet’s Nest
Unused, aging, Curteich-Chicago linen card 0B-H16. We’re not certain if “tautology” is exactly the right way to describe the caption on the reverse, but it says “HORNET’S NEST has the shape and general appearance of an immense hornet’s nest.” Whatever, we like this card more than some of the newer cards showing the same general area. Grade: 1
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Wisconsin Dells, Lost Canyon
Unused “local” card CP4621. Grade: 1
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Blue Mounds, Little Norway
This outdoor museum in “The Valley of the Elves” on an unused Curteichcolor card 8C-K1782. It’s starting to age a bit. The card, not the museum. Grade: 1
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Hayward, Teal Lake, Johnny’s Hidaway
Maybe if they had spelled “Hidaway” correctly (Hideaway), or if they had not chosen a generic Dexter Press S-73474 design of a yearling black bear cub instead of showing their own property, they might still be in business. Yes, yes, we know, easy for us to say from so far away in time and distance. Unused, and we have two of these. Grade: 1
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New Glarus, Floral Clock
While the unused older postcard describes New Glarus as “home of the Wilhelm Tell Drama”, Wikipedia expands on this somewhat and describes the town as “a popular tourist destination best known for its Swiss heritage, old world architecture, ethnic dining, small independently owned craft brewery, and outdoor festivals”. Grade: 1
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Horicon Marsh, migrating Canada geese
This unused L.L. Cook card 103354 does show a lot of geese. For more about just where Horicon Marsh is, Wikipedia writes: “Horicon Marsh is located in northern Dodge and southern Fond du Lac counties … the site of both a national and a state wildlife refuge. The silted-up glacial lake is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States”. Grade: 1
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Tomahawk, Greetings
Greetings from Tomahawk, Wis. imprinted on the front of this unused, generic card whose caption reads “Fishing in a Likely Spot”. The only trouble is, he doesn’t seem to be fishing. Grade: 2
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Milwaukee, Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, domes
Unused card J4959 from the park itself. Grade: 1
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Fond Du Lac, Galloway House Museum
(Yes, we know the D in Du should be small, but this is how the Postcard does it in the caption.) Leaving that aside, this unused “local” card does sort of make us want to visit, if only because we ourselves go back far enough to recall some places not so different from this in real life. Grade: 1
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Racine, The Old Mill Dam
Even before Curteich attribution, there was C.T. Art-Colortone, as it is on this unmailed old linen card 9A-H425 with some lightly penciled writing on the back. Is the dam still there? When we Google, all we find is old postcards. Grade: 3
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Wausau, Rib Mountain State Park
Unused Dexter Press card 45390 (W-3), a nicely laconic and brief caption. Grade: 1
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin Avenue
An unused L.L. Cook card (3DK-907) (116Z), beginning to age on the back but clearly showing the Science Building of Marquette University and Gesu Church. Grade: 1
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Greetings from Wild Rose
An unused, generic card captioned “Yellow Gold!” and imprinted with “Greetings from Wild Rose, Wis.” on the back. Significant staining renders this postcard as Grade: 5
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Greetings from Wisconsin
Modern version of an older design for large letter postcards … mailed in 2021, with round Global Forever stamp, and postmark. Grade: 1
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Wausau, Winter Scene – Rib Mountain
We suspect from the “real” caption on the reverse of this unused Dexter Press card 82565 (317) that it’s generic and was adapted by Wausau/Rib Mountain for their own use. A dim caption appears on the lower right front corner. Either way, it’s a nice and tranquil view. Grade: 1
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Milwaukee, The Grand Avenue
You might think: what’s there to say about a card with a shopping mall? Wikipedia to the rescue: “The Avenue (previously known as The Grand Avenue, The Shops of Grand Avenue and Shops of Grand Avenue) is an urban shopping plaza currently under renovation that spans three city blocks in the downtown neighborhood of Westown. The Avenue has been the only major indoor shopping facility in Milwaukee with the closing of Capitol Court in 2000 and the Northridge Mall in 2003 due to competition from newly renovated malls in nearby suburbs.” True now or not, this unused card makes it look Grand indeed. Grade: 1
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Crystal Lake, Reigh’s Resort
This real-photo card was first mailed in 1912 — postmark is there but stamp is not. The message could have been written yesterday! Resort is long-gone, though. Heavy handling, but authentic. Grade: 4
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Cambridge, Lake Ripley, Arbor Dell
A real-photo card mailed in 1912, with stamp and clear postmark. Grade: 1
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Eagle River, Road to Tysons
Mailed in 1923, this real-photo card has half its postmark and a quarter of its stamp. Grade: 3
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Elkhorn, Hotel Sterlingworth
Online, someone had a different card of this hotel along with the description we are borrowing: “Sterlingworth hotel on Lauderdale Lakes … The hotel burned sometime in the late 60’s … A new one was built, and I remember going out to eat in their dining room in the early 70’s. Sometime after that, it was converted to condos, and became closed to the general public.” Honestly the picture makes it look more like a sanitarium but the card itself is good, mailed in 191_ (can’t make that out) with stamp and postmark. Grade: 1
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Genoa Jct., “Snowed In”, Jan. 1910
An unused postcard in as good condition as that freshly fallen snow. It was Wisconsin. It was winter. What did they expect? Grade: 1
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Grand Rapids, Grand Ave. looking East
Unused card from long ago. Grade: 1
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Grand Rapids, Wisconsin River Dam
Unused card, clean but with a small part of the lower right corner missing. Grade: 3
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A View of Holy Hill
Unused and old. Grade: 1
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Janesville, Milwaukee St. Looking East from Franklin
An unmailed postcard with a priceless message written on the reverse … John was so proud of himself, rightly so. Grade: 3
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Kenosha, Penoyer (sic) Sanitarium
From the Wisconsin Historical Society, “The Pennoyer Sanitarium, later called the Pennoyer Home, was built in 1890 on the north end of Milwaukee Avenue. It was later used as St. Catherine’s Hospital until it was razed about 1930.” The unused postcard has been handled a lot, and folded horizontally although this is quite a faint flaw. Grade: 3
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Norwalk German Lutheran Church
Clearly not *just* a church, and a routine Google search has more blindsides than a Survivor Tribal Council. Here’s a condensed excerpt from the Waymarking website: “This church is identified on searches as St Jacob. The signs say St John. When WWI came to America, the government expected full cooperation for the war effort and all things non German. This caused a serious problem the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran church as they were of German background. The church itself refused to preach with support for the war effort … This caught the ire of both patriotic Americans and the government. One such target was Rev Otto Engel, who was the pastor at St Jacob. Rev Engel formed the American Liberty League (and) ultimately (he) was targeted by the Justice Department. He soon became the most detailed and intrusive target of the entire Wisconsin Synod. The Department of Justice went after Rev Engel so fiercely that they interrogated children, raided his house three times after he left Norwalk, and tried many times to trap (him) into being guilty of the Espionage Act. In the end Rev Engel was not indicted and ended up going to Poland to start a new church for war torn Germans there. The building itself is still in amazing condition. It has the year AD 1900 embossed at its base and is very well maintained.” We tell you all this because, first, it’s interesting; second, the card has Rev. Engel’s name; and third, the card almost steers you to La Crosse as the location, which it’s not — not to mention the different name of the church itself. Martha could not have known all this when she mailed the card to Emma in 1910, with stamp and postmark. Grade: 1
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Ladysmith, Street Scene
We can picture ourselves transported there as part of a Twilight Zone episode … the photo is that evocative. Unused, B&W, real-photo card. Grade: 1
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Lake Geneva, Moonlight Silhouette
Mailed in 1928 with stamp and nice postmark, the concept behind this card may have been better than the muddled execution but the writer was pleased with everything. Grade: 1
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Little Cedar Lake, Hotel Wolfrum Landing
In 1912, Aunty Virginia kindly wrote the date she mailed this real-photo card to her nephew. The card survives, with stamp and postmark, as a nice reminder of “wish you were here” thoughts. Grade: 1
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Little Cedar Lake, Wolfrum’s Resort
Somewhat formally mailed in 1912, with stamp and clear postmark, and some not-disfiguring creasing. Grade: 3