I hadn’t documented this Tour Jeep postcard, so I snagged this off of eBay.
Postcards Research Archives
Lewis and Clark Cavern Jeep Railway Postcards on eBay
UPDATE II: This photo from eBay shows the front the “Dinosaur Jitney” jeep used to pull the tram.
View all the information on eBay
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UPDATE Posted Aug 21, 2018: This was last published in 2012. A couple of the postcards are back on eBay.
Originally published November 10, 2012: The Lewis and Clark Cavern was Montana’s first State Park and is located here. You can read about the history of the caves here. In 1947 the Montana Standard published an article about the cavern accompanied by the photo and caption below. You can view the entire article in this PDF file.
Here are three postcards related to this Jeep Railway.
1. View all the information on eBay
2. I haven’t seen this one on eBay in a while …
1975 San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours Brochure & Post Card
This 1975 tri-fold brochure from San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours out of Ouray, Colorado, doesn’t show and FC Tour Jeeps, but it does have a wide photo that includes a Wagon Tour Jeep. Below the brochure is the front and back of a Scenic Jeep Tour postcard that features a wagon.
Here is the postcard I mentioned:
1968 Postcard of Tour Jeep in Virgin Islands
I just purchased this Tour Jeep postcard off of eBay that shows an FC-170 tour jeep in the Virgin Islands in 1968. I searched for additional information on FC jeeps in the Virgin Islands, without success.
Back in 1987 (like 10 lifetimes ago!) I toured St. Thomas in a tiny Suzuki Samarai and in the back of a taxi. The FC would have been a much cooler way to see the island.
1960s(?) Postcard Pete’s Cave “Shepherd of the Hills Farm” on eBay
UPDATE: Here’s another one of these postcards on eBay. Starting bid is .99.
(08/04/2020) I don’t know much about Shepherd of the Hills Farm, but I did learn that it was a book from 1907 by Harold Bell Wright that became a tourist destination that then played some role in the rise of Branson, Missouri, as a tourist destination.
View all the information on eBay
“Vintage Postcard of the Farm Tour pulled by an old Army Jeep at Pete’s Cave in Shepherd of the Hills in Branson MO
Size Standard 3 1/2 by 5 1/2
Circa 1960s”
Four Willys-Overland Sales and Service Postcards.
I just missed out on these postcards. There were no other bidders when I made a high bid of $31, but apparently someone came in at the last second with a higher bid. Well, they can have them for that price (besides, I already have the “Snug and Warm” card).
Still, these cards are pretty interesting. I would guess based on the Worman hardtops and CJ-2A styling that they are likely from the late 1940s.
Snug and Warm Postcard on eBay
I’m guessing this is a late 1940s or early 1950s postcard.
View all the information on eBay
“Unwritten, undated, unstamped, unmailed UNLESS stated otherwise above.”
Merry Christmas 2021
Merry Christmas everyone!
It’s a bit of a somber Christmas in our neck of the woods. Mom has been struggling over the past week with lots of confusion and health struggles. After a 36-hour wait in the ER, she finally made it into the hospital Thursday night. She had an operation yesterday (the 24th) to remove fluids from the sac around her heart. The docs extracted 700ml (which is a lot) and left a tube in to drain more. Needless to say, this indicates her heart is struggling mightily. Without some kind of miracle, she probably has weeks left at the very most. So, Ann and I are having a quiet holiday season at our new home this year.
We hope everyone else has an enjoyable holiday season with your families and friends. And, I hope you all are blessed with good fortune in 2022!
This 1945 Christmas Card was auction on eBay in 2015:
1966? Postcard From Le Roussillon, France on eBay
This post card, possibly from August 29, 1966, shows travelers in a Hotchkiss (most likely), modified into a tour jeep.
View all the information on ebay
“Jeep Willys Hotchkiss car at Canigou, Roussillon, France vintage Postcard”
Winter Park Villager: A DJ-3A Surrey Pulling a Matching Trailer
UPDATE: The two post cards at the bottom of this post were on eBay several years ago. I recently came across some newspaper clippings that give background about the Winter Park Villager tram’s purpose. The service began November 28, 1966, but I could not find an end-date.
This first article discusses the jeep tram’s beginnings:
This next article notes that Monday, November 28th, as the launch date for the jeep tram service.
This short article from March of 1967 describes some of the tram’s stops:
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This Winter Park Villager shows a DJ-3A Surrey pulling a matching trailer in Winter Park, Florida. One of these postcards is currently on eBay.
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Here’s another view of the same combo. One of these postcards is currently on eBay
1940s? Paris-Themed Christmas Card
This neat, undated Christmas card with a Paris WWII theme is $3.95 on eBay. The back side is blank.
View all the information on eBay
“Vintage flat greeting card, “A Merry Xmas”.
Not dated- I presume it is circa WWII.
5″ x 7″. Stains, creases, edge and corner wear including bends, age tanning. It has an old paper smell.
QSL Cards on eBay
I haven’t listed these QSL cards in a while. Here’s a couple ones I hadn’t seen.
- Jeepster Kid’s KBN-2655 Card on eBay:
“Vintage QSL Radio Card, JEEP Sanford Florida.KBN-2655, The JEEPSTER KID!!NS Stamped.”
2. This QSL Card is from Earl Clark, Jr:
“Vintage QSL Radio Card.
“KBN-7286 Earl Clark Jr”.
Inkster, Michigan.
Vintage Jeep and camping scene.”
1943 Santa, Jeep, War Bond Card on eBay
This Merry Christmas card with Santa in a Jeep promoted war bonds for the 1943 Christmas season.
View all the information on eBay
“1943 Santa Claus World War II Military Jeep Buy War Stamps Merry Christmas Card. has some glue and paper on the back from the scrapbook it was in. See photos for details.”
Old Christmas Photo Card w/CJ-2A on eBay
The Dolds’ family wishing their friends and family Merry Crhistmas. The windshield and the passenger step have already both been modified on this jeep.
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“This Auction is for 1 VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH TYPE CARD
1950’S-60’S ERA? MIGHT BE BY BROAD RIPPLE, INDIANA?
CHRISTMAS CARD-JEEP-DACHSHUND DOG IN INDIANA
THE PHOTO IS CLEAR 1-2 FEET AWAY, THE PHOTO IS CLEAR UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS, BUT DARK. OPEN FACE CARD, BLANK BACK, WITH CAPTION. THESE CARDS WERE MADE MOST LIKELY FROM A DEPARTMENT STORE AND GIVEN TO NEIGHBOR’S, FAMILY & FRIENDS DURING THE HOLIDAYS.
CAPTION:” THE DOLDS? ”
Canfield Tow Company Wrecker Mailers & Documents
UPDATE: Mike shared some additional Canfield information, which I’ve added to this post.
1. Mike’s Canfield Wrecker Mailer Postcard. 8 x 9 Folded , 11 x 9 Unfolded. This is the outside back and front. Note the Overload Springs and Push-Plates (aka Push-Bumpers), which Canfield marketed for years (Koenig also had push plates/bumpers, but with slots for a winch).
This inner portion allowed recipients to resend the postcard back to Canfield for more information.
2. Canfield Wrecker Mailer Postcard from eBay. These images came from eBay and don’t show the whole card. From the eBay ad: “original Postcard, 8.5 x 5.5, Canfield Tow Truck Equipment.”
3. Additional Canfield information. Mike provided these bulleltins about how to sell the Canfield wrecker to prospects. These first two pages deal with incentives for Jeep dealers for installing Canfield wreckers.
1945 Christmas Card w/ From Budapest, Hungary on eBay
Neat little unscripted and signed card with a jeep and Christmas tree from Hungary.
View all the information on eBay
“Original signed old Xmas card without envelope from Budapest 1945. Good condition, (please see scan). Dimensions are (folded): 108 X 155 mm.
I will send this item Worldwide. Shipping by registered Air-Mail only (Worldwide) is 4.20 $ for 1-3 Postcards.”
1950 Willys Makes Sense Postcard
This oversize 5″x7″ postcard arrived as part of a multiple postcards from eBay. The postcard was part of the 1950-1951 Willys Makes Sense campaign and was the first image published in magazines as part of the campaign.
It’s unclear to me just how many different images were used from the campaign for Willys Makes Sense postcards, but beware that there are a variety of newly printed postcards on eBay and Etsy.
FC-150 Postcards
Here are multiple FC-150 postcards advertising FC-150s.
1. This postcard is Form No. W-FC-10 and is currently on eBay. It opens vertically:
2. This postcard is Form No. W-FC-11 and opens vertically. It is currently on eBay:
I’ve been watching for one of these FC-150 fold-out postcards for a while. I found this one the other day included with some others on ebay. This postcard is Form No. W-FC-12 and it opens horizontally. There is another one on eBay:
This narrow track FC-150 postcard lacks a Form No. It does not fold out. It is currently on eBay: Continue reading
1951 Station Wagon Post Card on eBay
This 1951 postcard for the Willys Station Wagon (no ‘jeep’ reference) is form number SW1-2CM-451GG. The postcard is large at 11 x 8.25 inches.
View all the information on eBay
“1951 Willys Station Wagon Sales Brochure Flyer Original : you are bidding on a 1951 Willys Station Wagon Sales Brochure measures 11 x 8 1/4 inches in good condition!!! Rare hard to find”
1945 Christmas Card From Budapest on eBay
Christmas Card w/ Odd Jeep on eBay
Here’s a an odd jeep-like Christmas card labeled “JEEPERS”.
View all the information on eBay
“Vtg 1940s Christmas Greeting Card WW11 Green Army Jeep Anthropomorphic Dog/AS IS.”
Don Pratt Jeep Tours
UPDATE: As best as I can tell, it looks like 1963 was when Don Pratt’s Jeep Tours began working with the Kachina Cab company. The article appeared in the August 13, 1963, issue of the Arizona Republic:
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Originally posted June 2019: According to this Pink Jeep Tour site, Pink Jeep Tours is the oldest continuously operating Jeep Tour Company in the United States. It was started in 1958 by a Sedona Realtor named Don Pratt, who would drive clients to see homes at Broken Arrow Estates. The Broken Arrow tour is the original Jeep tour and is still today the most popular tour in Sedona.Why did he make the jeeps pink? Mr. Pratt got the idea while visiting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach, where everything was pink.
But, that’s only part of the story. In her book Echoes of Sedona Past, Mary Lou Keller explains how her and her husband cleared the first trail and how, when Glenn Keller decided not to open a jeep tour business, their friend Don Pratt asked if he could do it instead. Mrs. Keller covers the story in five pages of her book available to read on Google.The book also includes the image below of Mary Lou Keller with her do Pico in her (probably) 1946 CJ-2A:
FC-170 QSL Postcard **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
Here’s a QSL Postcard with an FC-170 imprint.
“Vintage QSL Postcard ANTIQUE JEEP J Series Truck COMMERCE CITY Colorado”
Postcard of Wisconsin Deer Park on eBay
UPDATE: Here’s another example of a Wisconsin Dells Jeep Train, probably from the mid-1960s.
View all the information on eBay
“3-1/2 x 5-1/2 (Standard Size) postcard.”
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Originally Posted April of 2017: Seth spotted this postcard depicting a jeep pulling visitor trams at the Wisconsin Deer Park at the Wisconsin Dells. Opened in the 1950s (see history here), the park still operates, but there’s no evidence that the trams are still used, The closest thing to a jeep tram is a kids train.
Chimpanzees and Battery Powered Jeeps
UPDATE: A newspaper article from May 20, 1950, published in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, provides more information about the jeep-driving circus chimp named Nero. He passed away later in the year.
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Originally Posted January of 2013: This 1950 postcard shows some chimpanzees driving a battery powered jeep. They were part of a Chimpanzee show at the St. Louis zoo started in 1925. Chimps were taught to ride bicycles, tricycles, motorcycles, ponies, a Great Dane, and more. You can learn more about them in the January 8, 1951, issue of Life Magazine.
“VINTAGE POSTCARD – CONDITION: VG. DATE/ERA: 1950s-60s. Standard Size 3.5×5.5.”
View all the information on eBay
You can view some additional pictures at Jalopy Journal (scroll part way down the page). The quality seems good enough that they may be from Life Magazine, but I tried, but failed to locate their original source. Here is one of the images.
On December 13, 1950, several newspapers announced that Nero had passed away. Here’s an article from the Southern Illinoisan: