Monday, April 11, 2016

Only You

This find comes from another cache of paper I found at an estate sale this weekend. I'm guessing it dates from 1956 given the first 2 digits of the card id on the lower edge.

The card was given out by Holiday House Hotel in Dillon, Colorado.  I couldn't find any references to this long gone haven of vacation respite.

"Smokey the Bear" was a fictional character created by the U.S. Forest Service in 1944 to promote fire safety.  His first famous words were uttered in 1947: "Remember...Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires". "Smokey became reality in 1950 when a Black Bear cub was discovered clinging to a tree in New Mexico after having been trapped by a wildfire and suffering burns to his paws and rear legs.  Smokey soon became a celebrity and took up permanent residence in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. where he lived until 1976.

3 comments:

  1. love this artwork. i was going to guess mid-1960s, which wasn't too far off. funny -- i clearly remember the story about his namesake's discovery, but i don't ever recall hearing when the bear he was based on died. i guess that's not something adults relayed to us kids in the 70s. RIP, Smokey :' (

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is wonderful! And I was born in 1956. You have a very nice blog. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Linda! Greetings to you from St. Louis, MO USA. Glad you stopped by.

      Delete