Friday, August 12, 2022

1920 Railroad loading

Oteen/Azalea NC station, loading for Denver train Oct 4, 1920

The following photos are part of: Mrs. Walter L. Massie Collection of Jesse Morris Photos. http://toto.lib.unca.edu/.../mas.../default_massie_oteen.htm and were published by the wonderful Black Mountain and Swannanoa History site on FB.

I think they rate a separate Sepia Saturday post for me. I do hope this site doesn't disappear like so many blogger friends have! I'm posting early because I'll be elsewhere for a few days!




Notice the nurses' and soldiers' uniforms. Nearby is the big Veterans Hospital which is still in operation.


So these are injured soldiers returning to their homes in Colorado.

A bit ignominious entrance through the windows to the train while lying on stretchers. I dare say soldiers had done that before.


A close up of the depot sign, which probably says Azalea...another name for the Oteen stop.

Oteen is now part of the east Asheville NC area, just west of Swannanoa and Black Mountain.

My own comment about enjoying nostalgia...I know those days were hard on people, and photos only show a minute glimpse into their lives. In no way do I want to return to times past, as many of the MAGA people in the rePulsican Party seem to urge. We are in the twenty-first century, and I'm proud to be a part of it...and I not only vote, I urge everyone else to do so, following their own conscience, rather than fear mongers who threaten various doomsdays if they don't follow the mad hating political ads.

Today's quote:

An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc. -Henri Matisse, artist (31 Dec 1869-1954)

15 comments:

  1. ...the rePulsican Party, hits it home!

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    1. Oh dear me! Did I make a typo there? Oh my, must have been a Freudian slip or something!

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  2. An apt term for the current state of the GOP.

    quite a throwback to old times in these shots.

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    1. I never rode on a train before air conditioning. Thank heavens because trains in summertime were about the only trips I took.

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  3. Love the sepia railroad photos. The maga is a cult, people telling the same lies over and over.
    Take care, have a great weekend.

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    1. That's a good analogy for them, as cults have more religious overtones as well as exaggerated belief systems that aren't realistic.

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  4. I once had a book called “The Good Old Days — they were terrible.” It was full of pictures showing what conditions people had to endure.

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    1. I do publish photos often of the bad old days. There were some sad people who allowed someone to take their photos.

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  5. I don’t want to go back either, but let’s hope the kids will be able to say the same thing.

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  6. I don't want Sepia Saturday to end either, so I plan to keep posting. I hope others who stop by our blogs will want to join us! As for the photos you shared today - gee, those poor soldiers laying their with the sun in their eyes and then going in through a window. Guess it was the only way. Also looked at all the flat caps besides the uniforms. And ... couldn't agree with your other comments more. I like the name you have for that particular cultish group.

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    1. Oh thanks for supporting dear old SS. I've come to enjoy those who post, and look forward to them. I agree, those soldiers must have been pretty sick or injured to have to be on a stretcher to get on the train.

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  7. Those are amazing snapshots. I can't imagine traveling from Western NC to Colorado. What was the route and how long did it take? In October 1920 could these be soldiers returning from France? It's extraordinary to think that anyone invalid enough to be on a stretcher would be transported so far. Maybe they were recovering from influenza in NC and sent to Denver for the cooler air.
    And I think the rePulsican Party is a very appropriate nickname and better suited for all ages.

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    1. The nearby Veterans Hospital (in Oteen) has many sick and injured vets, and of course they may be eligible to travel to get better treatment, or just to go home if they have finished whatever treatment was available. I also wonder where the train routes west would go...I would guess toward St. Louis then to the Rockies and Denver.

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  8. Barbara, I collect old postcards and anything having to do with railroads, ships, autos, planes, etc. are my favorites. Railroad related postcards of any quality are really hard to come by. As you may have noted, whenever a railway depot or train is encountered along one of our back road adventures, a photo about it is included in my blog... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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There is today, more than ever, the need for a compassionate regenerative world civilization.