Vanessa WoodThe U.S. census takes place every ten years. Finding an ancestor and their activities between those years can be challenging. Correspondence—even if it was never sent—can provide clues.
My grandfather was Harold Paulson, a Swedish immigrant. In 1909 he wrote a postcard to N. Paulson in Sweden—it was never sent (see images 1 and 2).1 It shows a construction scene of the “Frisco Shops.” The card bears no copyright or publication date, however the handwritten date, 21 May 1909, is consistent with the scene depicted.
Image 1: Front of “Frisco Shops” Postcard, 1909
Image 2: Back of “Frisco Shops” Postcard, 1909
Postcard from author’s private collection.
The Frisco Plant Shops
The plant was built in Springfield, Missouri and opened for business on 5 July 1909.2 Frisco was a builder of railroad cars in the United States.
Dating the Card
There are no close ups of people, so their clothing cannot be dated. There are no close clear depictions of the machinery in use. The railcars bear the Frisco name but they are too far from the camera for any other identifies to be captured.
The building materials provide clues. In the foreground concrete forms are set up and there is already a concrete foundation or basement in place. Concrete was in use in the early twentieth Century.3
A horse or mule in the middle of the postcard is a clue that the photograph was made in the early part of the the 20th century. This construction crew were still using horse-power to do their work.
Message and Translation
The back of the postcard
| SWEDISH (transcription) Springfield Mo. M[a]y 21st 1909 manga helsninger till er alle sammans fron Harold är en annan del af platsen hvar jag abetar | ENGLISH (translation)4 Springfield, Mo. May 21st 1909 Many greetings to all of you together from Harold is another part of the place where I work |
Two additional postcards showing the Frisco plant were in my grandfather’s personal effects (see Image 4).5 These post cards have no handwriting on the back. They show the completed plant and the plant’s opening date of 5 July 1909.
Image 3: Frisco, Springfield, Mo., two postcards forming panoramic view, 1909.
Postcards from author’s private collection.
Image 4 and 5 (front and back): Possibly Another view of the Frisco Locomotive Shop (updated 5 December 2023)
The roofline in Image 4 is similar to the roof of the Machine and Erecting Shop in Image 3, leading one to think this is the same building in both images.
Postcard from author’s private collection.
Conclusions
Three postcards were in the personal effects of Harold B. Paulson. One card he intended to send to send to N. Paulson at Ramlosa Brunn, Sweden. The card was not sent. It is dated 20 May 1909. It shows the Frisco plant, Springfield, Mo. under construction. In Swedish, Harold, said he was working at the plant. History of the plant shows it opened on 5 July 1909 as described on the panoramic view. This suggests that since Harold wrote of work there before its opening, he likely was engaged in the construction of the plant.
- “Frisco Shops,” postcard of construction scene, 21 May 1909, the collection of Vanessa Wood.
- Mike Condren, “Frisco West Shops, Springfield, MO,” Arkansas Boston Mountains Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (https://www.condrenrails.com/Frisco/West-Shops/Frisco-West-Shops.htm).
- Mike Jackson, “Throwback Thursday: A Brief History of Concrete,” 6 August 2015, blog, Architect Magazine (https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/products/throwback-thursday-a-brief-history-of-concrete).
- Google Translate (https://translate.google.com/)
- “Panoramic View Taken Two Weeks Before Completion,” postcard of construction scene, 1909, the collection of Vanessa Wood.
