The Epworth League Album 37, The End

Another low level, staring off into space, precursor of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, photo. Not the image I would have chosen to end this album, but appropriate, nevertheless. There is no excuse now. Time to click on Epworth League in the labels section to view the entire collection, in order.

The Epworth League Album 36. The Mysterious Arrowhead

Won't someone tell me where this arrowhead was located.

The Epworth League Album 35, What A Tree

Two more pages, two more single photos, two more to go and then it's bye bye to the Epworth League. I'll bet both of these images got sent back home. Yes Virginia, we do have really, really tall palm trees, and cactus gardens too. Of course, Iowa has the Mississippi River and L. A.'s river is just a tiny little thing. Can't have everything.

The Epworth League Album 34, To The Parapets

I don't know if the same person took all the photos in this album, but I do know that this last batch of photos all have a similar style. Low angles, somewhat off compositions, and that whole thing were some of the subjects look at the camera while others stare off into space. This buildings look like it's made of stone, increasing the chances that it's still standing. I don't recognize it, but if anyone out there does, please leave a comment.

The Epworth League Album 33, The Final Push

It's time to finish up the Epworth League photo album. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to break down the last few pages, but it won't be more than four more posts, maybe three. I just don't know yet. Hey, does anyone out there recognize the train station in the first photo? It's killing me because I'm certain I've seen a similar photo of an old station, located somewhere in southern California. Why didn't the owner of this album use captions?

The Epworth League Album 32, It Does Rain in Southern California

This is another of my favorite photographs from this album. The first big real estate developers in southern California advertised all over the United States trying to induce people to leave places like Iowa and Pennsylvania and come west. One of the biggest draws was that it was always sunny in the Los Angles area. No snow, hurricanes, and flood causing rains. The reality is that it does rain in southern Cal and before the Army Corp. of Engineers lined the Los Angeles River in concrete, it also flooded fairly often. No matter how optimistic someone is, doubts will arise. Were these two people wondering just what did they get themselves into? As the saying goes, into every life some rain must fall.

The Epworth League Album 31, An Epworthian Cross

In my small research into the Epworth League, I discovered a number of cultural references to the organization. From Sherwood Anderson to Ernest Hemingway and even in The Music Man, the League has been painted as a home for middle American dullness. Was this an Epworthian idea of good times? Hiking in the mountains to be photographed next to a cross? I'm a life long atheist, the only one in my family. My mother wasn't much of a church goer, just Easter and Christmas, but she did try and make me over into a believer. She wanted me to follow in my sister's footsteps and spend at least one summer at Jumonville, a Methodist church camp in western Pennsylvania. I'm happy to report that I wriggled out of that one, but I can remember the trips to pick up my sister, with all the campers hiking up to a sixty foot, mountaintop, steel cross. Lots of singing of hymns and holding hands.

The Epworth League Album 30, Wild Creativity

It's my own personal prejudice (with nothing to back it up) that women are far more likely to compile photo albums then men. But who was the photographer? The lady who took the time to choose and then glue in the photos, or someone else? This album has a lot of rather ordinary, just stand there and look at the camera pictures, and also, photos like these. It's not just the way she tore the borders. Who ever took these had a taste for low angles, poses of people looking off who knows where, odd groupings. Click on Epworth League in the labels section, bring up everything and you'll find more than a few interesting choices made by the photographer. I would love to see a lot more from who ever it was that took these pictures. I wonder if the two guys in the cactus garden were getting impatient. "Come on, just take the damn picture." "No, I want to get it just right. And please, tilt that hat just a bit more to the left."

The Epworth League Album 29, A Very Different L.A.

Hard to believe, but that beautiful rural land behind these four people is now covered in houses, schools and shopping centers. I recognize the ridge line as the San Gabriel Mountains, and while I can't be sure of the exact location, I'm pretty sure that the camera is pointed west, looking down the length of the San Gabriel Valley. That would mean Pasadena, Santa Anita and beyond. They look very confident in the future, don't they?

The Epworth League Album 28, Another Parade Picture

This is what I don't get. Sons of veterans? Why not actual veterans? Let's say this album was compiled in 1910, give or take a year or two. The Civil War would have ended about 45 years earlier. There would have been plenty of Civil War veterans still around. The Spanish American war would have been over for about a decade.

The Epworth League Album 27, Our New Home

This is one of my favorite photographs in this album and the reason I'm convinced that it isn't a collection about a trip to California, but about a new home on the west coast. There aren't many of these houses left, built before World War 1, and part of one of the first big building booms in the Los Angeles area, but some survive and if this one does, I'd love to find it.

The Epworth League Album 26, Finally The Epworth League

I was intrigued by this album because it seems to show the migration of one family from the mid-west to southern California at a time in history when the Los Angeles area was going through one of it's first major expansions. I was also irritated by it because there is not a single caption of any kind. Well, this image is as close as I'll get to an actual written clue. The badge on the front of the car is the logo of The Epworth League. The league was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1889 as an organization within the Methodist Church for members from ages 18 to 35 in order to promote "intelligent and vital piety among the young people of the church." The league is named for Epworth, England, home town of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church. But was the owner of this album an Epworthian, (Epworthite? Epworther?) or did they just think it was nice looking float at the Rose Parade.

The Epworth League Album 25, The Classic See My Dress Pose

Obviously, it's the second photo on the first album page which is the classic "see my dress" pose. I've seen it soooo many times. It also looks like someone is walking down the street with a Bible in her hands. Also a classic look. Remember, click on Epworth League in the labels section to bring up everything to date. I promise, we're getting near the end.

The Epworth League Album 24, The Exotic East

Now, when we think of China we think of an economic competitor. When these pictures were taken, China was thought of as the exotic east; jade idols, dragon ladies and opium dens. Who thinks of a little girl and kittens? As valid an image as any.

The Epworth League Album 23, Horses In Los Angeles

I've always know that, there was a time, when people got around the Los Angeles area by horse. Still, it's nice to see some photographic proof. Note the palm tree in the background, while the two ladies with suitcases could still be back home in the mid-west.

The Epworth League Album 22, Kids

This one falls under my no editing of albums rule. The first photograph is faded to the point of being almost unrecognizable and the second isn't much better. Though, the second kid does have a great, look at me, I matter, pose. I'm willing to bet that around about the age of thirty, he ran for office. Local school board, county commissioner, or maybe mayor. Wouldn't it be something if we were looking at a future senator, or maybe even a president. Unlikely?

The Epworth League Album 21, A Mystery?

If I find an old photo album and an image has been torn out, I think someone along the line wanted a photo from the album, but not the who collection itself, or a dealer found a picture that they thought they could sell for a nice price. This album is so complete though, It makes me wonder if the missing picture had a third person (Take a close look at the bit of remaining photo, and it looks like it could be the same location.) that had a falling out with the owner of this album. "That bastard!" rip and a bad memory is gone.

The Epworth League Album 20

The frustrating thing about this album is that there isn't a single label, a single line of text. The nice thing about this album is that there isn't a single label, a single line of text. With nothing more than my best guess, I think that the photos on the first page are from back home, where ever that might be. The second page, the new life in California. But, were they carried west or were they mailed from parents to their children far away. I think the young lady in the first picture looks a little disappointed that she's not off having an adventure.

The Epworth League Album 19, By the Sea

In my imagination this lady and her family got on a train in Iowa or Missouri, and travelled west over higher mountains than they could ever envision. They got to southern California, set up their new home and then one weekend, put on their best clothes, got on the street car and went to see the Pacific, and they were awed. I grew up in the age of photography, movies and television and knew what to expect when I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. I wasn't awed, and that's a terrible thing.

The Epworth League Album 18, Hats

What can I say. Gotta love those hats!