Souvenir Folder of Scenic Western Nebraska Accordion Postcard Set

MID-AMERICA + THE PLAINS. 
Accordion Postcard Set Folder, Souvenir, c. 1950s. 

(This postcard folder ships for free inside a rigid Ultra•Pro® toploader to protect it during shipping.)

Though not treated well during its long life-span, we were excited to stumble across this set given the rarity of the subject in our tourist-centric finds. Situating the story of west Nebraska within the canal of continental migrants that would define the Oregon, California, as well as Mormon trails (sadly, if not unsurprisingly for the era, skipping over all indigenous history in the process), this set of 18 cards devotes its entire front-side to the Scott’s Bluff National Monument. This spread of bad lands, rolling grass prairie, and the prominent geologic-time shaped buttes for which it is primarily known peppers the land alongside the North Platte River, a key landmark of the mentioned 19th century migration. Scott’s Bluff is unique for collecting such land variations in close proximity, holding onto the history of wagon wheel tracks etched into hard rock paths—a testament to the challenging trek those of European descent faced in traversing the area on their way to new lives out west. The back side cards mark many more of the prominent butte and ledge outcrops along the Trail, similarly shaped by multiple millions of years of water and weather, and resolving on cards documenting the small municipalities and forerunner of Chadron State College. Interestingly, the only visual of the spire-like Chimney Rock, perhaps the most documented landmark of the Trail by those that traveled it, appears only the worn cover; though it is prominently mentioned within the inside cover description. This pegs the date of the set’s release (along with the publisher’s copyright) as 1956, the year Chimney Rock was declared a National Landmark … Postcard accordion folders became ubiquitous in step with the popularity of motorized tourist travel. The first postcard folders trace to the early 20th-century. But it was in the mid-1930s when these fold-out mailers gained brilliant color. From that point through into the 1960s, and by way of far-flung post offices the nation over, a flood of these postcard folders found their way to friends and family from tourists taking in the diverse sites and attractions all across North America. The sharp commercial-art style illustration indicative of mid-century America, with covers printed on a tough linen paper, makes the souvenir sets of especially the late 1930s-1950s pop over half a century later—full-color photographs having arrived to these postcard folders by the 1960s … [Condition: As mentioned, the outside cover is not in the best shape, with a few smudge marks and considerable wear at the edges, its backside tab heavily folded. Nonetheless, it is a rare find, the cards themselves still projecting the unique draw of this natural showcase on the plains. With its mid-1950s release, this is clearly a set that falls into a transitional period for these mailers with the images leaning more towards colored photographs, as opposed to the more illustrative-leaning style of the 1930s / 40s.] 

Condition: Used Acceptable. 
Local / Regional Attractions. 
Dimensions: 6.25" wide x 4.25" high