1911 Manitou Scenic Incline RPPC Postcard Mt. Manitou Colorado Railway
$ 15.71
Description
1911 Manitou Scenic Incline RPPC Postcard Mt. Manitou Colorado Railway. This remarkable Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) captures a group of Victorian-era passengers ascending the historic Manitou Scenic Incline toward the summit of Mt. Manitou in Colorado. The image provides a fascinating glimpse into early 20th-century tourism, showing men in suits and women in wide-brimmed hats and high-collared blouses seated in an open-air incline car. The steep grade of the track and the rugged, rocky terrain of the Rocky Mountains are clearly visible, illustrating the engineering marvel of this cable-operated railway which reached an altitude of 9,500 feet. The reverse side of the postcard is rich with historical context, featuring a 1911 postmark from Pueblo, Colorado, and a green one-cent Benjamin Franklin postage stamp. A handwritten message from the traveler identifies their exact position in the car, adding a personal connection to this piece of travel history. The printed text on the back describes the experience as the 'Grandest trip in all the Rockies,' highlighting the powerful steel cables and safety features used to haul passengers up the mountain for a view of ten thousand square miles of mountain and plain. This is a must-have for collectors of railway history, Coloradoiana, or early American real photo postcards.
