Vintage American

Postcard art sharing fun, beautiful and entertaining images of early 1900s America

Vintage American Archives for Scene / Type Deserts

Deserts

The MacKay House Virginia City Postcard

by

Shown here is The MacKay House or MacKay Mansion in Virginia City, Nevada. The date of the postcard is unknown but seems newer than most on this site, so we have not reprinted it. The MacKay House in Virginia City was built and occupied by George Hearst in 1859 and originally used as the office […]

Shaw’s Hot Springs Vintage Postcard

by

This vintage postcard shows the entrance to Shaw’s Hot Springs on the north edge of Carson City, Nevada in 1900. This old postcard gives a great view of life near a Western town like Carson City in the early 1900s. We see a horse drawn wagon with covered fringe – probably an early version of […]

Funny Arizona Desert Vintage Postcard

by

This very funny postcard from the 1930’s not only shows the beautiful mauves, purples, and orange colors of the desert, but also shows a tolerant donkey expressing his opinion of life in the desert carrying the mining supplies of his owner. The original card says: Q. Don’t your remember the desert, old pal The desert […]

Petrified Forest Arizona Vintage Postcard

by

This postcard, circa 1940, shows the Petrified Forest in Arizona, where are found vast deposits of petrified wood from the size of a marble to trees, more than two hundred feet in length. The forest comprises many thousands of acres all accessible from Holbrook, Arizona. Holbrook is located on the main line of the Santa […]

Painted Desert Arizona Vintage Postcard

by

The original postcard is dated 1949 and says: “Painted Desert. Here Nature wielded a reckless brush, painting the sands of the mountain sides to glorious hues. On Highway 66 (the historic Rte. 66), near Holbrook, Arizona.” The Painted Desert takes its name from the colors of grays, reds, oranges, yellows and pink visible for miles […]