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A native of the Oregon coast, Bruce Walker has collected hundreds of postcards of Tillamook, Newport, and the surrounding communities from the late 19th century and early 20th century.  Real picture postcars, RPPC's, recorded both local historical events, like spectacular ship wrecks, and mundane everyday occurrences, like a family on a camping vacation.

 

Only 100 years ago, the fastest mode of travel was horseback.  Many communities on the Oregon coast could only be reached by boat.  Postcards and letters were used for long-distance communications.  Postcards, and the sessages on them, which are included in books, have left a glimpse of life on the Oregon coast one hundred years ago.

 

During this period, Walker's family settled in Oregon after traveling from Russia.  A picture postcard of his mother competing in a Rockaway beauty pegeant started his quest to find other images from rhese years on the Oregon coast.

 

Each book has more than 100 images of RPPC (postcards).  When the postcard has a message, it is included in the book.  Walker has researched some of the images and included what he found in the commentary.  And the second book (blue), has many newspaper articles pulled from newspaper archives, which give a deeper understanding what life was like on the Oregon coast at the time.