Morty Comix # 2634

Morty Comix # 2634 was left in a propane tank filling shelter on a rainy afternoon next to Interstate 5 in Tumwater, Washington

Postcard - Tumwater, Washington

"Olympia Brewing Company, Olympia, Washington. The Olympia Brewery is located on Interstate 5, just south of Olympia, Wash. It was founded in 1896 and is often cited as one of America's exceptional breweries. Visitors are always welcome, 8:00 to 4:30 daily, except Christmas Day."

I'm going to guess mid-1970s. Yes, we know, the Brewery was actually in Tumwater, although downtown Oly is clearly visible in the distance. 

Postcard - Tumwater, Washington

"Olympia Brewery and Mt. Rainier, Washington. Majestic Mt. Rainier, 60 miles to the east, stands guardian over all. The scenery is great in Washington State."

1970s, I'm guessing.

Phone photo 2641

Interstate 5, Tumwater, Washington

Postcards - Tacoma, Washington

"Tacoma Mall, Tacoma, Washington. This aerial of the mall shows Mt. Rainier sixty miles to the east. The Shopping Center consists of 1,150,000 square feet of space under one roof and cvers an overall area of 85 acres. A six-story office complex, cinerama theatre, parking for 7000 vehicles are some of the outstanding features of the Mall. Adjacent to Interstate Highway 5 there are 115 stores (including six department stores) completely heated and air-conditioned for the utmost in shopping convenience."

1970s.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"Seattle, Washington. A view looking north shows the U.S. Interstate 5 Freeway Bridge crossing the Lake Washington Ship Canal, a waterway leading into Puget Sound. A portion of the University of Washington can be seen on the right."

1970s. The upper right corner of the photo was the area where I lived, worked, and went to school 1980-1982.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"An interesting view of Seattle, Washington from the central business district across Lake Union toward the northern residential area. Showing on the right is the freeway, part of U.S. Highway 5, which runs from Mexico to Canada without a single stop sign."

1970s. I was living in the Ravenna/Bryant District (top right) at the time when Cranium Frenzy #1 was drawn in 1981.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"Seattle's unique Freeway Park acts as a lid over Interstate 5 Highway in the downtown business district. This beautiful park design, the first of its kind in America, incorporates a spectacular 32 foot (9.7 m) sculptured waterfall, over which 10,000 gallons (37,850 l) of water cascade per minute. Lake Union is in the background."

Late half of the 1970s.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"Space Needle, Seattle, Washington. The World Famous Space Needle overlooking the Seattle Center and Lake Union with a portion of Interstate 5 on the right -- in the distance Cascade Mountain Range and Mt. Baker."

1970s.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"Seattle, Washington. Bisected by Interstate 5 (foreground), Seattle is the Gateway to Alaska and the Orient. The new modern skyscrapers characterize the growth in 'The Queen City.' The famous Smith Tower is on the extreme left and the black building in the center is the Seattle First Bank Building."

1970s.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"Seattle, Washington, looking north towards the downtown business district with Interstate 5 in the foreground."

In 1980, which was about the time I acquired this card, I worked right about dead center in this photo at Seattle Public Library. What a great city.

Phone photo 2485

Oregon Trail

1844

Marked by the

Daughters and Sons of

the American Revolution

in the State of Washington

1916

I have probably passed by this marker thousands of times in my life, but this month was the first time I ever really noticed it! It sits nears the Falls Terrace Restaurant, and in 1916 it would've been right in the center of action in downtown Tumwater, Washington.

See that concrete wall in the background? Interstate 5 is on the other side. When it plowed through this area in the 1950s the freeway destroyed the heart of the first American settlement in the Puget Sound region. The town has been more or less of a crazy quilt ever since.

Postcard - Seattle, Washington

"Lake Union, Seattle, Washington. Located in the heart of the city this lake provides recreation for boaters as well as a home for those who live in houseboats. Interstate Hiway 5 is in the center and in the background magnificent Mount Rainier."

1970s.

Morty Comix # 2565

Morty Comix # 2565 took advantage of a flaw in an information kiosk on the Interstate 5 exit for Winlock, Washington. One of the metal display sheets had a "wow" in it, just inviting a Morty Comix to jump in there, where I suspect it will remain for years.

I imagine on a totally clear day, which we don't really have too many of here in Bezango, WA, this site offers a great vantage point for viewing what is left of Mt. St. Helens.

Hard to believe, but Winlock was actually a hotspot for Communist activity back in the 1920s-1930s.

Morty Comix # 2564

 

Morty Comix # 2564 was left at a place I've been before, as documented in Phone Photo 752. This restaurant in Kalama, Washington has the kind of booth seats where the cushion sits on top of a hollow box. If you contort yourself just right, you can drop off something, say, a Morty Comix, into the hollow area under the booth seat where it probably won't be found for years.

This joint had a couple playing cards (Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts) on the ceiling with names and Oct./Nov. 2011 dates on them. The waitress told me they were there all this time as a residue of some act given by a magician, who had made a whole bunch of cards mysteriously stick to the ceiling.

By the way, this is a great place to stop if you are on I-5 and hungry between Oly and Portland.

Life in Bezango!

 

The Interstate Bridge Ghost

When I was down in Vancouver, Washington yesterday I took the opportunity to pay a visit to the  gravesite of former Vancouver Mayor G.R. Percival, thought by many to be the identity of the frequently seen Interstate Bridge Ghost.

The details of Mayor Percival's mysterious demise can be found on a post in Between the Lines.

Percival's headstone was nearly entirely covered with matted grass. After I cleared some of it off I was surprised to see his name was given as "Grove R. Percival." Most of the other sources give his first name as "Grover," the cemetery manager even wrote "Grover" on the location map he gave me. In fact, somewhere I found his full name as "Grover Reed Percival."

Yet another mystery to add to the list about this individual.

Postcard - Olympia, Washington

"Washington State Capitol from Freeway. An impressive view of the State Capitol greets motorists on Interstate 5, near the city of Olympia. This modern, divided highway rolls down a long grade and skirts a lake which mirrors the dome of Washington's Capitol. The Capitol, patterned after the nation's home in Washington, D.C., is just a minute from the freeway."

1960s.

Phone photo 1905

Cowlitz Landing

"At this place Hudson's Bay Company traders from Puget Sound loaded furs in canoes for transport to the Columbia River in the years 1836-1846. Then American settlers came up the river by bateau, barge and raft. A landing was built on the donation claim of F.A. Clarke and a hotel on the adjoining land of E.D. Warbuss. American settlers held a convention here in 1851 and petitioned for a new U.S. Territory north of the Columbia River. Steamboats came in 1858. They served the Cowlitz Valley until 1917."

"Erected by the Washington State Highway Commission."

My own ancestors may have landed here in the mid-1870s. This historic marker is within a stone's throw of the biggest "EAT" sign on Interstate 5 in Washington.

Phone photo 1616

Interstate 5, northbound

Tumwater, Washington

Morty Comix # 2384

Morty Comix # 2384 was slipped into a dispenser of paper napkins at an Olympia, Washington sandwich shop frequented by those who travel on I-5.