RPPC c1920s Serpent Mound Keene Ontario Canada Elmhirst Camp Postcard
Small bit of edge and corner wear from storage.
Subject: A rare and historically personal antique Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) featuring the Serpent Mounds near Keene, Ontario, sent as a detailed vacation update to Ashland, Ohio, in 1928.
Front Details (The View):
This sepia-toned landscape photograph captures the distinctive undulations of the Serpent Mounds, a unique Indigenous archaeological site. The image shows the grassy, serpentine earthworks situated on a ridge overlooking Rice Lake, visible through a stand of mature hardwood trees. The bottom margin is professionally captioned in black block lettering: "SERPENT MOUNDS NEAR KEENE ONT."
The Story (Handwritten Message):
The reverse side contains a wonderful, dense letter in dark ink documenting a classic Canadian fishing trip:
Location & Stay: Written from Elmhirst Camp (a historic resort on Rice Lake still in operation today).
Activities: The sender notes, "This is a lovely place. We have our own motor boat and the boys fish from morning until night and they get lots of fish and big ones."
The Departure: "We are leaving Elmhirst Camp Thursday for home. I've had a grand time but will soon have to get back on the job."
Reverse Side Details (Technical):
Postmarked: Sept 25, 1928, from Keene, Ont., featuring a clear circular machine cancellation.
Stamp: Original brown 2-cent King George V Canadian definitive stamp.
Recipient: Addressed to Mrs. Chas. Masters on Cottage St. in Ashland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Layout: Standard divided back for correspondence and addressing.
Condition Report:
This postcard is in Fair (F) to Good (G) antique condition, showing heavy signs of its nearly 100-year journey.
Front: The photographic image remains sharp, though there is prominent staining and foxing along the top and right margins.
Back: The paper shows significant dark brown staining and moisture damage across the top and center-right, though the majority of the handwriting and the postmark remain legible.
Structure: The corners show softening and "bumping," consistent with a postally used card from the interwar period.
Era & Significance:
Interwar Period (1928). This card is a premier "time-capsule" specimen for collectors of Peterborough County history. It captures the early days of Rice Lake tourism at the legendary Elmhirst's Resort and documents the enduring appeal of the Serpent Mounds as a local landmark.