Beautiful antique color lithograph postcard titled “Big Trees of the Pacific Coast – Hauling Logs with Donkey Engine,” depicting an early logging operation among the towering giant forests of the American Pacific Coast. The detailed scene features a large steam-powered donkey engine, loggers, horses, and enormous felled timber surrounded by majestic old-growth trees, illustrating one of the most important technological advancements in the early lumber industry.
The reverse bears a 1¢ Benjamin Franklin stamp, an Auburn, California postmark dated July 9 (year partially obscured), and a handwritten message addressed to San Francisco, California, adding historical and postal collecting interest.
During the Golden Age of Postcards (approximately 1907–1915), industrial and occupational postcards documenting America’s timber industry became highly popular. Steam-powered donkey engines revolutionized logging by using cable systems to haul massive logs over rugged terrain that horses alone could not manage. These machines dramatically increased productivity in the dense forests of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
The “Big Trees of the Pacific Coast” refers to the towering redwood and giant conifer forests that supplied much of the nation’s lumber during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Images like this preserve an important chapter in the history of forestry, engineering, transportation, and the settlement of the American West.
This postcard is highly desirable for collectors of:
The combination of dramatic logging imagery, early steam-powered equipment, German printing, and authentic postal use makes this an especially collectible example of early twentieth-century industrial Americana.
Pre-owned antique postcard in vintage condition. Postally used with a divided back, 1¢ Benjamin Franklin stamp, Auburn, California postmark, and handwritten correspondence. Typical age-related wear is present, including corner and edge wear, light surface wear, minor toning, and handling marks consistent with age. There are also light scratches and wear visible on the front, along with normal postal handling wear.
Please use eBay’s magnifier/zoom feature to carefully inspect the postcard for its exact condition, including edge wear, corners, creases, surface issues, writing, postal markings, stamp condition, stains, bends, toning, and any other imperfections before purchasing.
The postcard shown is the exact postcard you will receive.