Fleming Fraker postcards

Scope and Content Note:
The Fraker collection of postcards numbers approximately 7,000 cards, depicting 501 Iowa cities and towns. The cancellation dates on the postcards range from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1960’s, although most cards date from circa 1910. The collection is arranged alphabetically. All towns with two or more cards are filed individually, while towns with only one card are filed at the beginning of their letter group. In box 17, there are several miscellaneous cards, including book cards, military cards, and unidentifiable cards. The book postcards of Iowa feature either towns or the state as a whole. There are also several postcards from military institutions across the United States. The unidentifiable cards are handmade, but were never sent through the mail and do not indicate their town. These cards depict a wide range of subjects, including people, homes, and businesses.

There are also approximately 1,200 postcards of Des Moines, as well as 1,000 views of Davenport. In addition, Ottumwa has three postcards of double length that portray panoramic views of the city. These are in box 14.

There are two scrapbooks in the manuscript collection; one is of the county courthouses of Iowa and the second is filled with postcards from Des Moines. These are both located at the end of the collection.

Provenance:
The postcards were acquired, along with a collection of books about Iowa, from the estate of Mr. Fleming Fraker in 1999.

Quantity: 18 boxes (9 linear ft.)

Suggested Citation: Fleming Fraker Historic Iowa Post Card Collection, Grinnell College Libraries, Department of Special Collections, Grinnell, Iowa. Ms 01.80.

(Cities A-Z) A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Box Listing:
Boxes 1-3
Des Moines (arranged alphabetically within respective categories)

Hospitals/homes
Benedict Home, Broadlawns Hospital, Home for the Aged, Lutheran Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Ramsey Home, Veterans Hospital

Capitol Complex
Views of the Capitol, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, artwork within the capitol complex (including Terrace Hill), Terrace Hill, old Governor’s Mansion, Grimes Building

Parks and Miscellaneous
Birdland Park, Des Moines River, Grand View Park, Greenwood Park, Ingersoll Park, Riverview Park, South park, Water Works Park, Union Park, miscellaneous small parks, Des Moines Airport, Des Moines water tower, other miscellaneous

Schools
Colleges: AIB, Des Moines University, Des Moines Catholic, Drake University, Highland Park College
High schools: East, Lincoln, Webster, West

Iowa State Fairgrounds
Conglomerate cards (containing more than one scene; i.e., Welcome to Des Moines!)

Buildings
Salisbury House, Hyperion golf course, Successful Farming Headquarters, State Historical Building, Polk County Courthouse, Auditorium, Art Center, Municipal Building, Des Moines post office/library

Churches
Congregational, Methodist, St. Ambrose Catholic, Central Church of Christ, Central Presbyterian, Church of Christian Scientists, University Church of Christ, view of the Seven Towers, Swedish Lutheran Church

Hotels
Brown, Chamberlain, Commodore, Fort Des Moines, Kirkwood, Savery, Victoria, Wellington, Irwin

Downtown
Buildings: Equitable, Equitable of Life, YMCA, New Hubbell, Des Moines, banks, YWCA, Yeoman Castle, Masonic temples (including Scottish Rite), Fleming, Union Depot, misc. buildings

Street and Bridges: Sixth Avenue, Locust Street, Locust St. Bridge, Walnut Avenue, Walnut Ave. Bridge, Court Avenue, West 4th Street, side streets

Views of the city
Camp Dodge
Fort Des Moines

Boxes 4-5:
Davenport

Boxes 6-17: Towns (2 or more cards)
Box 6
Ackley
Adair
Adel
Albia
Alden
Algona
Allerton
Amana
Ames
Anamosa
Andrew
Anita
Anthon
Arlington
Armstrong
Arthur
Aspinwall
Atlantic
Audubon
Battle Creek
Baxter
Beaman
Bedford
Bellevue
Belmond
Beloit
Bettendorf
Blairstown
Bloomfield

Box 7
Boone
Boyden
Braddyville
Brainard
Bridgewater
Brighton
Bristow
Britt
Brooklyn
Burlington
Calmar
Carlisle
Casey
Cedar Falls
Cedar Rapids

Box 8
Cedar Rapids (cont.)
Center Point
Centerville
Central City
Chariton
Charles City
Charlotte
Cherokee
Clarinda
Clarion
Clarkesville
Clear Lake
Clinton
Colfax
Columbus Junction
Coon Rapids
Corning
Corwith
Corydon

Box 9
Council Bluffs
Cresco
Creston
Dakota City
Dallas Center
Davenport (separate boxes)
Dawson
Decorah
Defiance
Des Moines (separate boxes)
Deep River
Delmar
Denison
DeWitt
Doon
Dows
Dubuque
Dumont
Dyersville
Eagle Grove
Earlham
Earlville
Eddyville
Edgewood
Eldon
Eldora
Elkader

Box 10
Elkport
Elliot
Elma
Emerson
Emmetsburg
Epworth
Estherville
Exira
Fairfield
Farley
Farmersburg
Farmington
Farnhamville
Farragut
Fayette
Festina
Fonda
Fontanelle
Forest City
Fort Des Moines
Fort Dodge
Fort Madison
Galland
Galva
Garden Grove
Garnavillo
Garner
Garrison
Gilmore City
Gilman
Girard
Glenwood
Graettinger
Grand Mound
Granger
Granville
Greeley
Greene
Greenfield
Gregory
Grinnell
Griswold
Goldfield
Goodell
Guttenberg
Hamburg
Hampton
Harlan
Hartley
Havelock

Box 11
Hawarden
Hawkeye
Hiteman
Holstein
Hopkinton
Hospers
Hubbard
Hudson
Hull
Humeston
Independence
Indianola
Inwood
Iowa City
Iowa Falls
Iowa, State of
Jefferson
Jewell
Kalona
Kanawa
Keokuk
Keosauqua
Klemme
Knoxville
Lake City
Lake Mills
Lake Okoboji
Lamoni
Lansing
La Porte
Larchwood
Latimer
Laurens
Le Claire
Lehigh
Le Mars
Lenox
Leon
Lewis

Box 12
Lidderdale
Linn Grove
Littleport
Livermore
Lone Tree
Low Moor
Luverne
Luzerne
Lyons
Madrid
Manchester
Manilla
Manson
Mapleton
Maquoketa
Marble Rock
Marion
Marshalltown
Mason City
Massena
Marquette

Box 13
McGregor
Mechanicsville
Melbourne
Menlo
Miles
Missouri Valley
Mitchellville
Monona
Montezuma
Monticello
Moravia
Mt. Auburn
Mt. Ayr
Mt. Pleasant
Mount Union
Mount Vernon
Muscatine
Nashua
Nevada
Newell
New Sharon
Newton
Niagara Cave
Nora Springs
North English
Northwood
Norway
Ocheyedan
Odebolt
Oelwein
Ogden
Okoboji
Onawa
Orange City
Osage
Osceola

Box 14
Oskaloosa
Ossian
Ottumwa
Oxford Junction
Panora
Parkerburg
Pella
Perry
Plainfield
Polk County
Postville
Preston
Quasqueton
Red Oak
Red Rock
Reinbeck
Ridgeway
Rippey
Riverton
Rockford
Rock Rapids
Rock Valley
Rudd
Russell
Ruthven
Ryan
Sabula
Sac City
Sanborn
St. Charles
Shell Rock
Scranton
Sheldon
Sheffield
Shenandoah

Box 15
Sidney
Sigourney
Sioux City
Sioux Rapids
Spillville
Spirit Lake
Springville
Stanton
State Center
Story City
Strawberry Point
Sumner
Sutherland
Tabor
Tama
Tipton
Traer
Ute
Valley Junction
Van Horn
Villisca
Vinton
Wadena
Wapello
Washington
Washta

Box 16
Waterloo
Waucoma
Waukon
Weldon
Wellman
Wesley
West Bend
West Branch
West Burlington

Box 17
West Liberty
West Point
Wheatland
Whittier
Winfield
Winterset
Woodbine
Wyoming
Zion City

Single Cards (also in box 17)
Ainsworth
Akron
Alexander
Allerton
Allison
Alta
Ankeny
Aredale
Arion
Arnolds Park
Aurelia
Avoca
Badger
Bagley
Baldwin
Barnes
Batavia
Beulah
Boyer
Blockton
Blue Rapids
Bode
Bonaparte
Booneville
Blossburg
Buttonwood Farm
Bradgate
Breda
Buckeye
Buffalo Center
Buxton
Camanche
Cascade
Cassville
Castana
Charter Oak
Cincinnati
Clarence
Clayton
Clearfield
Clermont
Conrad
Correctionvile
Covington
Crawfordsville
Cumberland
Cushing
Dallas Center
Davis City
Dayton
Delaware
Delhi
Delphos
Dickins
Dolliver
Dorchester
Dougherty
Dublin
Dunkerton
Dunlap
Durfee
Earling
Earlville
Elk Horn
Elwood
Fairbank
Finchford
Gamlin
Grand Junction
Grant Center
Green Mountain
Harcourt
Harpers Ferry
Huxley
Ionia
Iowa River
Irwin
Janesville
Kellerton
Kellogg
Kensett
Keswick
Keystone
Lake Park
Lakewood
Lamoille
Ledyard
Libertyville
Lime Springs
Lineville
Liscomb
Little Rock
Little Sioux
Lohrville
Lost Nation
Lowden
Lowell
Luana
Luther
Lynnville
Lytton
Mabry Mill
Macksburg
Manly
Manning
Mapleleaf
Maurice
Maxwell
Maynard
McIntire
Mediapolis
Milford
Milton
Mineola
Mordale
Monmouth
Montour
Montrose
Murray
New Hartfod
New London
New Market
New Munich
New Providence
Numa
Oakdale
Oakville
Olin
Onslow
Otter Creek
Ottosen
Paullina
Peosta
Persia
Pleasantville
Pocahontas
Prairieburg
Prole
Protivin
Pulaski
Quinby
Radcliffe
Readlyn
Remsen
Renwick
Rockwell
Rolfe
Rowley
Rutland
Salem
Seneca
Redfield
Shellsburg
Sioux Center
Soldier
Solon
Stanwood
Steamboat Rock
Stockport
Swisher
Thornton
Toledo
Tompson
Tripoli
Union
University Park
Van Meter
Ventura
Vernon
Victor
Volga City
Walcott
Watkins
Whiting
Whittemore
Wilton
Williams
Wiota

Box 18
Scrapbook of county courthouses
Scrapbook of Des Moines postcards

Processed by Melissa Bailey ’02, February 2002.