The city of Columbus was founded on the site of several indigenous villages along the Scioto River in central Ohio.
It grew quickly throughout the 19th century as the National Road, the Ohio & Erie Canal, and a dozen local and regional rail lines supported the city’s growth.
Due to its central location and accessibility, Columbus was planned as the State Capital, and became the home of Ohio State University and a center of industry, commerce, and culture.
As railroads consolidated in the late 19th century, five major lines (the Baltimore & Ohio, the New York Central, the Pennsylvania, The Chesapeake & Ohio, and The Norfolk & Western) served Columbus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Ohio
The first Union Station was erected in 1851 and it was the nation’s first shared RR station.
https://www.wosu.org/railroad-service-comes-to-columbus-and-the-rise-of-union-station-lesson-plan
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The “Columbus Dispatch” was founded as the “Daily Dispatch” by a group of printers in 1887.
In subsequent years, the newspaper saw many changes in style and ownership, and moved its offices within the city of Columbus.
A Sunday edition was first offered in 1899, and the first color comics in 1901 and the first color advertisement in 1906.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Columbus_Dispatch
By the mid-20th century there were only two newspapers for the city of almost a half-million people.
When the Columbus Citizen-Journal ceased publication in 1985, the Columbus Dispatch was the sole newspaper in the region.
By the 21st century, the newspaper had spun off associated broadcasting operations and went through several changes of ownership.
Today, the newspaper is part of the USA Today media empire and is printed in Canton, Ohio.
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Sometime before 1907, the Dispatch printed coupons within issues of the newspaper.
A blurb on the reverse of this postcard promises:
“A Post Card Coupon cut from the Dispatch gets you one card: 15 Coupons get you the entire series. No Charge.”
This is the only Columbus Dispatch postcard that I have acquired; many others have been listed with on-line auction sites.
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The face of the postcard is a drawing of a “Section of the Union Station front”.
Like many other urban centers of transportation, Columbus had a magnificent Railroad Station in the heart of the city.
We have seen postcard stories related to large stations in Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Little Rock – along with a score of smaller stations in other cities and towns.
This magnificent structure was designed by Danial Burnham, chief architect of the Beaux-Arts “White City” at the 1893 Columbia Exhibition in Chicago.
Between the arches of the long arcade, small shops were established.
A stately viaduct was built to accommodate traffic across the multitude of railroad tracks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Columbus,_Ohio)
Alas, the decline of the railroads brought devastation to this station.
After train service halted in 1977, the station fell into disrepair and, despite an historical designation, was demolished finally in 1979.
I have been in Columbus a dozen times, and have driven across the grand viaduct and seen the Station’s one remaining arch that is preserved on the High Street in Columbus.
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The postcard was neither addressed not mailed; there are no personalities connected to it.
One hopes that the collector saved sufficient newspaper coupons to acquire all the offered postcard views of Columbus.
