Jack Wallace, Jr. was growing up in Princeton, the beautiful college town in southwest New Jersey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton,_New_Jersey
(Readers may recall that Jack’s mother received a postcard from the magnificent French Lick Springs Hotel in the summer of 1936.)
In July of 1942, Jack Jr. received a postcard from his Aunt Ruth.
(The sender has placed quotes around “Aunt”, which may indicate that she was a close friend of the family and an honorary “Aunt”.)
The postcard was mailed from Saratoga Springs, the famed resort and Arts Center in east-central New York.
The mineral springs in the area, long enjoyed by indigenous peoples, were visited by wounded soldiers in the French & Indian War and the American Revolution.
In the Gilded Age, wealthy visitors came to “take the waters” at Saratoga Springs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_Springs,_New_York
The face of the postcard is an illustration of the famed Saratoga Race Track, one of the oldest race tracks in the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_Race_Course
The image was first made by C. W. Hughes & Company, Inc. of Mechanicville, New York.
The original picture may be more than a decade older than this ‘linen-style” postcard reprinting by the Curt Teich Company of Chicago.
On the reverse, Aunt Ruth expresses the wish, “Perhaps you’ll see a good horse race here some day.”
Aunt Ruth adds, “It is a beautiful track”.
Horse-racing has become controversial in recent decades – persistent and recurring doping scandals appear to be endemic to the contemporary “sport”.
Likewise, the evidence of animal cruelty has significantly reduced the appeal of what was a genteel pursuit.
https://thehumaneleague.org/article/horse-racing-decline
At the same time, the ubiquity of other gambling venues (casinos and on-line) has reduced the amount of money wagered on the horses.
Young Jack seems to have enjoyed the remembrance from his aunt – he preserved the postcard in very good condition.
We do not know if he ever visited the race track at Saratoga Springs.
One hopes that he enjoyed an affectionate correspondence with his Aunt Ruth for many years.
