There were appearances of two comets during the first half of 1910 which fueled a frenzy of interest in the night sky.
The “Daylight Comet” appeared, first in the Southern Hemisphere in January of 1910, which excited keen anticipation of the expected return of Halley’s Comet later that Spring.
From April 10 to April 20, millions of Americans scanned the night skies for a glimpse of Halley’s Comet.
Grandma lived in Banks, a small city in the northwestern tip of Oregon.
On May 6th, Grandma wrote to her granddaughter, Naomi Wilkinson, who lived in Grand Ledge, Michigan.
Grand Ledge is a small city on the Grand River about 12 miles west of Lansing, Michigan. By 1910, a resort had grown up in this area due to the proximity of the railroad.
The postcard bears the illustration of a rose against a gilded background.
A verse, expressing best wishes for “Joys” and the “blithest face”, is compressed in a small area of the lower left.
Grandma writes that the Spring had been rainy and Grandpa was late in getting the corn planted.
Although they are “all well”, Grandma reports that they did not see the comet.
More than a hundred years later, one can still feel disappointed that the older couple in Oregon were unable to see the comet as they searched the night skies.