Elmer Oberholtzer lived in Ephrata, a charming city in Lancaster County of southeast Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrata,_Pennsylvania
In June of 1912, Elmer received a postcard from his friend, Harry H. Reitz.
Harry mailed the postcard from Sterling, a city on the Rock River in northwest Illinois.
The area is noted for the richness and fertility of the prairie soil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling,_Illinois
Harry seems to have stopped at other places.
The face of the postcard is a hand-colored photograph of West Market Street in Orrville, Ohio.
Orrville is a city in Wayne County of central Illinois – east of Wooster and south of Akron.
This area was once primarily agricultural, and is the home of the Smucker food conglomerate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orrville,_Ohio
Market Street appears to be a well-kept residential neighborhood – the tree-lined streets are paved and have curbs,
Telephone poles have been erected, and sidewalks have been laid.
These improvements were far from common in many places in the US.
This postcard photograph was published by Myer Bros. & Company of Orrville.
On the reverse, Harry reports on his work and his travels.
He appears to be part of a gang of laborers who are performing agricultural work (and mill work) across the Midwest.
In other postcard stories, we have head from temporary workers who followed the harvests across much of the upper US.
Elmer participated in earlier work gangs, as Harry reports that the “old fireman” at a sawmill remembered him when Harry was performing a stint there.
Harry is now residing with Milton Hess, and will be staying there for four weeks.
This situation is satisfactory, as Harry reports – “I like it real well”.
After inquiring about Elmer’s father, Harry notes that the Oberholtzers are probably “making hay”.
In Illinois, the wheat crop was “all froze out”, but there is “corn no end”.
One hopes that Harry continued to enjoy his seasonal work, and that he had more stories to share when he returned.
