“Milo and the Cotton Compress” – Miltonvale, Kansas (1907)

Mr. Milo DeWeese lived in Miltonvale, a small city in Cloud County of north-central Kansas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miltonvale,_Kansas

In May if 1907, Milo received a postcard photograph from a friend who signed only initials.

The postcard was mailed from Guthrie, the remarkable town in central Oklahoma that was constructed in a very short time to be the capital city of the new State.

Originally a railroad station, Guthrie gained 10,000 residents in several days during the Land Rush of 1889.

Guthrie was replaced as the State Capital in 1910, although residents of Guthrie keep alive the stories of political skullduggery that led to this outcome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guthrie,_Oklahoma

Fortunately, Guthrie remained a very handsome town – its National Historic District contains a unique collection of Victorian commercial architecture.

(Some years ago, I spent a lovely afternoon browsing through the antique shops, boutiques, and cafes that now occupy the historic red sandstone buildings of Guthrie.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guthrie_Historic_District_(Guthrie,_Oklahoma)

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The face of the postcard is an uncolored photograph of a “Cotton Compress” in Guthrie.

The abundance of cotton bales around the building suggests that the Compress was a kind of baling mechanism or operation.

Cotton had been cultivated by indigenous peoples in the early 19th century, and after the land rush, cotton was a major crop for farmers who had claimed land in Oklahoma.

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=CO066

The photograph was made and printed by the F. H. Lillie Company of Guthrie.

The postcard has an undivided back, so the sender inscribed a brief message on the margin of the face.

The sender acknowledges to Milo, “received your letter Sunday” and the writer promises, “will answer soon”.

Alarmingly, Milo’s correspondent reports, “Bad floods here today”.

Milo preserved the photograph in good condition throughout his life.

One hopes that Milo’s last letter was answered as promised, and that the two maintained a friendly correspondence for many years.

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