Snoqualmie Falls Postcard by Smith-Western Co. – CT-4112

I’m looking forward to returning to Snoqualmie Valley for the “We Live Inside a Dream” event at the North Bend Theatre and the debut of “The Double R Dream.” One of my first stops will be to see the majestic and sacred Snoqualmie Falls in Snoqualmie, Washington. A sunset view of 268-foot waterfall is the subject of this postcard from Smith-Western Co. featuring a photo by Gary Greene.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS POSTCARD – CT-4112 | FRONT

This Snoqualmie Falls postcard features a summer afternoon look at the 268-foot waterfall with the 91-room Salish Lodge perched above. The image was captured at the former covered observation deck overlooking the falls. Judging by the pink and mauve colored border, I’m thinking this card may have been produced in the 1990s. I’ve been unable to find a matching card with a postmark.

I did, however, find the same waterfall image of one of the first Twin Peaks fan websites – Twin Peaks Studios. Launched in 1996, this site was one of a handful of resources for fans like me in the 1990s (I even ran a site called The Great Northern Hotel while attending Ohio Northern University). Look carefully to see an image titled “Salish1” which features the same photo from the postcard.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS POSTCARD – CT-4112 | BACK

The back of this postcard contains the following inscription:

SNOQUALMIE FALLS
Washington
“A sunny day heightens the splendor of Snoqualmie Falls. Photo by Gary Greene”

It was manufactured by Smith-Western Co. from Tacoma, Washington and has the catalog number CT-4112.

WHO IS PHOTOGRAPHER GARY GREENE?

Despite exhaustive searches, I’ve been unable to locate specific details about Gary Greene. There is a photographer who lives on the East Coast of the United States with that name but it’s difficult to know if he is the same individual. I have, however, found several examples of Greene’s photos used on postcards. Cancellation dates on eBay auctions place some of these photos, like the images of Seattle above, between 2002-2004. He has also photographed the Space Needle from different angles.

I discovered a series of Artist Reference videos on the Internet Archive produced in 2004 by a “Gary Greene.” These tutorial videos demonstrated how to take reference photos that could later be used when drawing scenery.

I also found a reference to a photographer named Gary Greene who was offering photography classes around Kent, Washington in 1986. Perhaps the real “Mr. Gary Greene” will find this article and confirm his identity.

WHAT IS THE SMITH-WESTERN, CO. OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON?

Kyle Smith (1917-2014) settled in Tacoma, Washington following World War II and founded his postcard and tourist merchandise company in 1947. From the trunk of his car, he began by selling postcards adorned with images of towns and landmarks found in the Washington and Oregon. The postcard business quickly grew to include decals for car windows, luggage or bicycles; collectible plates and spoons and more.

At one point, early on, Kyle approached the National Bank of Washington for a $25,000 loan he told Roberts. The banker asked what the collateral might be.

“Postcards,’ Kyle said. “You gotta be kidding,” replied the banker. During the first full year, the company had gross sales of $14,000. By 2007, Smith said, “We ship more than that per day. When I started out, people didn’t know how to spell ‘tourist!”

But the late 1980s, the Smiths only took about 10 percent of the images found on postcards they distributed. They bought most of the photographs – like Gary Greene’s photo of Snoqualmie Falls – that appeared on the approximately 1,000 different postcards in distribution.

By 2000, Skip was running the business after spending “nearly three decades learning the finer points of merchandising, design, manufacturing, sales, finance, human resources and all the other skills necessary to succeed.”

The company is still in business today as the “nation’s premiere supplier for the tourist and attraction industry.” Sadly Kyle, Sr. passed on Mar. 3, 2014 at the age of 96, just three weeks short of his 97th birthday. Kyle “Skip” Smith continues serving as President / CEO of the company.

See more high-resolution postcard images from the Real Twin Peaks on my Flickr account.