Snoqualmie Falls, Lodge and Vista Point Postcard by Smith-Western Co. – CT-292

On Tuesday, June 18, 1968, 200 people attended the dedication of the then new Snoqualmie Falls Park in Snoqualmie, Washington. As part of a massive renovation, Puget Sound Power had created a covered observation platform overlooking the majestic and sacred Snoqualmie Falls and the roadside Snoqualmie Falls Lodge known for their dining room. At the time, the falls were visited by 300,000 people annually (today it’s more like 2 million annually). So it’s no surprise this scene would appear on a postcard published by Smith-Western Co. of Tacoma, Washington. The photo was taken Peter Riches a former-musician-turned-photographer who also captured iconic images of legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix in the late 1960s.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS, LODGE AND VISTA POINT POSTCARD BY SMITH-WESTERN CO. – CT-292 | FRONT

This postcard features Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie Falls Lodge and Vista Point taken by Seattle-based photographer Peter Riches. He once played bass in The Counts, a band formed in 1959 by Ballard High School kids that played a number of venues in the Seattle area until 1966. Mr. Riches would give up his bass guitar for a camera and would go on to capture some fantastic images of Seattle rocker Jimi Hendrix in 1968.

The subject of the Smith-Western Co. postcard was part of a $150,000 renovation project of Snoqualmie Falls that began in spring 1967. Around that time, Puget Sound Power had added a record number of customers and energy consumption was at an all-time high. They decided to invest in “several programs to develop parks, picnic areas, boat launching ramps and other similar facilities.” One project included a “face lift” of their property at the Snoqualmie Falls power plant.

At noon on Tuesday, June 18, 1968, 200 people attended the dedication of the new Snoqualmie Falls park including Washington state Governor Dan Evans; Ralph Davis, president of Puget Power; and King County Commissioner John Spellman.

“The major feature of the renovation is an observation platform built on steel beams cantlevered from a concrete slab anchored in rock at the top of a cliff and affording a fine view of the 268-foot falls. The roofed platform was completed in the fall and has already proven to be a popular addition to the park for off-season tourists and visitors,” according to a Snoqualmie Valley Record article from June 20, 1968.

Peter Riches’ photograph of Snoqualmie Falls was first seen on the cover of the May 19, 1968 issue of Northwest Today in the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Most likely, this is the photograph that the team at Smith-Western Co. saw and thought would make a great postcard.

The now-demolished covered platform does make a brief appearance in Twin Peaks. You can see a corner in establishing shots of The Great Northern Hotel (known as Salish Lodge & Spa), best seen in Twin Peaks episodes 2.002, 2.004 and 2.016.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS, LODGE AND VISTA POINT POSTCARD BY SMITH-WESTERN CO. – CT-292 | BACK

The back of the postcard contains a catalog number of CT-292 along with manufacturing information. The inscription reads:

SNOQUALMIE FALLS, LODGE and VISTA POINT, WASHINGTON
This magnificent view shows one of the exciting tourist attractions of the Evergreen State. Located 26 miles east of Seattle, it is well worth the few minutes to enjoy the tranquility and solitude that the area provides.

I’ve seen an alternate back for this card from 1970. Most likely the card with “Washington Picturcard” was published later.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer article had some additional insight about the renovations around Snoqualmie Falls.

One such area of long-standing popularity is Snoqualmie Falls, a short distance off Highway 10 about 20 miles east of Seattle.

Here the company has remodeled the entire Snoqualmie Falls Park at a cost of nearly $150,000. Each 300,000 visitors from near and far come to see the waters plunge 270 feet – a “fall”greater than that of Niagara.

A new circular platform anchored in the rock cliff high above the river affords visitors a spectacular view of the cascading waters. New exposed-aggregate walkways lead among native plantings and both and covered picnic tables have been added. Underground power. increased parking, rest rooms and a food concession building set neatly in natural surroundings, make Snoqualmie Falls an ideal destination for a leisurely drive on a sunny afternoon. Adjacent to the park is the well known Snoqualmie Falls Lodge.

Pages 12-13 of the article contain some images of the newly renovated park. Decades later, the park would be renovated again to how it appears today (minus the covered platform). See this Twin Peaks Blog article about a different Snoqualmie Falls postcard for details.

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.

Download a high-resolution image this postcard and many others from my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720314797263/