Snoqualmie Falls Postcard by E.C. Kropp, Co. – 9711

One thing I love about writing for Twin Peaks Blog is I’m constantly learning new things. Take this postcard of the majestic and sacred Snoqualmie Falls in Snoqualmie, Washington. It’s one of many I purchased via online auction sites. I didn’t know, however, that it was manufactured by one of the first companies in the United States to make scenic postcards – E.C. Kropp Co. once based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS POSTCARD BY E.C. KROPP, CO. – #9711 – FRONT

The front of the Snoqualmie Falls postcard features a view of raging 268-foot waterfall. The front inscription reads:

“Snoqualmie Falls, Washington / 28 Miles East of Seattle”

The Snoqualmie River must have seen a lot of rain when the original image was captured by renown Pacific Northwest photographer Asahel Curtis. HistoryLink.org shared an insightful article about his work:

“The Seattle-based photographer Asahel Curtis made 60,000 photographic images over a 44-year career. They provide a remarkable visual record of the Pacific Northwest. He was the brother of the renowned photographer Edward Curtis; the brothers had a falling out when they were in their 20s, and never reconciled.”

You may recognize his name as I discussed his work found in the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department during the Twin Peaks pilot.

The Snoqualmie Falls Lodge (later Salish Lodge & Spa) is missing in this image. Curtis’ shot was most likely captured before 1916 when the Lodge first opened. The red and white building in the distance is known today as the Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Museum and Park.

I found a few variations of the postcard which I’m assuming were printed after the original one shared above. This card contains a similar front inscription but a “P83” was added to the second line. It could signify this card was #83 in a line.

Another variation drops the “28 Miles East of Seattle” but keeps the “P83.” This card had a cancel date from 1957.

Amanda From Seattle shared yet another variation of this card which omits the “P83” mark and has the inscription spanning the front.

Here is how Snoqualmie Falls looked when I visited on February 20, 2026 during the Real Twin Peaks event. The angle is close but not an exact match to Curtis’ postcard image. Nevertheless, it’s a must-see place to visit when in Washington state.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS POSTCARD BY E.C. KROPP, CO. – #9711 – BACK

The back of this postcard contains the following inscription:

“Snoqualmie Falls, 268 ft. in height and sometimes spoken of as the ‘Niagara of the West’ lies in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, 28 miles east of Seattle.”

The card contains a catalog number – 9711 – and manufacturing details: “Natural Color Post Card – Made in U.S.A. by E.C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis. – (Bay)”

Asahel Curtis is also credited in the manufacturing details. Later postcard give him credit across the bottom of the cards in big, bold letters.

The stamp box contains the letters “E, C, K, Co.” in each corner which stands for E.C. Kropp Co.

WHO IS THE E.C. KROPP, CO. BASED IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN?

Born in Hamburg, Germany on April 1, 1860, Emil C. Kropp emigrated to the United States at the age of 11 with his brothers W. A. Kropp, a druggist, and L. F. Kropp, a salesman. For 20 years, he worked with the B. Leidersdori Tobacco company until a fateful visit to his birth country changed the course of his life.

In 1897, he saw the extent of the postcard crazy in Germany and he met Miss Agnes Voelschau, whom he married in 1898.

Upon returning to the U.S., he rented a small building for his postcard business and printed his first card in March that years. By 1899, he erected a four-story building at Jefferson and Buffalo Streets in Milwaukee as his business was booming. At one point, the E.C. Kropp Co. produced 25 Million postcards annually!

Mr. Kropp’s wife died in 1905 and Emil would pass on December 24, 1907. His sons, Adolph Kropp (1900 – 1918), Walter Kropp (1902 – 1913), and Herbert Louis Kropp (1903 – 1973), took over his postcard business as E.C. Kropp and Company (this could mean the postcard of Snoqualmie Falls was printed after 1907).

For much of the first half of the 20th Century, the firm produced millions of postcards. By 1956, the company was liquidated to L. L. Cook. The firm was once a subset of the GAF Corporation until July 22, 1977 when the company dropped its consumer lines of cameras, films and color print papers.

You can find this card and many others on the Twin Peaks Blog postcard page or download a high-resolution image on my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720331531617/