Snoqualmie Falls and Lodge Postcard by Ellis Postcard Co. – 145022

In June 2026, the Salish Lodge & Spa celebrated its 110th anniversary. Perched above the magnificent and sacred Snoqualmie Falls, the lodge opened in 1916 as Snoqualmie Falls Lodge. Since that time, millions of people have visited the 268-foot waterfall, so naturally there are plenty of postcards for people to remember their trips. This card by Ellis Postcard Co. features both the former roadside inn and restaurant and beautiful waterfall.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS AND LODGE POSTCARD BY ELLIS POSTCARD CO. – 145022

Built by former attorney Frank Holtzheimer, Snoqualmie Falls Lodge started out as a one-floor restaurant and eight-room inn. It was considered a halfway point for people, especially honeymooners, traveling the former Sunset Highway that linked Seattle and Snoqualmie Pass before Interstate 90 was constructed.

Orville Graves bought the lodge in 1937. The location was closed during World War II and later re-opened by Graves in 1947. By then, he changed the place from an overnight spot for newlyweds to a family restaurant, featuring their world famous farm breakfast. Graves operated the lodge until August 4, 1986 after his lease was not renewed. The location would eventually become Salish Lodge by 1988 following an extensive expansion into a 91-room hotel.

The front of this scalped-edge postcard shows the lodge above a heavy flowing Snoqualmie Falls. There is a cream-colored strip across the bottom with the words, “Snoqualmie Falls and Lodge, Washington.”

There is an alternate version of this card that contains a slightly cropped image of the Snoqualmie Falls Lodge and waterfall with a tan border and black stripe.

The back of this card contains the following inscription in green:

SNOQUALMIE FALLS AND LODGE is located just off Interstate Hwy. 1-90 twenty-six miles east of Seattle. This combination of a world famous dining place overlooking a 268-ft. high waterfall is one of the major tourist and dining attractions in northwestern Washington. The falls is fed by perpetual snow and ice fields in the high Cascades. W-183

The alternate card with the tan and black-striped border has the same inscription and details printed in black. The stamp box, however, is different than the scalloped-edge card.

Both cards have the catalog number 145022 and were published by Ellis Post Card Co. of Arlington, Washington. Unfortunately no photographer is listed but I’m assuming either John Boyd Ellis or his son Clifford took the photo. I was unable to locate canceled postcards online which typically contain dates when cards were sent. I’m guessing the image may be from somewhere between the 1950s to the 1960s. The scalloped-edge card might have been sold at the former Snoqualmie Falls Lodge, which is why the front contains details about the location.

WHO IS JOHN BOYD ELLIS OF ARLINGTON, WASHINGTON?

John Boyd Ellis, was born July 25, 1894 in Perry, Iowa. He moved to Olympia, Washington around 1903, where he attended University of Washington and Western Washington University. Upon earning a teaching degree, Ellis became principal of Marysville High School until 1921 when he moved his family to Arlington, Washington. He became an Eastman Kodak dealer in a small shop on Main Street in the small Snohomish County town.

At the suggestion of a salesman in 1923, Ellis started making black-and-white photographs of the Pacific Northwest and turning them into postcards. He shot most of his photographs using a 4-by-5 format Crown Graphic camera. Through his eyes, he captured beautiful scenery found throughout Washington, Oregon, Montana, British Columbia and Alaska.

His photography skills led to the creation of Ellis Post Card Co. which produced around 5,000 real photograph postcards. When Ellis, Sr. retired in 1959, his son Clifford B., who was born in 1919, assumed ownership of the family business.

Decades later in 1990, a longtime competitor, Tacoma-based Smith-Western Co., would purchase the then oldest postcard company in the state. Ellis, Sr. died in 1983 while his son Clifford passed in 1992.

WHO IS KOPPELL KOLOR CARDS FROM HAWTHORNE, NEW JERSEY?

The “K” in a diamond logo in the bottom left corner was the mark of Koppell Kolor (Color) Cards based in Hawthorne, New Jersey.

According to a former employee’s comment on a Hawthorne Historical Society Facebook post, the company “mainly printed 4-color process picture postcards, accordion folders & mini-albums for various tourist hot spots … [they] also printed reproduction 3-D cards for use in stereopticons. Everything was printed on Miehle one color printing presses – so every sheet of paper ended up passing through the press 4 times – yellow, cyan, magenta and finally the black.”

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