This is a wonderfully detailed real photo postcard showing a busy commercial street in Mio, Michigan, during the years immediately following World War II. Mio is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Oscoda County, situated in the north-central portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. It lies in the Au Sable River Valley, surrounded by the forests and outdoor-recreation country for which this part of northern Michigan is known. Mio was established in 1881. Its early development was closely connected with northern Michigan’s lumbering, farming and river communities. The photograph provides an excellent record of small-town commercial life. Most prominent is Whitney Stores, whose signs advertise “5¢ and 10¢,” “$1.00 and up,” and “Variety Store.” This appears to have been a local five-and-dime establishment selling inexpensive household goods and general merchandise. Other visible businesses include Iron’s Restaurant, the Log Cabin Inn, which advertises “Liquor” and “Good Food,” and a partially visible Mio Electric sign beneath the striped awning at the far right. Another sign behind the Log Cabin Inn appears to advertise a drugstore. A black dog walking in front of Whitney Stores adds an appealing bit of everyday life to the scene. Several period automobiles line the road. The large automobile in the foreground appears to be a 1946–1948 Chrysler sedan, probably from the Windsor or New Yorker family, identifiable by its broad horizontal grille, substantial chrome bumper and postwar Chrysler body styling. It carries a large assortment of luggage or outdoor equipment on its roof, suggesting travelers passing through northern Michigan’s vacation and sporting country. The approaching car at left appears to be a late-1940s Chevrolet, while the other parked vehicles are also consistent with automobiles produced during the late 1930s and 1940s. The postcard was published by the L. L. Cook Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1921, L. L. Cook became one of Milwaukee’s two largest postcard publishers and produced an enormous photographic record of American towns, businesses, streets and tourist destinations. The front bears Cook photograph number P2176. The reverse has an EKC stamp box, identifying Eastman Kodak photographic paper used approximately from 1939 through 1950. Because the prominent Chrysler could not have been manufactured before the 1946 model year, the combination of the automobiles and EKC stamp box places this view most plausibly around 1946–1949, with approximately 1947 being a reasonable working date. This postcard is unused and has not been mailed. SOLD
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 
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