Carbon Canyon Historical Artifact #14

The last installment of his feature showed an interior of a motel room at the La Vida Mineral Springs resort. This view, similar to one that appeared in this blog in the very first historical artifact post in early July 2008, shows the exterior of the motel, with the office at the center and a grass area with people relaxing on lawn chairs to the left.

At the far left side is a portion of the old wooden footbridge that led from the motel westward across Carbon [Canyon] Creek, which is in the foreground, where all the green plants are, toward the restaurant and the interior baths. The concrete footings for the bridge are still intact and visible today. Off to the far right is a part of a parking area and there are some cars in view.

This postcard, unlike most that have been featured on this blog, was postally used and there is a message to "Granny Weber" from "Irma," who was heading back to Buffalo to return home. The postmark, from Whittier, is dated 22 March 1967 and the photo on the card is perhaps a little, though not much, earlier than that.

Looking at the well-maintained grounds and the clean exterior of the motel, it's hard to imagine that the fire-ravaged landscape that is the site now is the same location. It's also difficult to envision anything changing out there anytime soon, particularly if the property remains zoned commercial.

As with the other 1960s cards of La Vida that have appeared on this blog, this is by Amescolor of Escondido. It is 2009.4.1.1 of the Carbon Canyon Collection and clicking on the image will give you a zoomed-in view.