Etna News - Do it yourself photos

from my perspective . . .

Okie Dokie . . . This will be a 'do-it-yourself' experience!

Our friend Les Buchner (Buddy's son) just sent me an email saying that his friend Robert, who Les worked with at PG&E, sent him a link for Etna photos back in January when Les talked about 'going home to Etna' . . .

Upon reading the last posting, Les dug out the original email and sent me the link. These are too good not to share. I have googled in the past for old Etna photos, but these never came up.

Since the Collection is owned by UC Davis and the warnings basically say we can't reproduce them under threat of death (my words!), I am only giving you the links.

I had never heard of Jervie Henry Eastman, so I googled him and found this about 'the man of the hour':

Postcard History: The Collection of Jervie Henry Eastman

"It all began because of postcards.

One of the most valuable resources of 20th century regional history is a collection of photographs taken and compiled by Jervie Henry Eastman. And not just a few photographs, but 13,000 images. (My note: Mel Fechter may be faaaaast approaching this number of photographs also!)

Jervie Henry Eastman was born July 20, 1880, in White Cloud, Michigan. His family moved to northern California in 1886. In 1898, Eastman launched his photographic career in Sisson, California (later named Mount Shasta), as a view photographer. He became a partner in the Shasta View Company in 1907. Eastman lost his entire stock of plates and cards in a fire in 1912.

For the major part of the 20th century, Eastman roamed the back roads and byways of Northern California snapping photos. His collection spans the years from 1890 to 1960. His primary goal was to develop a repository of images for his postcard business. Eastman’s firm focused on the printing, developing, and distribution of postcards. In 1907, he created a machine that would increase the production of postcards to 200 per hour.

In 1921, Jervie Henry Eastman moved to Susanville and established Eastman & Company as a commercial photography and post card studio. In 1936 he hired Mirl Simmons, a young photographer from Hillsborough, West Virginia, to help with the postcard photography. In 1947, Eastman and Simmons became partners. The business had expanded to provide photographic supplies to southeastern Oregon and studios in Westwood, Weed, and Susanville.

Eastman’s territory covered roughly the northeast quadrant of California, along with parts of Oregon and the Mendocino coast. His photographs feature Native Americans; the eruption of Mount Lassen; the building of Shasta Dam; the ancestor of today’s Sierra College, Placer Junior College; and many, many scenic shots of local communities. Along with his partners -- Mirl Simmons, John Reisen, and P.J. “Jack” Thompson -- Eastman was also a pioneer in aerial photography. Among his many subjects was Nevada County in the mid-20th century. (My note: AND ETNA, USA!!!!!!)

Jervie Henry Eastman brought an artist’s sensibility to his commercial concerns. John Skarstad, Special Collections Coordinator at the University of California, Davis, states that since Eastman was a professional photographer, his images “have a uniformity of tone, size, and format.” Often, though, Eastman added a homey touch – his photographs would sometimes include, usually stuck in the corner, an image of his panel truck adorned “Eastman’s Studio, Susanville, California.”

Eastman’s collection has more than sentimental value, however. His collection is frequently used by historians, biologists, lawyers, those preparing environmental impact reports, and conservationists to document the changes in the landscape over time.

In addition to his postcard business, Jervie Henry Eastman operated a photography and portrait shop in Susanville from 1920 to 1959. His customers in Susanville remembered him fondly. As one of his clients once stated: “His relaxed manner and winning smile made it easy to feel comfortable as one sat before this man’s camera and had your picture taken.” This relaxed style and respect for the subject matter is reflected in his postcard images as well.

Eastman retired from photography in 1959 and sold his share of the business to Simmons. He died in Susanville on February 11, 1969 at the age of 88. He is the subject of a downtown historic mural in Susanville. He is depicted with a bi-plane and with his company car stuck in the mud.

The Eastman Collection broke new ground in the information age as well. The Eastman's Originals Collection (the historical postcards and negatives) was sold to Anne Fisher in 1982. She managed the collection until her retirement in 1994. She donated the collection to the University of California, Davis, in 1994 and, the university undertook the daunting task of scanning, digitizing, and cataloging the images for use on the internet. Eastman’s work became the first of the campus’ extensive online museum collections.

And to think it all was set in motion by penny postcards."

Fabulous Eastman Photos:

(Click once on each Title below
and it should open right to the page.
You can then click on the photo and make it larger)

1946 Etna overhead

Etna Theatre - 1957

Etna Main Street - Corrigans - 1956

Etna Main Street - Laundromat side - 1941

Minor's Grcoery (??) now Etna Deli - 1951

Texaco Station end of Main Street - 1951

Etna Main Street - Chevron - 1951

High School - 1956

Callahan - no date