Lysle Writes Home

Once upon a time, a young man named Lysle C. Ummel¹ visited Covina, and while he was here, he bought four picture postcards of the place and sent them back to relatives in Fremont, Nebraska.

Lysle must have mailed them all together in an envelope, because they have no postmarks and thus are not readily datable. However, various clues in the photo of Citrus Avenue made it possible for me to determine that particular picture was taken in 1919.

The familiar view below looking north on Citrus from Badillo. Lysle went on to become an electrical engineer,² so that perhaps explains his pointing out the precise location of the Edison office at the time.

Click on the image to view an enlargement (and click here to view Lysle's message on the verso).

So how did I figure out the year? Let's start out with that blade sign on the Chapman-Workmen building at left. Turns out that "Winder & Jones" were in business at that location from 1919 to 1926,³ so that narrowed the range of possible dates right away. The Covina Theatre isn't there across the street yet, so that narrows things even further to 1919-1921.⁴ But the clincher was the license plates, as 1919 was the last year between 1919 and 1921 that California plates were white.⁵

Here are the other two postcards with white borders, which I feel safe in assuming are also from 1919.

You might remember this one from my last post about Italia Cook. (Lysle's commentary here.)

The building looks brand spanking new here, which it would since 1919 was the very first year of its existence. (No notation on the verso for this one.)

I suspect the photo in the borderless postcard might be earlier than 1919, though. Like maybe years earlier. If that was also 1919, I don't think the high school would have a 46-star flag hanging over the entrance. Since that was our flag from 1908-1912, that makes me think this picture was more likely taken in that date range. No way to know for certain, but that's my educated guess.

(Lysle's message to his younger sister here.)

It doesn't appear Lysle Ummel ever actually lived in Covina, because he's back at home in Nebraska for the 1920 U. S. Census, so that's all I'll have to say about him, except, "Thanks for the postcards!"

Thanks also to Michael Schoenholtz for help researching Mr. Ummel!

References:

¹ Lysle C. Ummel on FamilySearch.
² Dayton Daily News, February 22, 1960, p.19.
³ Ads in the Covina Argus.
⁴ Covina Argus, December 16, 1921, p.8.
⁵ Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles.