The Catskills

“The Detroit Publishing Company of Michigan issued such a wide variety of views that one is awed by their prolific coverage of towns and cities and hamlets of the nation, along with the magnificent sights of the west and mid-west. These picture postcards form an important record of American historical and social life. Not only from the view point of their subjects, but also from the style of printing used by the Detroit firm – these issues have contributed to United States culture and to the American way of life.” - Lowe, James L.; Ben Papell. Detroit Publishing Company Collector’s Guide. Newton Square, PA: Deltiologists of America, 1975. p. 7.
 

The Detroit Photographic Company published an incredible collection of images from several regions within the Catskills, including Lake Mohonk, Lake Minnewaska, the city of Kingston and the central and northern Catskills.

From the northern Catskills, scenic locations include Kaaterskill Falls, Sunset Rock, Boulder Rock, Santa Cruz Falls, Buttermilk Falls, Alligator Rock, Moore’s Bridge Falls, Fawn’s Leap, among others.

Architectural photographs include the monumental Hotel Kaaterskill on the summit of South Mountain, the Laurel House located near the top of Kaaterskill Falls, the famed Catskill Mountain House at Pine Orchard overlooking the Hudson Valley, Churchill Hall at Stamford, the Grand Hotel at Highmount and some of the other great boarding houses of the region. Village scenes include Haines Corners and Fleischmanns. There are four photographs depicting the Otis Elevating Railway, an engineering marvel in its time.

Included within the Catskills collection are several series of shots, comprised of between two and five photographs, which were to be stitched together later for its intended panoramic effect. In some cases, in addition to the publishing of the panoramic photograph, one individual photo from the series would also be published on its own merits.

The black-and-white photographs, as with many of the company’s images, were used by the Detroit Photographic Company to produce colorful photochrom postcards. Many of the company stamps, in the shape of an artist’s palette and located on the Catskills black-and-white photographs and photochrom interpretations, show a copyright date of 1902.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – The Catskills

Catskill Mountain House and Hudson River Valley, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. (2)

Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. Library of Congress.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of the Catskills now located in the Library of Congress.

• A Catskill Mountain road
• A Catskill Mountain toll gate
• Alligator Head near South Lake, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Alligator Head near South Lake, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Buttermilk Falls, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Camping in the woods]
• Catskill Mountain House and Hudson River Valley, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Catskill Mountain House and Summit Station of Otis Elevating Railway, Catskill
• [Catskill Mountain railway station, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.]
• [Catskill Mts., Catskill Mountain House, New York]
• [Catskill Mts., N.Y., Hotel Kaaterskill]
• [Catskill Mtns., Hudson River valley from Catskill Mountain House, New York]
• [Catskill Mts., N.Y., trout fishing in the Catskills]
• Central facade, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Churchill Hall, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Churchill Park and the Rexmere, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Cottage and grounds of Mr. Fleischmann, Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Cottage of Mr. Fleischmann, Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Down Kaaterskill Clove from Twilight Park, Catskill Mts., New York]
• Driveway in Twilight Park, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Fawns Leap, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Fishing in the Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Fleischmann's and Hotel Switzerland, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. (1)
• Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. (2)
• [Garden path at Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• General view of Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Gray Court Inn, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Haines Corners from Sunset Park Inn, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Haine's Falls, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Haines Falls House, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Hamilton House, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Hotel Kaaterskill from Boulder Rock, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Hotel Kaaterskill from golf links, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Hudson River Valley from Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Kaaterskill Clove from Palenville overlook, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Kaaterskill Clove from Santa Cruz Falls, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Kaaterskill Clove from Sunset Rock, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Kaaterskill Falls and Laurel House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Kaaterskill Falls from below, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Kaaterskill Falls from below, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Kaaterskill Falls from Prospect Rock, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Kaaterskill Falls from Ulster and Delaware Railway, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Kaaterskill lakes and mountain, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Kaaterskill Mountain and lakes, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Kaaterskill Mountain & the lakes, Catskill Mts., New York]
• Kaaterskill Mountain wild flowers, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Kaaterskill Mountain with Otis Elevating Railway, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Laurel House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Left wing, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Long level and Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Mr. H.E. Eder and family at Bowlder [i.e. Boulder] Rock
• New Grand Hotel and Monka Hill Mountain, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• New Grand Hotel, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• New Grand Hotel from Belle Ayr, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [New Grand Hotel, front veranda, Catskill Mtns., N.Y.]
• New Grant House, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• North veranda, Churchill Hall, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Old log cabin and the Rexmere, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Old studio of artist Hall, near Palenville, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Old studio of artist Hall, near Palenville, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Otis Elevating Railway, looking down, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Otis Elevating Railway, looking up, Catskill Mts.,N.Y.]
• Palenville Hotel, Palenville, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Parlor, Kraterskill [i.e. Kaaterskill] Hotel, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Pine Hill from the Ulster and Delaware Ry., Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Pond lillies [i.e. lilies] in South Lake, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Rapids at the bridge, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Right wing, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Rip Van Winkle House, Pine Hill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Rip Van Winkle House, Pine Hill, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Rip Van Winkle House, Sleepy Hollow, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Santa Cruz Falls, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Stamford and Mt. Utsayantha, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Sunset Park from the golf links, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Sunset Rock, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Alphine [i.e. Alpine], Pine Hill, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• The Annex, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Antlers, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Ball room, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Barns, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Dining room, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Five cascades, Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Front entrance, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Lobby, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Otis Elevating Railway and Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Otis Elevating Railway, looking down, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• The Piazza, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [The Rapids in Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• The Rexmere [i.e. Rexmore], Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Rexmere, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Upper fall, Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Twilight Rest Club House, Twilight Park, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Ulster and Delaware Railroad station, Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• View in Sunset Park, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• View on South Lake, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – Mohonk Mountain House

[Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]

[Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.] Library of Congress.

The Mohonk Mountain House is an historic hotel located on a cliff overlooking Lake Mohonk high in the Shawangunk Mountains. The famous hotel was constructed in 1870 by Albert and Alfred Smiley and remains in the Smiley family today.

Starting with a quaint 10 rooms, it now has over 250 rooms and the capacity for nearly 600 guests. Situated on 2,200 acres, the resort offers a wide variety of year-round activities such as hiking, bike riding, horseback riding, swimming, rock climbing, golfing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice skating.

A visit to the Mohonk Mountain House is like taking a step back in time – there are no TVs in the rooms, jackets are required for formal dinners, century-old carriage roads guide walkers to amazing viewpoints and signs throughout the property remind visitors “Slowly and Quietly Please.”

Nearly 150 years after its opening, the Mohonk Mountain House continues to meet its original mission of encouraging visitors to take a break from the outer world with peace and relaxation. The hotel and its surrounding property are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of Lake Mohonk and the Mohonk House now located in the Library of Congress.

• A Driveway, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• A Driveway, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• A Garden driveway, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• A Pretty spot on Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• A Rustic bridge, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Boating on Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• East entrance, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Flowers along the lake, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• [Gazebo and lake, Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Glimpse of hotel and lake, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• Lake Mohonk from Eagle Cliff Road, N.Y.
• Lake Mohonk from the driveway
• Lake Mohonk House from Garden Drive, N.Y.
• Lake Mohonk House from sky top path
• Lake Mohonk House from the west
• Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y. (1)
• Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y. (2)
• [Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Lake Mohonk House [Mohonk Mountain House], N.Y.
• [Lake Mohonk House, N.Y., the lilypond]
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House from Sky Top path, N.Y.
• [Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House from the west, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House from trail to Eagle Cliff
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., from near Sky Top]
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., from near trail to Sky Top]
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., Sky Top from under porte cochere]
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., rustic bridge]
• [Lake Mohonk, New York]
• [Lake Mohonk, N.Y., Skytop from rear of Lake Mohonk House]
• Lake shore road, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• [Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• [Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• [Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Near view, Lake Mohonk House [i.e. Mohonk Mountain House], N.Y.
• On the piazza, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Porte cochere and balconies, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, N.Y.
• Porte cochere and fountain, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, N.Y.
• [Porte cochere, Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Rondout Valley and Lake Mohonk from Skytop [i.e. Sky Top], N.Y.
• [Rondout Valley from Sky Top, Mohonk Lake, N.Y.]
• Sky top and Lake Mohonk
• Sky Top and Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• Sky top and Washington's Profile, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• Sky top from Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Sky top from the archway, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• The Bathing place, Lake Mohonk
• The Bathing place, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• The Bathing place, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, N.Y.
• The Boat landing and main entrance, Lake Mohonk House
• The Boat landing, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House
• The Driveway, Lake Mohonk [Mountain House], N.Y.
• The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House
• The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• The Parlor, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Upper Eagle Cliff Road, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – Lake Minnewaska

The Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

The Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. Library of Congress.

Lake Minnewaska, “which is fed by springs and is very deep and clear as crystal, is held in a strikingly picturesque, rocky and well-wooded bowl, rising one hundred and fifty feet above the lake on the eastern side and sixty feet on the western, and from either edge the rocks tumble precipitously down to the Wallkill and Hudson River Valleys on the one side, and to the Rondout Valley on the other.”

Lake Minnewaska is located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York. It was once home to two grand resorts, the Cliff House and the Wildmere.

The Cliff House, also known as the Minnewaska Mountain House, on the eastern side of Lake Minnewaska was constructed in 1879. In its heyday the Cliff House was a fashionable resort that earned a reputation as one of the best in the region. It operated until 1972 when it was abandoned and ultimately burned down in 1978. The land around the former resort was eventually sold to New York State and incorporated into the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

In order to accommodate the growing number of visitors at Lake Minnewaska, a second hotel, the Wildmere, was constructed in 1887, only eight years after the Cliff House opened on the opposite side of the lake. After an enlargement in 1911 the resort hotel could accommodate 350 guests. The Wildmere operated until 1979 and ultimately burned down in 1986. The land around the former resort was eventually sold to New York State and incorporated into the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of Lake Minnewaska now located in the Library of Congress.

• Along the shore, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Awosting Falls, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Battlement Terrace, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• [Cliff House from across the lake, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• [Cliff House from Sunset Rock, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• Lake Minnewaska from the Wildmere House
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (1)
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (2)
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y., from Millbrook Mountain Road (1)
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y., from Millbrook Mountain Road (2)
• [Looking north from Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• [Midcliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• Morning reflections at the Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Moss cliff and the Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• On Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Peterskill Falls, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (1)
• Peterskill Falls, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (2)
• Peterskill road, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Sky Top from Pine Cliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• [Sunset Road, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• The Cliff House from the Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• The Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• [The Wildmere House from the lake, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• The Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (1)
• The Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (2)
• Undercliff and Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Undercliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – Kingston, New York

Broadway, Kingston, N.Y.

Broadway, Kingston, N.Y. Library of Congress.

The historic city of Kingston is located along the west bank of the Hudson River in Ulster County, New York. The city, sitting where the Hudson River and the Rondout Creek meet, has a long and distinguished history. An early trading post was built at the mouth of the Rondout Creek in 1614 and by 1652 the first permanent settlement was established. An official charter was granted in 1661 for the establishing of Wiltwyck, now Kingston. It was one of three Dutch colonies in New Netherland, Albany and New York City being the other two.

The lands of Kingston traded hands several times between the Dutch and the British, ultimately falling under the control of the British in 1674. Over a century later Kingston served as the first capital of New York State, but was burned by the British in 1777 during the American Revolution. With American victory over the British complete General George Washington visited the city in 1782 in recognition of the devotion of the city’s citizens to the patriot cause.

By the time the Detroit Photographic Company arrived at Kingston in the early 1900s the city had grown significantly. The city was a key point for trade along the Hudson River, serving as the terminus for the D&H Canal. Important local industries included bluestone, cement mining and brick manufacturing. In 1872 the village of Rondout and the hamlet of Wilbur merged with the village of Kingston to form what is today’s city.

The number of photographs taken by the Detroit Photographic Company at Kingston is not as numerous as those from the northern and central Catskills, the Mohonk Mountain House or Lake Minnewaska, yet they still offer a beautiful glimpse at the historic city at the turn of the century. Photographs of Kingston include several of the city’s notable and historic buildings and sites, including the Old Senate House, the Hoffman House, the Dutch Reformed Church and Kingston Point Park.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of the city of Kingston in Ulster County, New York now located in the Library of Congress.

• Boat landing, Kingston, N.Y.
• [Boat landing, Kingston Point, N.Y.]
• Broadway, Kingston, N.Y.
• Elmendorf Tavern, Kingston, N.Y.
• Hoffman House, Kingston, N.Y.
• Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y. (1)
• Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y. (2)
• [Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y.] (1)
• [Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y.] (2)
• Old Senate House, Kingston, N.Y.
• Old Tappan house, Kingston, N.Y.
• Protestant Dutch Reformed Church, Kingston, N.Y.
• Wall St., Kingston, N.Y.

Detroit Publishing Company – Catalog Inventory

Over the years there have been several efforts to document the historic postcard catalog of the Detroit Publishing Company. Each of the efforts have built upon the work of the previous authors and collectors. In 1954 Jeff R. Burdick published an initial 84-page summary titled The Handbook of Detroit Publishing Co. Postcards. In 1975 James L. Lowe and Ben Papell published the 288-page Detroit Publishing Company Collectors’ Guide. And in 1994 Nancy Stickels Stechschulte published the 446-page The Detroit Publishing Company Postcards.

6372, version 1_Rip Van Winkle House, Catskill Mountains

Based on the works of these authors, coupled with a few changes and additions that have become known since their publication, below is an inventory listing of the postcards relating to the Catskills that were published by the Detroit Publishing Company.