The Knobs are a monument to . . . well, to dirt. Washington County has the geological distinction of being approximately the southern terminus of the great glaciers of the last Ice Age. These icy phenomena were God's bulldozers, pushing everything from sand to boulders in their path down from the north. They left northern Indiana so flat you can stand on your own dignity and see for miles in every direction. But when they got to Washington County they decided things were getting too hot for them, so they dropped their loads of fill and melted away (creating the local watercourses like Brock Creek, Blue River, and ultimately the Ohio River in the process).
The fill became the Knobs. This is a scene in the Millport Knobs near the Muscatatuck River. The road is State Road 135, now called Old State Road 135, because a newer, straighter 135 was built in the 1960s. The road in the picture is clearly from an earlier era. The surface looks rough, the guard rail looks more ornamental than useful, and twists and turns of navigating the Knobs are obvious. What the era might be, exactly, is elusive. The card was postmarked in August of 1931. It's a Railway Post Office mark, Train 4 of the Chicago & Louisville line, but the date didn't strike clearly. The card itself might date back to the middle to late 1920s. The car in the picture is the only real clue. It probably belonged to the photographer, by the way -- it's parked and there's nobody in it.
The card, numbered 16, is another "PTV" real-photo print, although the logo is different from the preceding cards. The "Bregstone" is omitted and the "PTV" is enclosed in a diamond. The message, addressed to Mrs. F.A. Black of Paris, Illinois, reads, "Say we have been having a time. Went to the Fair today. We saw lots of Geo. cousins. Will be at Grand Ma's tomorrow, Emana's on Sunday and to the country on Monday. I expect home on Tuesday." It is signed "Rac." (9/29/99)
The fill became the Knobs. This is a scene in the Millport Knobs near the Muscatatuck River. The road is State Road 135, now called Old State Road 135, because a newer, straighter 135 was built in the 1960s. The road in the picture is clearly from an earlier era. The surface looks rough, the guard rail looks more ornamental than useful, and twists and turns of navigating the Knobs are obvious. What the era might be, exactly, is elusive. The card was postmarked in August of 1931. It's a Railway Post Office mark, Train 4 of the Chicago & Louisville line, but the date didn't strike clearly. The card itself might date back to the middle to late 1920s. The car in the picture is the only real clue. It probably belonged to the photographer, by the way -- it's parked and there's nobody in it.
The card, numbered 16, is another "PTV" real-photo print, although the logo is different from the preceding cards. The "Bregstone" is omitted and the "PTV" is enclosed in a diamond. The message, addressed to Mrs. F.A. Black of Paris, Illinois, reads, "Say we have been having a time. Went to the Fair today. We saw lots of Geo. cousins. Will be at Grand Ma's tomorrow, Emana's on Sunday and to the country on Monday. I expect home on Tuesday." It is signed "Rac." (9/29/99)