Canoe on the Suwannee River, Florida, 1950

About this postcard

A lone paddler in a canoe moves along the still, blue-green Suwannee River, with dense cypress and hardwood trees draped in Spanish moss crowding the banks. The printed caption calls it "The Tranquil Suwannee River, Florida." The Suwannee rises in the Okefenokee Swamp and runs through northern Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. It was already widely known through Stephen Foster's 1851 song "Old Folks at Home," often called "Swanee River." The sender writes from Orlando during a Florida winter, sends New Year's wishes, admits not having seen the river yet, and promises travel stories while mentioning the many photographs being taken. The writer calls the river beautiful before ever visiting, which fits the card's role as a scenic souvenir of a famous Southern waterway.