Earl Brothers, as the Boulder-Hoover-Boulder Dam was being built, received an exclusive license to supply visitors and tourist with everything from post cards to small metal dams.
Brothers was in fact for several decades, the Curio King of Boulder Dam. In this first of a multi-part series, the focus is on his relationship with the largest post card printer in the United States at the time Curt Teich out of Chicago.
1935 was a transition year for Curt Teich in southern Nevada. By July the company had logged in its first order from “E.J. Brothers” for more than 150,000 post cards. The post cards arrived in time for the dedication of the Dam by President Roosevelt on September 30.
The E.J. is Earl James Brothers who came to southern Nevada in December of 1931. Brothers had just turned 23. When he died in 1967 he was described as “Mr. Boulder City, in the roaring 30’s, the building 40’s, and the exciting 50’s.”[1]
Before the dam was finished, Brothers had obtained the exclusive rights to sell post cards and other souvenirs at the dam site. He would hold this right for nearly three decades.
Brothers had been hired to manage the only movie theater that had been authorized to be built in Boulder City. In addition to managing, he was also one of the owners of the facility.[2]
Brother’s plan was like many others; make money while the dam was being built, and when it was done, leave town.
That quickly changed. From the start of construction, the project became a tourist attraction. Brothers saw a long term future for Boulder City. He bought out his partners in the theater. He then got into the quickly growing tourism business.
On November 8, 1933, Brothers announced that he had received an exclusive permit from the United States government to operate the first tourist guide service for the dam.
At the time, Brothers said, “this service will be largely experimental until we learned more as to the actual needs and wants of the tourists. We have been convinced for a long time that such a service is necessary if we are to properly take care of the thousands of visitors that come thru every month. It will give them all the details of the great project from men who know it from one end to the other. I believe it will fill a long-felt need.”[3]
The headquarters for the new service was on the ground floor of the theater building. Brothers told a reporter at the time that he planned to “operate a curio shop in connection with the service, and will display all sorts of Boulder Dam souvenirs.”[4]
Brother said he would “operate a curio shop in connection with the service, and will display all sorts of Boulder Dam souvenirs.”[5]
It is not known what post cards Brothers put on sale first. But what is known is Brothers put his first post card order in with Curt Tiech about a year and a half later. According to the Curt Tiech sales logs, Brother’s first order was for 18 different views and one ‘large folder cover.” The order was entered onto the Curt Tiech logs on July 30, 1935.
It was for 127,500 individual cards, and 25,000 folders. The first Brother’s order turns out to be the first true ‘linen’ Curt Tiech cards of the dam. The first number in the Brothers series is “5A-H1413.” The “H” series indicates was is now described as the linen series. According to the Curt Teich files, the “H” in the production code number on the post card “refers to the printing method called “Art Colortone.” Teich Sr. described the Art Colortone printing process in this way; “manufacturing was done by the litho-offset process. Colors were worked out on Bristol cardboard.
The press plates were produced by the newly invented photo composing Machines.” Those posts cards without the “H,” according to Teich Sr. were printed by “using black halftone plates and adding colors by the lithographic Process.”
Over the next two decades, Brothers would order from the Teich Company more than a million dam cards, featuring nearly 200 southern Nevada.
It is possible that the first post card that Brothers sold was a real photo post card.
According to the biographical data sheet, on file with the George Eastman House, “Lloyd Franklin “Johnny” Manis worked for Brothers as a photographer from about 1933 till the late 1950’s. Brothers himself was an outstanding photographer.”[6]
And, early in the construction of the dam, Brothers began selling Frasher Fotos of the dam under construction.
During World War II, with dam tourist trade all but shut down, Brothers changed the name of his business from the Boulder Dam Service Bureau to the Desert Souvenir Supply Company.
As the name of the dam changed the Brothers would re-ordered the same views with the new name. And as the name of his business would change so would the information on the post card. Often times these changes were accompanied by changes in color or clouds.
From Boulder Dam ash trays to book ends that were miniature models of the dam, Brothers sold any and everything that he could tie into the dam.
In the mid-1930’s he distributed an 8 page brochure listing many of what he called “authentic historical souvenirs” that were “suitable for the home, office, school, or library.”
The items included the Boulder Dam miniature model ash trays for $1.75 in “goldtone.” Another item in the Brothers brochure is what he called “Picture Sets,” These were “18 miniature post cads from original photographs” of the “world’s most impressive engineering spectacle” at the “center of a magnificent scenic wonderland.” The packet of miniature post cards sold for .25 cents.
There are 52 known different miniature views. Considering the views, it is likely all the miniature cards were published before 1940.
Brothers first order of linen post cards from Curt Tiech in 1935 to coinside with the opening of the dam. The first 19 cards that Brothers ordered from Tiech had serrated edges.
The first print run for 5A-H1413 to 5A-H1428 was 6-thousand cards.
5A-H1413 BLACK CANYON, BOULDER DAM SITE
5A-H1414 DIVERSION TUNNEL, BOULDER DAM
5A-H1415 HIGH SCALERS, BOULDER DAM (v)
5A-H1416 THE BABCOCK & WILCOX PIPE PLANT, BOULDER DAM
5A-H1417 TRANSPORTING PIPE, BOULDER DAM
5A-H1418 200 TON GOVERNMENT CABLEWAY AND 30 FOOT
DIAMETER PIPE (v)
5A-H1419 LOWERING 30 FOOT PIPE, BOULDER DAM
5A-H1420 BOULDER DAM AND POWER PLANT
5A-H1421 NIGHT SCENE, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
This is a view of Fremont Street looking west from just eat of the intersection of Second and Fremont Streets. The Hotel Apache, on the right side of the post card, is now the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino. The Kiwi Bar on the left side of the post card is now the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino.
5A-H1422 BOULDER CITY, NEVADA
5A-H1423 GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION BUILDING,
BOULDER CITY, NEVADA
5A-H1424 150 MAN TRANSPORT
5A-H1425 COLORADO RIVER, LOOKING DOWNSTREAM FROM
BOULDER DAM
5A-H1426 UPSTREAM FACE OF BOULDER DAM
5A-H1427 DOWNSTREAM FACE OF BOULDER DAM
5A-H1428 BOULDER DAM AND LAKE
The first print run for post cards from 5A-H1429 to
5A-H1431 was 12-thousand-500.
5A-H1429 1933-BOULDER DAM UNDER CONSTRUCTION
5A-H1430 BOULDER DAM, FORTIFICATION MOUNTAIN IN
DISTANCE
5A-H1431 BOATING ON BOULDER DAM LAKE,
FORTIFICATION MOUNTAIN IN BACKGROUND
D-4015 BOULDER DAM
This is described in the Curt Teich logs as a “large covered folder.” This mailer contains 18 post card size views of the dam. All 19 of the above post cards are in the folder. 18 are inside, and the 19 5A-H1431, “Boating on Boulder Dam Lake, Fortification Mountain in Background,” is printed on the back of the mailer. Brothers order 25,000 of these mailers in 1935. Subsequently he ordered additional D-4015, but changed the inside views.
The last Teich under from Brothers’ Boulder Dam Service Bureau OBH2262 Las Vegas Club 11-2-1940
According to the Teich logs, the first post card order Brother made under his new banner, “Desert Souvenir Supply” company based in Boulder city was November 26, 1941 for 1B-H2427 Boulder Dam with Reservoir filled to capacity
Brothers would change the name of his operation once more in 1952 to the Desert Supply Company.
This is the end of the notes for part one of a series of articles on Earl Brothers the Curio King of Boulder Dam.
[1] Boulder City News, June 8, 1967 p1
[2]Las Vegas Review Journal, May 16, 1948, p8
[3]Las Vegas Review Journal, November 8, 1933, page 2
[4]Las Vegas Review Journal, November 8, 1933, page 2
[5]Las Vegas Review Journal, November 8, 1933, page 2
[6]Form titled “George Eastman House photographers Biography File: Biographical data sheet” for Earl Brothers.