Postcards have historical value for local author

In a bygone era, postcards were the best way to communicate with family and friends during a vacation or extended trip away from home.

Postcards carried short messages on the back but the picture on the front was the feature that offered a glimpse of what the visitor had seen during their adventures offering an envious glimpse of far away locales.

"I don't know many people who collect and curate postcards the way I do - at least not in town here," Trelle Morrow, local architect and author, said. "I would think most people have postcards put away in a shoebox tucked away in their closet."

Morrow said some people collect postcards as ways to commemorate trips they've taken themselves.

"That's what I've done," Morrow said. "For this project I'm doing now it's a little bit different."

Morrow will be publishing his latest book called Fort George Postcards in the fall.

Morrow wants to illustrate that not only do postcards have communication value like all postcards have since they were created during the mid-1800s but they also have a historical value that can illustrate the growth and development of a place over the years.

It was in 1900 that postcards became popular and Morrow's collection dates back to that.

Morrow has collected postcards from before Prince George was incorporated as a city in 1915 when it was known as Fort George.

Morrow's postcard collection currently fills two large photo albums.

"I've been involved with heritage work for the last 30-odd years," Morrow said, who has sat on the Heritage Committee many times and most recently has been a member for the last six years.

"We're always looking for contacts to get information about particular heritage buildings in Prince George," he said. "We're looking for any information that has heritage value."

Morrow is looking to achieve a chronological history of the city through postcards in his latest book.

"I think it will be an asset to the city," he said. "How many places in the province can you go and buy a history of a city in postcards? We might be the first! I don't know! The driving force is I would like the community to know that postcards are heritage records and are educational tools."

Prince George Postcards will be available at Books & Co. later this year.