My grandfather Frank Erickson takes a boxing pose while he was living in Daly City, California in 1910. He was eighteen years old and arrived out west from North Dakota seeking adventure and warmer climates.

At the time a very popular style of photography was the photograph - postcard. The text from one postcard below partially solves a mystery of these two boxing images of Frank. In the process of scanning the two dozen or so postcards dated 1910 through 1918 from various Erickson family members I have learned a lot about the lives of my grandfather and his siblings and parents.

They loved to write postcards is one thing and fortunate enough many survived the one hundred plus years since they were penny posted across the country.

Frank headed out west in 1910 and lived off and on for the next many years in Daly City, California, Phoenix, Arizona, Miles City, Montana and multiple towns in Oregon. At twenty five years of age Frank would end up joining the American Expeditionary Force in 1917 while he was living in La Grande, Oregon. Along with his brother Ernest Julius Erickson, the two awaited to be called to service. Both had been Oregon railroad deputies at the outbreak of the war in Europe. Both would serve in France in 1918.

Amazing a card could be sent with the minimal address you see below and actually get to the person. Daly City is just south of San Francisco and had just one post office most likely at the time. I have been there many times and never realized till a few years ago Frank had lived there. I would love to know what Frank was doing out here in Northern California.

Here is the transcription of the postcard sent to Frank and mailed by Helmer Erickson from Wilton, North Dakota in March of 1911:

Dear Brother,

Received both of your cards. Say! are you a pugilist now? ha ha. Must be nice and warm down there. I'll bet you could not go outside here without your shirt on. How do you like California? Is it a large city? How is business doing there? I am in business for myself now. Have been since last summer. I have a gallery and a camera outfit that cost me $120. I intended to go to Sweden this summer but I don't know if I can. Write again soon, send postcards of yourself and Daly City.

Helmer

Many thanks to my cousin Mark Henninger of Bismarck, North Dakota for helping me with the Family Arcive Project. Mark sent me a classic Air Corps photograph of his grandfather Andy Anders Sebran Erickson's 101st Aero Squadron, shot in France in 1917.