A Gallery of postcards, ephemera, and collectibles from the Iowa State Fair
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144K. 1889 Press Pass~Iowa State Fair
Era: 1907 & Earlier   Publisher: N/A 

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Unusual Press Pass, embossed and shaped like an ear of corn. The name Gruwell & Lady Elva on the pass refers to the West Branch Times Editor W. W. Gruwell, and his daughter Elva. You can also see the faint facsimile signature of John R. Shaffer, who was the Fair secretary in 1889. This item is in the possession of Gruwell's relative Margaret Nelson, who lives in Oregon, and was scanned for this site by Gruwell's Great-Grandson, Tom Weinman of Des Moines. Weinman says that Elva, who was his grandmother's older sister, was called "Aunt Dodo" - a nickname given to her by one of her nieces or nephews. For a time she worked as a nurse for the Hubbells and lived with them at Terrace Hill.

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