Union Pacific 1952 Calendar

At least four of the photographs on the 1952 calendar were used on menus, and the October photo of Lake Marie in Wyoming was also repeated in the 1955 calendar. The calendar contains some other clichés: Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam (at least from an unusual viewpoint), Jackson Lake, Old Faithful, and horses above Sun Valley.

Click image to download a 21.9-MB PDF of this calendar.

Some of the more unique photos include an intimate look at Death Valley’s Furnace Creek Inn; a photo of San Francisco’s Chinatown where the newest cars were at least four years old in 1952; Sentinel Peak in Zion Park; Catalina Island; and a floating bridge in Seattle, Washington (which was also used on a menu). The floating bridge photo was obviously taken in the summer, so it is strange that UP used it for a December photo.

A different view of the Furnace Creek Inn also appeared on the 1951 calendar, but never again after this calendar. Fred Harvey took it over in 1956, and it is possible Union Pacific didn’t want to advertise the company so closely associated with rival Santa Fe.

MonthPhotoMenu?
December 1951Furnace Creek
1952San Francisco ChinatownYes
JanuarySun Valley Chapel
FebruaryHoover Dam
MarchSentinel Peak, Zion Park
AprilSun Valley Horses
MayBryce Canyon
JuneOld Faithful
JulyGrand Canyon
AugustJackson Lake
SeptemberAspen, Rocky Mountain ParkYes
OctoberLake MarieYes
NovemberAvalon Bay, Catalina Island
DecemberSeattle Floating BridgeYes
1953Gas Turbine
Photo descriptions

This calendar starts the semi-tradition of showing Union Pacific trains on the calendar for the year ahead and the photo description page. While this wouldn’t always be the case, it was repeated in 1953, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1968.


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