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. Continue reading →

In sharp contrast with the 1949 calendar, which had only one photo that I know was also used on a menu cover, all but three of the photos on the 1950 calendar were shared with menus. Two of the photos had previously been used on the 1945 calendar, while a third would later be repeated on the 1954 calendar.

Click image to download a 27.6-MB PDF of this calendar.

While each individual calendar was a thing of beauty, by 1950 they must have seemed a little repetitive. Almost every year had a photo of Mount Hood, Hoover Dam, Jackson Lake, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, a lake in Rocky Mountain Park, Zion’s Great White Throne, and Sun Valley. Old Faithful and the Mormon Temple also made frequent appearances. Continue reading →

I don’t have the 1947 calendar, so here is the 1948 edition. In either 1947 or 1948, Union Pacific graduated from the twelve pages used in the earlier calendars to a full sixteen pages. In addition to the twelve calendar months, one page shows December, 1947; two pages show full 1948 and 1949 calendars; and the final page has slightly longer descriptions of each photo. UP would continue to use this format through 1960.

Click image to download a 21.6-MB PDF of this calendar.

The opening (December 1947) page of this calendar has a completely unromantic photo of the Union Pacific ticket office building in downtown Los Angeles. While it’s true that part of a train trip was standing in line to buy tickets, people didn’t necessarily want to be reminded of that every time they looked at a calendar. The building was replaced in 1967 with a 24-story office building. Continue reading →

UP’s 1945 calendar emphasizes the “Your America” campaign that was the theme of a UP-sponsored radio show broadcast on 123 stations nationwide starting in 1945. About half the photos in this calendar show national parks and other scenes that would be featured on future UP color photo menus while the other half showed farms, forests, Hoover Dam, and other scenes intended to promote pride in America’s productivity. Except for the “strategic middle route” slogan, the war in unmentioned.

Click image to download a 19.6-MB PDF of this calendar.

The photos used for March, May, June, September, and November would later find themselves on menu covers. Since January’s photo of Mount Hood was just as attractive, it is possible that a menu was made using that image as well. Continue reading →

Unfortunately, I am missing the 1941 and 1942 calendars, so the next one is for 1943. This calendar was printed on seven comb-bound sheets, allowing for all twelve months plus December 1942 on the front cover and photo descriptions on the back cover (which, for some reason, was printed upside down).

Click image to download a 17.8-MB PDF of this 14-page calendar.

Since this was in the midst of World War II, the pages heavily promote UP’s contribution to that effort. A picture of Sun Valley says that it helps “keep America fit.” A photo of a streamliner says that it is “important for fast transport in defense.” An engineer is a “soldier of the home front.” Continue reading →