Old Documents from Lakewood, Colorado, 1940s & 1950s
Courtesy of Erica Rojas.
Edited by David Barth 16 November 2014. Images are by David Barth.
Erica Rojas found these documents and kindly offered them to the Lakewood Historical Society. Documents of this type are very rare because they are of a temporary nature and are almost always lost to the ages by being thrown away.
Some of the values they show to us are reminders of the inflation that has occurred since the mid-20th Century, business establishments that no longer exist, and the way business was done in the old days.
For example, note the personal, typewritten letter from the Denver branch of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) explaining to a woman the differences between filing her 1948 tax return separately or jointly with her husband. Her earnings in 1948 were less than $500.
A card for membership in the "National Congress of Parents and Teachers" for the Mount Air PTA is dated 1948-1949, and there is a 1953 card for membership to The American National Red Cross.
There are bills for The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company and the Public Service Company of Colorado, all dated 1950. A note on the back of a Public Service Company bill says, "Bills for any district may also be paid at Daniels and Fisher Stores Company." The phone number for the phone company shows "LKEWD 1200."
In regard to another department store, there is an installment account booklet for Joslyn's with the store's motto, "More Merchandise for Less Money."
The persons who saved these documents were customers of Citizens Savings Bank at 1644 Welton Street in Denver and the Jefferson County Bank (JCB) of Lakewood. The three receipts from JCB, after 1950, each have a different advertisement on them: Bank by mail, safe deposit boxes, and personalized checks.
The earliest document in this collection is a War Ration Book that dates from World War II (1941 through 1945), issued by the Office of Price Administration. It is accompanied by ration stamps for coffee.
A pink JCB savings deposit slip has room to list currency, silver, and checks. Silver coinage has not been minted for monetary use in the U.S. since 1964.
There is a four-page Denver Water News sheet dated November 1950, and air mail letter from June 1952 with six cents in stamps when air mail letters required more postage than surface mail. It is followed by a JCB cashier's check in the amount of $4.95, payable to the Board of Water Commissioners dated April 1956.
Included are a 1040 tax form for 1949 and a tax return for 1948 and a 1949 earnings stub from Hallack & Howard Lumber Company of Denver.
There are advertisements for two Lakewood pharmacies, Kincaid's (phone Lakewood 436) and The Pfab (phone AComa 2539). They were printed on the back of a doctor's prescription sheet.
Names of the account holders have been obscured for their privacy.
The Lakewood Historical Society appreciates this donation of old documents given to it by Erica Rojas, and it is always interested in receiving old pictures and documents from other citizens.
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1948-1949 membership card for the National
Congress of Parents and Teachers. |
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Bylaws printed on the back of the membership
card for the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. |
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1953 Membership card for The American National
Red Cross. |
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| List of some services provided by the Red Cross. |
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| Denver Water News, November 1950, page 1. |
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| Denver Water News, November 1950, page 2. |
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| Denver Water News, November 1950, page 3. |
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| Denver Water News, November 1950, page 4. |
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Jefferson County Bank Cashier's Check payable
to the Board of Water Commissioners, dated April 19, 1956. |
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Ad for Citizen's Savings Bank presentation of
"Hollywood's Open House," Sundays, 4PM - KOA radio. |
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Air Mail letter, dated June 23, 1952,
with six cents in stamps. |
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Installment account payment booklet for Joslin's
Department Store. |
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| Jefferson County Bank (JCB) receipt. |
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| Jefferson County Bank (JCB) receipt. |
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| Jefferson County Bank (JCB) receipt. |
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| Jefferson County Bank (JCB) receipt. |
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Pink deposit slip for Jefferson County Bank (JCB)
showing space to enter curreny, silver, and checks. |
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| Jefferson County Building Permit. |
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| War Ration Book, issued in World War II. |
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| Back of War Ration Book, issued in World War II. |
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| Ration Stamps for Coffee, issued in World War II. |
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A typewritten letter from the Denver IRS
answering a taxpayer's question. |
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Phone bill from The Mountain States Telephone
and Telegraph Company. |
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Phone bill from The Mountain States Telephone
and Telegraph Company. |
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| Bill from Public Service Company of Colorado. |
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Back of bill from Public Service Company
of Colorado. |
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| Tax information for filling out 1040 form. |
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| Tax information for filling out 1040 form. |
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| 1949 Tax Rate Schedule. |
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| 1948 Income Tax Return. |
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| 1948 Income Tax Table. |
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January 1949 earnings slip from Hallack & Howard
Lumber Company. |
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Ad for Kincaid's Pharmacy on the back of a doctor's
prescription sheet. |
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Ad for The Pfab Pharmacy on the back of a doctor's
prescription sheet. |
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| Citizens Savings Bank coupon book. |