Bill Briner Squaw Valley Lodge Olympics Era Postcard 1960s Plastichrome For Sale

This unused vintage postcard presents a quintessential winter tableau of the Squaw Valley Lodge, captured by noted Tahoe-area photographer Bill Briner. The scene is dominated by the modern, two-story blue chalet, its flat roofs heavily laden with deep snow, set against the dramatic backdrop of the rugged Sierra Nevada peaks. The image is particularly evocative of the era, with several late-1950s automobiles-identifiable by their distinctive tailfins-nearly buried in snowdrifts in the foreground, a testament to the substantial snowfall for which the region is famous. The prominent display of the five interlocking Olympic rings on the lodge’s facade immediately anchors the card to its historical context: the 1960 Winter Olympics, which transformed this then-obscure resort into a world-famous destination. This Plastichrome® card, published by Colourpicture Publishers, Inc. of Boston and distributed by Fritz Vibe Post Card Service of Sacramento, exemplifies the vibrant, saturated color printing that defined mid-century view-cards and was used to promote the burgeoning American ski industry. The verso provides detailed context, labeling the scene as the World Famous Squaw Valley Lodge at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, California and explicitly noting it as the Scene of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The descriptive text extols the resort\'s unsurpassed skiing facilities, highlighting its role as a popular family resort amid the nine-thousand-foot Sierra peaks. As an unused specimen bearing the identifier P25302, this postcard serves as a pristine piece of Olympic and recreational ephemera. It documents a pivotal moment in the history of winter sports in Placer County, California, coinciding with the first televised Winter Games in the United States. The card remains in good vintage condition, with only minor edge wear and a small, dark stain on the bottom left margin, preserving the vivid hues of this commercial color lithograph that marketed the allure of high-altitude alpine leisure during the postwar boom.