Weather fair, but cold. By noon, we had covered 344 miles. At 2 o’clock, we passed Fire Island, U.S.A. This will bring us to the pier about 7 o’clock.

Dad

Harbor and Battery Park, New York.

From the editor: The entry above and the postcard to Miss Hunt, both written on a Thursday, are the last written messages recounting Hermann’s seven-month trip.

Based on evidence provided by several other postcards in the collection, the Jacobys may have taken the 20th Century Limited train  to Chicago.

The New York Central’s 20th Century Limited in the Hudson Highlands.

Arriving in Chicago about 24 hours later, they may have opted to enjoy a meal—or, perhaps an overnight stay—at the Hotel Kaiserhof (320–328 Clark Street), just across the river from Union Station, about a 10-minute walk, nothing for those intrepid mountain-climbing Jacobys.

Kaiserhof Hotel, Chicago.
Ladies’ Cafe and Farmers’ Parlor [a room decorated in a rustic style].

Italian Garden.
Kaiserhof Hotel, Chicago, Ill.

After a quick visit to the Windy City, they could have caught any one of several trains that ran daily between Chicago and St. Louis, crossing the Mississippi on the Eads Bridge and arriving in Union Station on Saturday, October 30—back home after a little more than seven months of travel.

The Eads Bridge.

Union Station.
St. Louis, Mo.