The Pitch Lake of La Brea, Trinidad

Abstract

This is a unique photograph of the pitch lake at La Brea, south west Trinidad. The lake does not appear to be covered with pitch. It is covered with low verdant vegetation and only a small patch of the usual blackish pitch is visible. Rain has fallen and left two large ponds. At mid-ground, an employee wearing a hat is sitting on a rail cart. These carts were used to transport the pitch from the lake to the factory to be refined. Asphalt has been mined and exported from the pitch lake since 1859. Some believe that the pitch lake is inexhaustible, as holes left from removal of pitch fill back naturally within a day. On the horizon is a large single story building and a grove of trees.

The coat of arms on the postcard is the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom since 1837.