1866 - The Little Blue Train
"Le Petit Bleu (Valse)." (translation: The Little Blue Train, a song written by L. de Wenzel. [New Orleans], 1866. Part of the Echoes of the Spanish Fort series. The series cover shows the "Little Blue Train" that ran between New Orleans and the Spanish Fort resort at Lake Pontchartrain. Also pictured is Prof. Sontag, whose Military Orchestra performed at the resort. I'm not sure if this image matches the description. Source: From Rags to Opera: Riches from the William Russell Sheet Music Collection The Williams Research Center of the Historic New Orleans Collection 410 Chartres Street April 14—July 29, 2000 (box 14, folder 395). New Orleans Historic Collection website at http://www.hnoc.org/fromrags.htm