While sorting out a collection of old family postcards this weekend I discovered something about my family I was not aware of. Not a big thing, just a little tidbit. I knew, from being told and seeing pictures that prior to my being born my parents and my three older siblings had made a trip from their home in Lancaster, Ohio to California. They drove all the way up the California coast and discovered a town called Crescent City. Later, in 1949, a second trip was made, but this time it was to relocate. I blogged earlier about that trip.
What I didn’t realize was that the “first trip” was really two trips. I have postcards from 1936 and 1937 and I made the assumption it was the same trip, the Martin family famous “first trip” until it occurred to me my sister was born 12/26/1936. August 12, 1936 finds Mom & Dad in Curtis, Wi and August 25 in Ogden, Utah. As my sister was born in Lancaster, Ohio (home) they obviously came home and headed out again several months later. While this doesn’t seem like a great adventure today - they were pulling one of the first house trailers and the trip in 1937 included the new baby, a nursemaid AND a two year old and a five year old.
Travel trailers first appeared in North America in the 20's and their owners were called Tin Can Tourists. By the 1930 - 1940 period they were called House Trailers. Then in the 1950-1960 period the industry divided into what we know today as RV’s and Mobile Homes. Just a little trivia for you.
Here’s the earliest postcard I found - these first two were written by my mother and sent to her mother.
And the second from Ogden, obviously Mom didn’t care for Wyoming.
Now, I must have some pictures taken during this adventure, the Martin’s have always been picture taking fools and I now have the challenge of trying to pick out some Wisconsin/Wyoming/Utah roadside scenery. I am not entirely sure they had the house trailer yet as all the pictures I have with the trailer are from the southwest and California. My feeling is they enjoyed the first excursion, came home, my sister was born, bought the trailer and headed out again as soon as they could. This time they took the southern route through New Mexico and Arizona....I remember Mom complaining she hated Arizona.....no air conditioning in the vehicles in those days!
On the back of this picture Dad has written “Here’s where we were stuck in the mud in Carlsbad, NM”. Great looking spot, Dad!!
Bisbee, Az and Tombstone in these two shots. Another mystery in the Continental Divide pic, my mom is in the foreground in that splendid flowery dress, my brother John is the dark haired boy age about 4 here and my brother Roger is the blondie, age about 2....I always assumed the other woman was the nursemaid, but who the heck is the small child. A thought running around in my head is that it’s the nursemaid’s child??? Will have to ask my brother John about it before I do my scrapbook pages of this trip.
This is John looking a little apprehensive...perhaps he’s discovered how lethal those cactus can be.
From Arizona, the next known stop was Yosemite, where the family car was photographed driving through the famous Wawona Tree. This is actually a postcard, but not used, so I did not scan the back. The tree has since fallen. I originally had this as being in the Redwood County, but further research proved me wrong!!!
This next postcard is actually a photo postcard, as is the previous one of the car driving through the tree. I suppose you can still do it today, but I never see it. I have tons of pictures my dad did that are printed on postcard stock. Here is one of my Dad (isn’t he handsome, LOL) and John and Roger. On the reverse you will see the family has arrived at my Aunt Jennie’s in California - this card was sent by my dad to his mother (Jennie’s sister).
And another great one where they are camped. Very Bonnie and Clyde like, don’t you think?
After visiting with Jennie & her family, Mom and Dad are headed north towards Crescent City. Here is another photo postcard of the “rig” with my Mom and brother John sitting on the front bumper. They have made it to the Redwoods. Again, this postcard was not "used" so I have not scanned the back.
They made it to Crescent City, I have a bunch of souvenir postcards that may have been from that trip, but there is no writing on the back so I can’t really date them - but here is the front of one so you can see approximately what Crescent City looked like in the 30's and 40's. This is also a photo postcard, collectors call them real photo postcards. The writing on the card is actually scratched on the negative and then the photo is printed on the aforementioned photostock paper that has the address & correspondence sections printed on the back and voila, a postcard. The photographer in this case proves to be one Frank Patterson, who was well known as a Northern California photographer. After some research I discovered that Mr. Patterson, who at one time had 228 dealers In Northern California and Southern Oregon selling his postcards, was in San Quentin from 1940 - 1946, so I would suspect the photo’s are pretty representative of Crescent City in the late 30's.
In those (olden) days you could drive all the way from San Francisco to Crescent City along the Coast, which is what I remember my folks telling me they did. Today you can only go as far as Fort Bragg on the Coast and then you must go back to Route 101 inland to complete the trip. Here is a last postcard that Mom sent her mother on the way home. If you look closely you will see the road along the cliff. I have been up Route 1 as far as Fort Bragg many times and I can guarantee you it would be a hair raising trip pulling a trailer.
So, as best as I have been able, with postcards and photographs I have tried to re-create a couple of trips my parents took in the late 30's.
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