Rae Ione Fritch, Nina Alvide Harris, Allys B. Collings and Dorothy Andrist automobile travel scrapbook

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  Arthur B. Hussey travel journal

  Manuscripts

  A two-volume, detailed account of a trans-continental auto touring excursion, taken in the summer of 1931 by New Rochelle physicist Arthur B. Hussey, his wife Gertrude, and his mother Alice. The account is illustrated with photographs, many taken by Arthur Hussey, which capture scenic attractions across the American West. The narrative describes in depth the nature of their travels, the character of their accommodations, the many individuals they encountered, the activities in which they engaged, and the landscapes through which they passed.

  mssHM 84124

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  Robert B. Blair, Arthur Jones, and Fred Jones automobile travel photographs

  Visual Materials

  The 82 photographs in this volume document an automobile trip taken by Blair, the Jones brothers, and possibly one or two other men or women, in October 1919, from South Dakota to the Pacific coast of Oregon. The party traveled in two cars, a 1918 Ford Model T, which they called "Russian Thistle Mollie" and a similar vehicle they called "Kactus Kate." During the trip, these motorists cross South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington before reaching the Columbia River Highway in Oregon, which they follow to the Pacific Ocean. The images document drivers in open cars, rough dirt or gravel roads, automotive breakdowns, and driving through the aftermath of a blizzard near Deer Lodge, Montana. Besides photographs of automobiles and travelers, images show mountain vistas, a mine, a picnic lunch served from the car's running board, ferries and bridges, and ranches near the Yellowstone River. The photographs have handwritten captions in red ink in the margins, and are sleeved in mylar pages held in a binder.

  photCL 613

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  Agnes Gallicker diary of an automobile trip from Iowa to the Pacific Coast

  Manuscripts

  Diary kept by Agnes Gallicker as she and seven friends drove from Iowa across the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast from June to August of 1924. Most of the women were inexperienced drivers, and Agnes makes frequent references to the difficulties of automobile travel, including punctured tires and other mechanical failures, avoiding a "speed cop," and navigating often unpaved or damaged roadways. Agnes herself was a confident driver, and on her days off from driving noted that "my suggestions (driving from the backseat) were well (?) received." Agnes also describes a variety of fellow motorists they met along the way, including three young Dutchmen who helped them with car troubles at different stops along their route. Some encounters were less successful, and Agnes's motto became "Don't pick up with strange men." The diary opens on June 12, the day the women departed from their homes in Iowa. They spent much of their time traveling along the Lincoln Highway and spent each night camping out. In Iowa they passed through Marshalltown and Ledges State Park before driving quickly through Nebraska. Agnes noted with some awe their first view of the Rocky Mountains from Goodrich, Colorado. They also passed through Denver (where Agnes and another of the girls were "looked upon as Indians - People came out...to gawk at us"), Bear Creek Canyon, Colorado Springs, Big Thompson Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Park, and hiked to Bear Lake (June 25). In Wyoming they drove through Laramie and stopped for a picnic after leaving Fort Steele. "Any place was as good as the other so we ate out on a desert," Agnes wrote, adding that "sand storms [are] similar to Iowa snow storms" (June 27). In Utah they saw Ogden and Salt Lake City (they missed some of the Mormon sites due to arriving on a Sunday, but eventually saw an organ concert at the Tabernacle), and in Idaho drove from Boise to The Dalles along the Columbia River. After ferrying across the Willamette River, they drove down to California, where they saw Mount Shasta and stopped in Redding, Stockton, Buck Meadows (near Yosemite, where Agnes did not go), and Oakland, and saw the Presidio Recruiting Station in San Francisco, went wading in the Pacific Ocean, and passed by U.C. Berkeley. When they tried to pay a portion of a car repair bill in pennies, Agnes wrote that the attendant told them "Californians don't care for pennies - they throw them away. Rich!!". The women then drove north toward Oregon, passing Mount Siskiyou and stopping at Klamath Falls and Crater Lake. In Washington they saw Mount Rainier National Park, Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls, and Spokane, and took a day trip to Victoria, British Columbia. In early August they began their trip home, and Agnes' diary describes touring the State Prison and Anaconda Reduction Works in Montana (Aug.4), spending two days at Yellowstone National Park (Aug.6-7), and driving through the Badlands to the Red River Valley. Her diary ends on August 17, when they were near the Elk River.

  mssHM 78235

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  Raught family automobile travel photograph albums

  Manuscripts

  These photo albums document automobile trips taken around the western United States and western Canada between 1915 and 1933, principally for recreational purposes. Destinations range from Yellowstone National Park to Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada and include various locations in California, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Mexico. There are also a number of photographs of family events, some of which may not have been part of the motor excursions. Only a very few snapshots do not have captions. One of the volumes also contains a State of Washington license permit for a Black 1915 Dodge and a Department of Interior automobile permit allowing the Raught family to enter the National Parks in their Dodge from August 28 to December 31, 1915.

  mssHM 83447-83448

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  Daniel B. Robinson letter to Mary Ann Robinson

  Manuscripts

  These manuscripts are a series of letters from Daniel Robinson to his sister Mary and brother James. In HM 19765 (1847, November 14), a letter to his sister, Daniel Robinson writes of his travels and contacts in the middle United States. HM 19766, dated 1849, March 12, also to Mary, Daniel writes he has delayed responding to her last letter due to a lack of interesting things to say. His main wish is to gain his fortune, and plans to accompany a group bound for the gold mines of California, and plans to leave Illinois in a week's time. He promises he will travel safely, and will write from time to time. The last letter to Mary in this sequence is dated 1850, October 31 (HM 19767), and Daniel has reached California, and has purchased "a lot of cattle" with several friends from Illinois. He would describe his journey if he had time, but plans to return to Illinois in the following spring. The final four letters are from Daniel to James, his brother. HM 19768 is dated 1849, April 12, and was written in St. Joseph, Missouri, where Daniel plans to stay for a month. The letter describes Daniel's trek to California, across overflowing rivers and many rough roads. The next letter (HM 19769) is dated May 3, and Daniel has left St. Joseph. His party had to wait two days for their chance to cross a river, as there were four hundred teams waiting for their turn. He saw several familiar Illinois faces in St. Joseph. On May 28, Daniel writes again to James (HM 19770). Their cattle broke free from their corral and scattered; they managed to recover some, but several were lost. Daniel learns that over four thousand teams have passed this way, bound for California. The final letter in this series is HM 19771, and is written from Sacramento City, California, dated 1849, October 3. Daniel reports the final leg of their journey was rather unpleasant, due to poor weather coupled with exhaustion. He says "there seems to be no extent to the amount of gold in California, and common laborers can get from two to three hundred dollars per month." His team has sold their wagons and cattle for mules and and mining equipment. He has heard many tales of gold, and expects to make his fortune soon. Of his journey to California, Daniel writes "I can safely say it is one of the most disagreeable trips a man can make." Included are three newspaper clippings from Illinois newspapers reprinting letters of Illinois travelers bound for California, two undated photos of Daniel Robinson, and a handwritten note addressed to "Mr. Tighe" and signed "Ruth Van Tuyl" regarding the photos and letters of Daniel Robinson.

  mssHM 19765-19771