STILL ON THE ROAD -- LAST ENTRIES

August 7 (Saturday)
At Mammoth. Are going to back track on loop today. Will see Tower Falls, etc. Will try to make it out of north entrance this evening and hurry home. Think it will take three days to home. Love, Momma

August 8 (Sunday) 9:20 a.m. at Livingston, Montana
Dear Girls: We checked out at the north entrance at Gardiner last p.m.5:00 o’clock. Drove 23 miles, camped on creek with fine big cottonwood trees. Driving along Yellowstone River on Yellowstone Trail Road – rough. Can’t say what day we arrive. May phone or telegraph from Spokane. Weather cloudy and quite cool. We are very anxious to get home. Planned to be home sooner. Please have plenty of vegetables cooked for our first meal and a big cake, canned or fresh fruit. If handy, chicken. Love, Momma

August 9, 1926, at Anaconda, MT, 9:35 a.m.
Dear Girls: We made about 190 miles yesterday from 36 miles beyond Livingston to Bozeman 25 miles, Three Forks 34 miles, Butte 69, Anaconda 25. We were in two hard showers. At Bozeman we were one day late for their round-up. The town was finely decorated with bunting and flags. Lynn has a flat tire and has to have a tire vulcanized, so we are delayed again. I’m getting frantic on account of Cora and Graham and how you are getting along. Love, Momma (travels are writing diaries)

[Much like life when one has a blog -- but I love every minute and so did she.]

August 10, 1926 (Tuesday), Missoula, a.m.
We didn’t leave Anaconda till 12:30. Ate our lunch there and drove 117 miles. It was windy and cold and we were in one hard shower. It has been cold ever since we left the Park. We wear our coats and sweaters and put the curtains on. We are trying to make it as far as Coeur d’Alene today. Spokane is over 200 miles away. We won’t get home till Thursday. I’m just wild when I stop to think of it. Hope we don’t have any more car trouble. In haste. Love, Momma

["No, no -- that can't be," said Mike when I told them the Yellowstone travelers camped at Spangle on the way home. But that's what happened. They traveled back through Montana to Missoula, then over to Spokane, before returning to the farm. Well, there was no Lolo Pass -- at least, not an improved road, so it seems to me they would have been better off to go back the way they came, especially since Ina is obviously nervous. According to identification on the backs of the photos, the one of Shirley on the left was taken at Spangle, WA, on Wednesay, August 11, 1926. The photo of Vance with the little Boston terrier was taken at Three Toots Camp at Kellogg, Idaho, on August 10, 1926.]

MOMMA AND THE BEARS

August 4, 1926 (postmark)
We’re at Old Faithful Camp and are just packing to leave. The geysers are wonderful and we’ll see a few more today. The bears didn’t eat dad – contrary to all expectations. We expect to camp at West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake and go on to the Tetons tomorrow. I hope the fences are standing up. Vance

August 5 (Thursday)
At Fishing Bridge Camp on Yellowstone Lake. Left Jackson Lake Camp after lunch yesterday and made this camp among the trees. Saw a bear in camp standing up being fed. Mother bear and cub in camp this a.m. The next move is to back track 5 miles to see Natural Bridge and knotted pines. Then on to Grand Canyon [of the Yellowstone], I think. We are getting awful dirty. Bernice says the nighties will get up and walk off with a blanket on each arm and your first sight of us will be Irl’s pajamas coming in with a blanket on each arm. Getting hungry for home cooking. Love to all. Kiss Shirley Jean for me. Momma

August 6 (Friday)
Dear Girls:
We are camped on the Yellowstone about 9 miles above the falls and Grand Canyon. The men have gone fishing crazy, but we’ll have to begin to hurry home. Each has caught a fine trout except Vance. They went off about 5:00 this a.m. in Lynn’s car to fish. Yesterday they tried it in Yellowstone Lake and River at Fishing Bridge Camp but no luck so we went on to Grand Canyon. We use only superlatives here – Upper and Lower Falls – Upper Falls 109 feet and Lower Falls 308. Then we drove back about 9 miles so they could fish. Lovely camp – only two other parties here. A bear came into camp this a.m. about 4:30 and got the men up. He was turning over pots and pans. Did I tell you that a mother bear and cub were in the big camp yesterday a.m.? The girls were still sleeping but I find it hard to do in more ways than one so got up and built a fire. The bears left. [!????] Love, Momma [who lived to tell the tale]

[Remember the official 1926 Yellowstone rules? "DO NOT FEED THE BEARS."

Left -- Two Momma Bears.

Center -- "I'm not afraid of you. See? I'm not afraid."

Right -- "Aw shucks, Miss! I just can't take your candy."]

A FEW MESSAGES

August 3, 1926 (Tuesday)
At Yellowstone Lake Camp. A bear came into camp last night and ate off tables, etc. We had lots of fun. [?!!!!] This a.m. a mother and cubs came into camp and we got pictures. Weather fine. Love, Momma

[The pictures mentioned must not have turned out. Just wait, though!]

August 3, 1926 (Tuesday)
Jackson Lake Camp
Dear Girls:
I’m going to start right off by asking one of you to phone to Aunt Ida and ask her to buy that green hat for me. We’re camped near Jackson Lake and have a splendid view of all or nealy all of the Tetons. Words can’t express their wild, rugged beauty. The boys went out fishing in a row boat. They didn’t get any fish but although Dad went with them he has gone out shore fishing now. We’re having a sagebrush fire tonight. We’ll start back around the Grand Loop in the Park tomorrow. Bernice and I are going out boating if the lake is not too bad and all goes well. Shirley

From Ina’s diary letter – last entry
August 4, 1926 (Wednesday)
At Jackson Lake Camp, called Leek, we plan to go back through the southeast gate to Yellowstone Camp and on to Lake Camp still on Yellowstone Lake, tonight. It is now near noon. Bernice is just telling how well she feels and is so glad of it.

With love to all. Hope you are getting along all right. This is such a wonderful trip! Tell Ernest we remembered him yesterday. [Note that Ina says, "This is such a wonderful trip!" It makes it all the funnier later.]

[The photo above is of Bernice and Shirley at the Lake Camp Curio Store. And Milo -- you were interested to know if Bernice's birthday was November 3. No, it wasn't -- but my dad's oldest sister, Pearl, was born November 3, 1892. Coincidently, she passed away November 4, 1952, when she was just 60.]

NOW FOR SOME FISHING . . .

We left the “loop” we were taking around the Park in order to come down through Yellowstone Park to the south entrance – 23 miles – and on to Jackson Lake which is in the Jackson Hole country. The scenery is very fine with the Tetons looming across the lake. We came through level valleys surrounded by beautifully wooded mountains and along lovely creeks. We went to [Neoran] opposite Mount Moran and here the Snake flows out of Jackson Lake and there is a big dam. There was a little artistic store full of wonderful furs, all made and heads and skins of animals decorated the walls, also chairs made of elk horns, but the chance to fish was poor so we got some bread, eggs, etc., and came back several miles to this beautiful camp at the lake. The men got a boat but caught no fish except for Dad, who fished along the edge and got four copper bellies which are poor eating.

This is our most beautiful camp so far, located among little poplars and lodgepole pines on a gentle slope overlooking the lake with small poplars and sage scattered over it. I had a big sage fire last night.

Now my diary letter is up to date. The men got up early and went fishing along the shore. Irl got one lake trout. That was all the luck they had. They came back for a hasty breakfast, then went again in a boat. We did up the dishes and aired our bedding – badly needed.

[The map at top is from the "Haynes New Guide and Motorists' Complete Road Log of Yellowstone National Park," 1926. The above "Eastern Brook Trout photographed alive, Yellowstone, Park" is from the box of colored postcards.]

AUGUST 2, 1926 - YELLOWSTONE TOUR

August 2, 1926 (Monday)
We came on to Yellowstone Lake. We saw Shoshone Lake in the distance and passed Isa Lake, which was full of pond lilies and located on the Continental Divide. They cannot tell which way the waters run but each way apparently. We crossed the Continental Divide three times before reaching Yellowstone Camp. Yellowstone Lake is immense and we meant to lay over till noon but could get no boat so came on to this camp.

[The photo above is identified as Shirley, Bernice, and Lynn at Old Faithful "taken by Vance who got too close to steam of the crater." I don't know if I believe that's Old Faithful. Did they let folks get that close to the crater? They surely don't now. Postcard photo of Yellowstone Lake below.]

FINALLY -- THROUGH THE PARK GATE!

August 1, 1926 (Sunday)
I must tell you a joke on us. We were all looking for Fountain Geyser which was to be our first site in Yellowstone Park. We saw a sign called Fountain Road and turned off without parking at a nearby ranger station. Lynn and Irl were ahead and they just beat it along and we came to a small mound and saw steam and decided it was Fountain Geyser, but there ahead were Lynn and Irl so we took after them frantically blowing our horn but they couldn’t hear. I think we chased them at least a mile before catching them, then all came back and looked at the before-mentioned steaming mound. We tried to get the boys to take the car and go back to the ranger station a quarter of a mile away to find out when it would erupt but they wouldn’t do it. So, Shirley and Bernice went and came back laughing. It wasn’t Fountain Geyser at all – only a hot pool.

Our drive from here on into the “lower basin” was full of wonders. Fountain Geyser was a gorgeous pool of hot water – a beautiful blue, another was of wondrous green, and smaller ones around of various shades of blue, green, orange shading to brown pink, lavender, gray, mauve. It is simply indescribable.

This p.m. we saw Excelsior Geyser, Turquoise Pool and Prismatic Lake – all close together. Turquoise Pool was a heavenly blue such as I’ve never seen before about 30 feet across. Excelsior Geyser was in a pit with walls, say 25 feet high. It was as big as the house yard, I’d say, of a deep blue and boiling and splashing up in different places. It was shaded to paler tints at edge and flowed down over a many-colored bluff into the Firehole River. Prismatic Lake had so many colors – blue, green, gold, orange, bronze, brown, pinks, lavenders, wine. No time for more description.

We went on and camped at Old Faithful campground. We saw the geyser spout, got some souvenirs, etc.

[So -- It took five days of travel from Gilbert to the Yellowstone gate. The party will now spend at least a week vacationing between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The top photo, from the box of postcards, of course, is of Old Faithful at sunrise. The lower is of Excelsior Geyser. I suspect many of their photos did not turn out which must have been disappointing. Ina writes less now that they are at their destination. She was probably too busy sightseeing to write.]

INA'S TRAVEL JOURNAL CONTINUES

August 1, 1926 (Sunday)
We had decided to sleep in a little so got up about 5:30 and were agog for the great entrance to the park. So you have had postcards ever since from there.

Wayside notes:
We find that the tent is priceless, far above rubies, that the feather beds are very comforting – “glad we brot ‘em along.;” that Shirley’s vanity case is the handiest thing on the works and the little Vaseline can in constant demand. The little suitcase is next on the honor roll, holding all the little indispensables of our toilets. The box which started out to hold fry pans and buckets was commandeered the second a.m. to ride the running board and hold extra wraps and parcels and our back seat was much more comfortable ever after. I soon found I could pin my hat onto the wide cloth band in corner of car cover so don’t wear it much. At the desert station called Yale, Shirley put her black tie around my head and I’ve been more respectable ever since.

[The above "colored" post card is one of a set of 50 found amongst the memorabilia of the road trip to Yellowstone. This view depicts the western entrance to Yellowstone Park as it appeared in 1926.]

GETTING CLOSE TO THE PARK

Ponds Resort (about 40 miles from Yellowstone)

Sunday, August 1, 1926
Dear Girls:
We’re just about ready to leave for the park. It was surely cold last night. We’re getting up so much higher. We had a tube fixed for a tire in Idaho Falls yesterday morning and it was nearly 9:30 when we left. Then we didn’t drive as fast as we had been before and went to see the great Snake River Falls and took off about an hour. But it was well worth it. It was wonderful and picturesque. I’m surely missing you, Shirley Jean. I must stop for lack of room. Wish you were here, Love, Shirley

[The photo above I posted previously. Near the top right you can distinguish the family viewing the spectacular "Snake River Falls." Mike says he thinks they may be located near St. Anthony. He said he went there in the '60s and has a view very much like this one amongst his slides. (Slides -- an obsolete photo medium of questionable use even during the era. Mike's trays are well-organized and I still cringe at the thought of searching for a certain photo.)

And the photo to the right is of my aunt, Ethel Dobson Robinson, and her 6-week-old baby, Shirley Jean Robinson Johnson, lovingly nicknamed S.J. by the family. Aunt Ethel, Aunt Myrtle, and Shirley Jean stayed at the farm while other family took a road trip to Yellowstone. I discovered Shirley Jean was born in June 1925 so was actually a year old in 1926. Note the wonderful wicker rocker in the photo. Aunt Myrtle threw it on the burn pile in the '60s, along with some other wonderful things.]

DAY FIVE -- GETTING CLOSE TO PARK

July 31, 1926 (Saturday)
We passed through Rigby, Lorenzo, Thornton, Rexburg, where they had parking in the middle of the street, a nice small town. Next was St. Anthony’s Falls, where we ate lunch and it developed that Irl was feeling pretty bum with summer flu symptoms. We gave him aspirin and got quinine for him and Vance drove. Here, as we were leaving, the wind blew away two of my hardly written sheets of this letter, so it has made the letter jumbled. There was a fine park here – free, with things to amuse the children and right by the river and falls. The cascades were very pretty and there was a monument to the World War men -- a soldier all equipped stepping forward.

Ashton was the next place of interest for then we stocked up for the park. But that was unnecessary for there are places right along where supplies are to be had. The scenery began to be much finer from here on. Robinson River and Warm River joined at Warm River Station.

We camped this night at Pond’s Resort in the Targhee National Forest. Here we had a nice camp to ourselves among the lodge pole pines and had much merriment about bears coming into camp. There was a dance at the Pond place and Lynn and Vance dressed up and went and had a good time. Dad got up to chase something and I got a shock when I poked my head out under the tent and saw him gleaming whitely among the pines. I told the girls I thought I had seen a polar bear. We had a nice broad shallow river handy, too, here, the Buffalo, and Lynn and Vance got a bath though no swim. This p.m. we stopped and sidetracked to see the big falls on the Snake, a truly wonderful sight. Vance took pictures. Dad had grippe so didn’t take the half mile walk down to where we could see it. There was a rustic inn or lodge there, very nice.

From back of photo: "Snake River Falls about 40 miles from the park. We walked down about 1/2 mile from the road to see them. There was a large, handsome log hunting lodge not 40 rods from where we stood. Party from left to right -- myself, Lynn, Bernice, Irl, and Shirley. Photo by Vance, Saturday, July 31, '26. Dad had an attack of bowel trouble from something he ate so didn't walk down." [No! Really!! Something he ate?!!! How could that be?]

A REVIEW BY POSTCARD

Postcard, July 31, 1926 (Saturday) – Idaho Falls
Dear Girls and All,
We came from Twin Falls to Idaho Falls yesterday – about 186 miles. Pass through Burley, American Falls, and Pocatello. It was not so hot yesterday, though the country was more or less desert. We are following the Snake mostly. Last night our camp was good – in an auto park, but we had our own fire. Everybody well. Bernice’s cough almost gone. Two punctures to Irl’s tire. Roads are having a lot done to them and are hard on tires. We are still 124 miles from park. Having a good time. Love, Momma

P.S. Am feeling fine.

[You've seen this photo before, but I wanted to share what Ina had written on the back of a duplicate: "Our first camp. Taken in the morning of July 28, '26, at 'Gouge Eye' near Riggins on the Salmon where the Little Salmon runs into it. Note the towels on Irl's car and wash pans on running board. Also the small square black thing against the windshield just under a corner of the top. This was a little old square mirror which Ethel loaned us. Note my grub box seat and the box with the toaster leaning against it is our lunch box and the one by it also rode on the running board and held our extra maps and parcels."]

DAY FOUR

July 30, 1926 (Friday)

We left Twin Falls and passed through Yale, a desert station, where we ate dinner behind the machine shop, rather unpleasant but it saved time, for Irl was having a tube patched. Here Lynn picked up and took along an oldish man who had walked in 8 miles leaving his family and crippled car in the desert road. I think it was this p.m. that Bernice’s old duster was lost off the running board box. We thought sure Dad would see it and pick it up, but later we halted and they came up and Dad said, “Ha! That’s what we passed back there!” He seemed quite pleased to have identified the object and we all laughed at him for not doing what we expected. Well, Bernice didn’t care so much and we were glad she didn’t. We were going through desert country mostly that day, it seemed to me, I mean sage country and our next place of interest was American Falls, which are so choked by a gigantic dam as to be spoiled. The great dam was worth seeing being about ¼ mile long but the town most uninteresting. It had been moved some distance from the former site and the trees were all very young.

Pocatello was our next point and is quite a place. Here Dad and I got tinted glasses. It is quite a place, but we were not interested. We passed Fort Hall where the Indian training school was located and met a good many prosperous-looking Indians. Blackfoot doesn’t look much like it did when we passed through it years ago, but the country was pretty and roads good though we got another flat tire. We passed through Firth and Shelley, then into Idaho Falls, which is a nice big town and we were in a public camp at 25 cents. There seemed to be hundreds of cars there, but we got off to ourselves where there was no table, and a girl came over and told us we could have theirs as they were through, but it was a doubtful comfort for it was too high and small. After we were in bed a car rolled in and the people just cranked and the woman said all she wanted was to go to sleep and didn’t care if she never woke up again. The man said she’d better jump over the falls and get out of her misery. In the a.m., we found 3 cars had pulled in close to us and the rough man had to hold up a quilt while his wife dressed. [To be continued . . . ]

IMPORTANT DON'TS -- 1926

As we prepare to enter Yellowstone National Park 1926, let’s review the IMPORTANT DON’TS:

DON’T leave your camp fire burning.
DON’T throw away pipe ashes, cigar or cigarette stumps without completely extinguishing the sparks.
DON’T build fire in tree mould or near logs or brush.
DON’T build larger fires than necessary.
DON’T leave your camp uncleaned.
DON’T deface anything in the park with your name or initials.
DON’T cut any green timber.
DON’T collect specimens of any kind.
DON’T feed the bears.
DON’T drive on the wrong side of the road.
DON’T run by STOP signs.
DON’T disregard the Red Flag SLOW-UP marker.
DON’T fail to keep to the RIGHT on all turns.
DON’T fail to signal on blind turns.
DON’T park your car on a turn.
DON’T speed.

“The above DON’TS are intended to lighten the burden of the Rangers in keeping the park and traffic through the park in harmony. The Rangers are well informed on the park and on park customs and if called upon for information can render valuable assistance to the traveler.” [From Haynes Guide, The Complete Handbook – Yellowstone National Park, 1926]

I had to chuckle over the "DON'TS" just because over the years we've become so much more succinct in our expression of the rules: Douse your campfire; crush all smokes dead out; no bonfires; clean your camp before leaving; etc. However, "DON'T feed the bears" remains "DON'T feed the bears" to this day. Keep that one in mind. You'll need it later.

DAY THREE / NIGHT CAMP

July 29, 1926 (Thursday) continued
We passed through Bliss, Hagerman, and Buhl, then began to watch for Twin Falls. Here we had our first experience of auto camps. A little kitchen with oil range, good toilets, even a tub and clothesline. There were shade trees, too. We boiled potatoes and expected a “feed,” but the sausage was bad, no butter, and Lynn didn’t like boiled potatoes so we were sort of grouchy but got to laughing and I thought of the corned beef hash and insisted on Lynn finishing the relish spread. Dad had bought doughnuts and so with tea and jam we made out. I found a cinnamon roll in a bag and was voted lucky. After supper the menfolks all went to hunt a bath and a swim and ice cream and the girls took the chance to write in the little cook house. When the men came back they were minus the bath and swim but had ice cream (Seal Right) and cookies and we all ate it out of cups and were the worse for doing so. Then we collected wash pans, etc., and went to the toilet room for a sketchy sponge bath and after that we bathed our underwear and hose and hung them on the tent ropes and benches.

A big car drove in late. We were treated to the spectacle in real life of what we all suffer from in dreams, i.e., two men trying to dress with people all around them. We made a little better time getting off here, but I soon found I had left the little bar pin you gave me, Ethel, in the toilet. I felt sick but at the next town (Burley), I wrote back to the caretaker to send it on home. There was only one car left there, a man and a woman, so I think she found it all right. [Hmmmmm! I have no info on whether or not her pin was returned.] To be continued . . .

DAY THREE -- SOUTHERN IDAHO

July 29, 1926 (Thursday)
We had the usual breakfast with everyone feeling fine. We were soon in desert country proper, looking like old times so much that I begged for two good pictures and got them, I hope. [I don't think the photos turned out. I couldn't find them.] We saw our first live jackrabbit but the highway is dotted with dead ones. It got very hot in the p.m. on the desert. We passed through New Plymouth, Middleton, Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian, Boise, Regina, Sunnyside, Cleft, Mountain Home. At Caldwell Shirley exchanged her glasses for a lavender-tinted pair which she liked better. Caldwell is in the Boise Valley and nice, Middleton small, Nampa fine. Through the valley was lovely but we seemed to be dodging out occasionally into desert country. In the suburbs of Boise, Irl had to tinker with the car so we ate lunch side of the road under shade of big trees. We had bread and butter, some minced ham, “relish spread,” pork and beans, lettuce and mayonnaise. We passed through Boise about noon and managed to see the capital building. It is beautiful but its only resemblance to the town of 43 years ago is its wide streets and shade trees. I couldn’t tell which way our old camp was but the country looked familiar. We drove out at 12:20 and were in for our hottest p.m. Finally we came to Sunnyside, a service station and small store. Here we went in and drank some kind of bottled cool drink which was very refreshing but we looked like anything but the ads you see of people drinking Coca Cola.

Just before reaching this place there was a sign which said, “Speed limit 100 per hour.” Shirley says Sunnyside reminds her of “Desert Edge” – no – “Date City.” It was just a building – old, dirty, dilapidated – but some caged in young trees showed they had hopes. The man hauled his water from a distant well. Oh! It was desert all right. I found I could pin my duster to the frame so as to shut out the sun pretty well, but oh! Girls! My hair!!! I tried to keep it on by wrapping auto veil around it but the veil would slip off and hair go all directions. Well the heat was fierce, but we grimly endured it and presently came to Mountain Home. We passed through Cleft but it was too small to notice. Mountain Home was a nice little place and here we decided to come by Pocatello instead of the shorter, harder route. We passed through Hammet but I have no recollection of it. [Probably because she was too busy writing.] The next place was Glen’s Ferry. Two cowgirls came in and Vance by merely looking at them got a smile which spread all over their faces. Here Dad purchased the hamburger which proved bad and forgot the butter. This p.m. we passed what is called the “1000 Springs Ranch” on the Snake. From a bluff across the river numerous waterfalls descended apparently coming out of a rimrock. We were not on the desert all p.m. but occasionally dropped into the river valley, then it was nice and big trees and green fields.

[I hope you can appreciate the above pencil sketch which appears in this letter. I don't know if Ina sketched it or someone else. I had a lot of trouble scanning it -- the paper has yellowed and the lead is faded. It shows a man pumping a tire and is captioned, "Most familiar scene on Hiway."]

SECOND DAY -- SUPPER & CAMP

July 28, 1926 (continued)
We passed through Midvale, Weiser, Payette. Had our first glimpse of the Snake near here. We pulled onto the Payette River to camp but found poison oak, flies and mosquitoes were too bad, so pulled out again and drove on through Fruitland, where Julian Brown taught and about 4 ½ miles further on camped at a farm where they had things to sell. It was a free camp and they even allowed us to drive in on the nice lawn, but we wouldn’t. It made us a fine bed, though, and so the tent was pitched there. Everybody was grouchy over our trouble finding a camp, but we had a good supper of fried potatoes, bacon, bread and butter, tea fresh, tomatoes, cantaloupe. Vance bought three quarts of milk for 30 cents but it proved blinky so was a total loss. When supper was nearly ready, a kitten walked onto the table and dragged off two slices of bread. After supper we all felt better but I blew up while Irl and I were making beds. He was chewing gum violently and the bedding was such a mess.

Right here let me say that Lynn and Irl are official strikers; Dad, official fire builder and water getter. Vance officiates at fire, Bernice at dishwashing, Shirley sets tables and packs up grocery box, grub box, and lunch box. I am mayor and domo, by common though unexpressed, consent, of course. We all work at other things.

We made about 127 today and are about 500 from the park. [more tomorrow . . . ]

SECOND DAY CONTINUES

We got off at 7:45 a.m. From Goff to a few miles past Pollock we had the old road about 15 miles, found them working on the highway then. We struck the Little Salmon at Gouge Eye (Riggins). It was very beautiful, growing more wooded and picturesque toward the summit and broadening into meadows which looked to me nearly ½ mile wide in places. The river curved and flowed slowly and with low wooded mountains surrounding was wonderfully beautiful. What surprised us was to find little ranches in pockets along the river, or on benches, some dreadfully burned-out looking. Some had run irrigating ditches and had gardens and we passed a place or two with lovely green lawns!

Just before reaching New Meadows we passed a beautiful field of grain. They were cutting it. We took two pictures of those lovely meadows. They seem to raise hay mostly. New Meadows is small but up and coming in quite a large valley, in fact from there the landscape began to be Southern Idaho. Bertha, one stretch of road looked like the old Slash. There was a distant range of timber mountains to make it seem more natural and the country on both sides looked just the same as slash.

We didn’t strike any more surfaced highway till after we left Cambridge, but the roads are wide and smooth and look almost as though surfaced. The country was rough and sagebrushy. I got out and got some for a fire and will put in a piece of the leaves for you to smell. It was awful hot at Cambridge and the countryside depressing. Our next town was Midvale (small), then to Weiser, which is a nice town but we couldn’t get lettuce there and no hamburger, which caused us to be disgruntly. We ate lunch “1000 feet” from the Starkey Hot Springs Hotel – bread, butter, cheese, jam, cookies, hardtack. [To be continued . . . ]

[I couldn't find pictures of the meadows she mentions. They probably didn't turn out. The photo above is of Vance in the 1920s.]

FIRST NIGHT / SECOND DAY -- 1926 TRIP

July 28, 1926 (Wednesday) -- continued

At Cambridge. Waiting while Bernice looks up a friend. Vance says “tell ‘em it’s better than hot.” We camped at Gouge Eye last night. We had one hilarious time arranging our beds. We put, from the front of the tent, Lynn, Vance, Irl, Bernice, Shirley, and self. We soon found we had too much cover and first one and then another were sitting up making adjustments, and we were not quiet before 11:30. Then a dog came along and growled over a bone, then two dogs started a fight. Then I heard Shirley begin to snore and Lynn started off and Bernice began to giggle. Dad slept on the cot.

The bed was hard with a gentle (?) rise just where our hips came and we thought the night endless, but all felt quite good, though, on rising at 4:30 a.m. Vance took a picture with the sun touching the hills and another of us at breakfast. Two other cars were camped there and one had two dogs. One, a little smooth puppy, came over and wriggled himself into the middle of our spread table. We all laughed, of course.

Irl said he’d bet we would not be laughing the next night but “cussing.” For supper last night we had fried potatoes, bacon, coffee, bread and the remains of our butter and strawberry jelly. For breakfast this morning we had bacon, eggs, toast, coffee, jelly and Himalayal [?] jam. [To be continued . . . ]

[The two photos in this post are those mentioned as taken by Vance. The group at breakfast are, from right: Shirley, Bernice, Lynn Dryden (Bernice's brother), Julian, and Ina. Somehow it doesn't look like she's having as much fun as she says she is. I'm sure the photo of the mountains does not do justice to the beautiful scene. On the back of the photo Ina wrote: "The sun-tinted bluffs border the main stream." KW]

TRIP CONTINUES -- FIRST DAY

We soon crossed the mountain and dropped down into the Salmon River country and canyon – 3,000 feet in 12 miles [the old White Bird Grade]. The highway is very scenic, a good deal like Lewiston and Uniontown, but the canyon itself is magnificent, such high rugged bluffs or mountains. The river is beautiful – green mostly. Dad could show us the old road he and Charles P. came over on. White Bird is 18 miles from Grangeville and is a dilapidated little town. From there to the Meadows is 72 miles and the road is fine though not graveled.

It is now 5:45 p.m. and the boys still mending that tire. Bernice says to tell you we have just been investigating an old house. It is a nice shanty but there were quite a number of clean-looking glass jars with bright covers, a little old bed in the corner and a little old table. Bernice has just come along again to tell me to tell you that we plan to camp at “Gouge Eye” tonight. She keeps laughing over it. We are all feeling fine. It was pretty hot for a while along the river but a cool wind is blowing now. I’m getting hungry.

We thought we’d make it to Cambridge but Dad says we will about make Pollock. We see many cars loaded much as ours are. I have already thought of many ways to shift the load and contrive more convenience.

We are off -----
Wed. a.m. Had a blowout just after this and had to camp at Gouge Eye. Had lots of fun – more later. Made 127 miles.
Love, Momma
[The photo above of the old White Bird Grade was taken by Vance. It's actually a good photo but did not scan well due to the hazy appearance of distant mountains.]

READY TO GO . . .

July 27, 1926 (Tuesday), 5:10 p.m.
Gouge Eye [Riggins] on the Salmon River

Dear Girls,
Shall write my first to you while Irl and the boys mend a flat tire. We stopped to gaze at some wonderful bluffs and Irl discovered a flat and a nail hole.

To begin you must imagine our keen delight in being really off for the Yellowstone at 7:45 at June’s. The breeze was coldly keen and Vance soon put on a sweater and Bernice pulled up her collar. We noted that at least half of the fall grain was in the shock and/or being shocked. We saw a threshing machine this side of Russell and several combines farther out about Nezperce. The grain looks wonderful and we saw several pieces badly fallen. Just at the Catholic church Irl stopped because the engine began to sputter but only for a minute. Then we proceeded on to Nezperce. We put in 35 minutes there. Bernice got a dandy pair of tweed knickers in brown mixture ($3.00). Dad got two new shirts and a pair of regular pants ($2.00), but he had to take blue in shirts. We couldn’t get lettuce there so got bananas. I got this tablet there and 10-cents worth of gum.

The engine “bogged” to Craigmont, then Irl got it looked after and we were there nearly an hour. Bernice found one of the Tweedy girls there in the garage office. She is married, of course. Dad and Lynn went on to Cottonwood and waited there. We saw Charles Strick there and he told us Mrs. Hill is cooking in the hospital in Ferdinand and Abe is baching at home. Charles is running a combine and looked thin. Bernice had time to look up an old friend she hadn’t seen for 11 years and Irl tinkered with the car while Vance and Shirley got a hair cut, for I had forgotten about Irl’s outfit being in. We were all starving by that time and drove out this side for a way and stopped where some big locust trees hung out over the road. We set the box on a bank and proceeded to fill up. Everybody enjoyed the creamed cheese and voted the salad dressing fine. We got two big heads of lettuce in Cottonwood. We also ate the corned beef hash and thought it good, but oh! the flies were terrible. We were near a barnyard and some nice young “dominicks” came out to eat our crumbs. [“Dominique” is a breed of chicken – black and white speckled.]

We got to Grangeville in due time and left there at 2:00 p.m. We got paper towels there and some postcard views and Dad told us where the corner was where he and June ran sorghum. He says it looks to him like it [Grangeville] is twice as big as 20 years ago.

To be continued . . .

[The above photo is not clear but still gives a picture of their travel conditions better than words. The car to the left belongs to Lynn Dryden. Lynn drove, of course, and it seems that Jack was his passenger -- at least most of the time. The back appears packed with camping supplies. The car on the right was Irl's and he appears to carry passengers more than provisions. Note the running boards.]

COME WITH ME TO YELLOWSTONE, 1926

There’s not much going on here in town – at least not for me. So I’m planning a trip to Yellowstone Park, and you’re invited to come with me. It won’t matter that you just came back from Philadelphia or that you plan to spend creative time with your sewing machines. Nothing will interfere with this trip – not your job, your responsibilities, or gas prices. You don’t even have to pack a bag. And I’ll do all the work.

You see, our trip takes place in 1926. We’re going to ride along with the Dobson family on their road trip from the homestead to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. I recently found tucked away in a little cedar chest the letters Ina wrote during the trip. Those letters served as her travel diary and will now serve as our guide. The paper is yellow and worn, attesting to the fact that in years long past they were much read and enjoyed. Now it’s our turn. We also have corresponding photos and some postcards. And if we want info about Yellowstone Park in 1926, we can refer to the official Haynes Guidebook. We’re all set to leave tomorrow.

Included in the travel party are Ina (55) and Jack Dobson (62), their son Irl (30) and his wife Bernice, son Vance (22), daughter Shirley (15), and Bernice’s brother Lynn Dryden. They took two cars, one belonging to Irl and the other to Lynn. Daughters Myrtle and Ethel stayed at the farmhouse and the correspondence is addressed to them as well as to Ina’s sister Bertha. Ethel has a new baby, Shirley Jean.

Here's a family photo taken in 1926 to help us establish the players. From left: Irl, Shirley, Bernice (Irl's wife), Vance, Pearl Dobson Sanders with Stanley, Ina, Ernest and Ethel Robinson with Shirley Jean. Between Shirley and Bernice you can just make out Julian.