Vacationing Back When It All Started
The country curtailed its leisure travel after 1929, followed quickly by the Great Depression. There weren't many cars in good repair, not much money, trailers and camping weren't in vogue, and motels hadn't come into being. So cross-country travel, trips to the National Parks, or jaunts just to see the sites of Denver, San Francisco, and Minneapolis in one direction, and Chicago, Detroit and New York in the other were few and far between. They certainly were not within the reach of most of the populace of the US.
During World War II the rationing and the fact that new cars weren't even being built clamped down even more severely on our traveling. Why,the only traveling songs being sung were about the hobos traveling the rails of the country, living the free life and looking for odd jobs and work. So soon after the War ended, we cut loose. We traveled thither and yon. We got new cars. People found a business in starting motels up and down every US highway. The age of the travel trailer began. Camping took on new meaning as a means to have a great family vacation with all the kids. Of course, we were still a frugal nation. Theme parks had not even been dreamed about in somebody's mind, (well, Mr. Knott was thinking on it.) Going to see Uncle Bill in St. Louis would be a good trip and they have a good zoo down there. How about cousin Jane in Ogden. We could see the Great Salt Lake too, and maybe swing down to see the Canyon. James is out in Denver and seeing those mountains would sure be fun, so let's go before he leaves that place.
That's just what my grandparents, Martin and Lillie, did then in 1950. Grandpa worked on the line for Hudson auto factory so he got the discount for a new Hudson. That car was so wide, Gramma could stretch out on the backseat. Wow, what a car it was. And a really good car to take that trip out to Denver. This would be their first real vacation except the yearly trek from Detroit back down to Georgia where they had come from. My Uncle Jim, their son and wife, Aunt Helen lived in Denver . They decided to go out in June. No camping for them so it was motels all the way, but with stops everywhere there was a tourist trap or point of interest. Those tourist traps of interest were starting to populate the highways now.
So here is a pictorial account of their trip out to Denver. The usual poses at all the landmarks--a river to fish in, a dam, Red Rock Amphitheater, the Denver Mint, Pike's Peak, an Indian trading post are part of this trip. It looks like it was a lot of fun, and though the pictures have faded, those same poses still appear in albums now. No, you're right, they're loaded into the laptop, downloaded onto our Blackberry or the ipod. You really should print some of those out so your grandchildren can dig them out of a box 50 years from now.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 28
------------------------
Jennifer is the Associate Editor of Gather.
Keep them coming!
But I take exception to your term "bum" in "the only traveling songs being sung were about bums traveling the rails." Having grown up during the depression, I well remember the unemployed vagrants who came to our back door. Always polite, they offered to do any chores or odd jobs for something to eat. Mom always found somethoing for them to do and to eat. We didn't see the people on th streets or cornes asking for handouts. That may be mostly because that was against the law and the law was enforced. The vagrancy laws were the reason the unemployed "rode the rails." Being homeless in the early 30s was illegal.
Great car, too. Like a boat, it looks. Hudson the Explorer!
What a fun piece of writing. The photos are terrific. My parents built and ran a motel when I was a kid. I feel I have a little more perspective on why they made that choice after reading this article. Gives it a little more context. Thanks!
Sorry I'm a little slow getting back to you. Was out of town for a couple of days. The motel was on highway 30 in Cedar Rapids. Not a tourist destination, but a stopping point on the way to somewhere else. We had a lot of traveling salesmen stay with us. Sometimes they would give us free samples. For example, we were given literally cases of pop tarts. Since my folks rarely bought us that sort of food, we thought it was great. Of course, our dentist thought it was too. Kept him in business!
L.