February 17, 1946
February 1946. World War II is over and wartime production jobs were ending. During the war, Carl and Georgie worked a number of jobs in several places, finishing the war in Pocatello, Idaho. They elected to return to Iowa, where they both had family, but opted to make a grand tour of the west on the way. Georgie wrote a journal of the trip. This is that story.
We left Pocatello Idaho on Sunday morning, February 17, 1946. Had breakfast at the home of our friends the Jacobsen’s. The Andersons, Fran, and John Streckenfinger were also there. Took pictures just before we left.
Left: Georgie and Carl. Upper right: Georgie and Fran. Lower right: Front row: Errol, Glorine and Gene Jacobsen. Back row: Carrie and Clarence “Curly” Anderson, Hebe and Silva Jacobsen, John Streckenfinger.
We drove west through American Falls, past “Massacre Rocks” on Route 30. Passed many lookouts on the Snake River, went through Twin Falls, which we had visited the previous summer, also passed Thousand Springs near Hagerman. Came through some desert-like country and arrived at Mountain Home, Idaho in the evening.
Stayed at a tourist camp. It was cold and the snow had been thawing that day, making a veritable lake of the camp. We were a little homesick as we had left such good friends behind. Spent the evening getting cleaned up, re-arranging our luggage, and writing cards. Ate some of the lunch the Jacobson’s had packed for us and discovered an egg that hadn’t been boiled among the hard-boiled eggs, cotton in some of the sandwiches and a sweet potato and an onion all wrapped up. Made us all the more homesick.
Walt’s Comments:
I think the car was a 1936 Ford sedan. Can anyone verify? Note the single wheel trailer. More on that later. Also, Silva Jacobsen was a notorious practical joker. Mom and Dad were probably expecting something of the sort.
Tourist Camps
Tourist camps first became popular in the 1920’s. They were designed to give motoring Americans a place to stay along the roads. Initially, the camps were place for someone to set up a tent or sleep in their cars. They were set up in farmer’s fields and city parks.
As travel increased, more and more locations wanted to reduce the mess in the parks and farmers wanted to be sure no one would tear down some fencing to build a fire. Private individuals began to set up specific camps near the outskirts of towns.
Early camps were typically stand-alone structures that functioned as small houses. At first the buildings were often simple sheds. As time went on, more and more amenities were added to the structures, including heat in the winter and indoor plumbing. Kitchens and linens followed. The buildings began to resemble the cabins available in State and National Parks.
By the 1940’s some camps (often called “tourist courts”) were offering pools and telephones. More and more camps were being built on a single slab base, with the rooms joined adjacent to one another to make it easier and less expensive to add plumbing and electricity to the rooms.
There were also Tourist Homes. This was frequently an individual who let rooms to travelers or someone who set up a small building with rooms for let. They were often in town rather than along the road. This would be similar to modern Bed and Breakfasts or AirBnB.
Digging Deeper
A write up in The New Yorker, September 5, 1936 regarding tourist camps.
Motel Americana – History of the Motel
Many of the cabins in the State and National parks were the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s and many of them are still in use today.
Ron Nelson
Thx so much for this insight into family history. I love the footnotes and map that give great perspective of the times. Keep up the good work.