March 12, 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. The story starts here.
Stayed overnight in Oklahoma and drove into Arkansas the next day. Came through Ft. Smith and Van Buren, the home of Bob Burns. This was hill country. Stopped at Burns Gables and bought a pair of shell earrings..
Walt’s Comments
Mom didn’t give us much to work with here. But at this point she had been on the road for 24 days, and I suspect that the most interesting thing to her was how much closer to home she had gotten.
Bob Burns and the bazooka
Bob Burns was a musician and actor. He specialized in brass instruments and was playing in a coronet band by the age of twelve. At thirteen, he started a string band and had built his signature instrument. He called it a bazooka and it was built of a whiskey funnel and spare gas fittings. It was designed to have a very narrow range and peculiar tone.
Bob went on to perform on radio shows, telling stories of life in the Arkansas hills, playing his bazooka between stories. He became a popular guest on a number shows with hosts such as Rudy Vallee. He moved to Los Angeles and had bit parts in several movies. He made his feature length debut in Rhythm on the Range alongside Bing Crosby, which was also Bing’s first major film role.
While Bob appeared in many films, he was best known for his radio programs. His radio drama, The Arkansas Traveler (later titled The Bob Burns Show), ran from 1941 to 1947.
Bob’s bazooka lent its name to the World War 2 anti-tank weapon due to its similar appearance.
Digging Deeper
You can learn more about Bob Burns here and here.
Abandoned Arkansas has information about Burn’s Gables (no relation to Bob Burns).
Information about fish scales as a dating mechanism.
Fort Smith, Arkansas. also has an interesting history.
Ron Nelson
I’m guessing post war pre I-40 wasn’t a pleasant drive and I’m wondering why they didn’t take rt66 instead of continuing on to ft Smith. I’m also wondering if Burns Gables was the sandwich place where we had the most delicious ham sandwiches on our way to Dans law school graduation back in the last century. Talana and I have taken hwy 71 a couple times on our way to Fayetteville. It’s a twisty mountainous drive that had to be a chore considering what they were driving and towing.
Walt
That’s a pretty good question. I had always assumed they had taken Route 66 too. I suppose it’s possible they were big Bob Burns fans or something. I really don’t know.
And I appreciate the insight on the roads. I would expect they would have been even worse in 1946. Which makes the whole question of their route choice a bigger mystery.