1937 Vintage Road Trip Scrapbook Part 20 - Yellowstone, part 1

(for part 1, click here)

Into Yellowstone

The Johnsons are heading home, but first they have a few more wonderful stops along the way.

I am particularly excited about this section, since I worked in Yellowstone for four summers and one winter in the first half of the 1990s. It's a place I love very much.

Anyhoo, from Reno, Nevada, Joan and her family drive their reliable LaSalle east on Hwy 40 to Wells, NV, then 93 north to Twin Falls, Idaho. From there it north on HWY 30 to Pocatello, ID, up 91, then 191 to West Yellowstone. They entered the this first of our National Parks on July 10^th, 1937 through the West entrance. Entry fee for a vehicle; $3.00.

Below is a page from an unidentified magazine with a beautiful photo of Old Faithful. The text to the left says, in part, “Famous Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park qualifies as one of the most photographed objects in the United States. Park Rangers estimate that its picture is snapped more than 2500 times a day in the June – September vacation season…Above, a determined photographer holds his breath for the instant when the geyser ‘hits the ceiling.’”

With digital cameras now the norm, and much larger crowds than in 1937, I wonder how many pics are taken these days of Old Faithful geyser.

Below, are more clippings, including a newspaper article of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt motoring through Yellowstone. (A close-up is farther down the page, if you'd like to read the short article.)

The Roosevelts visited Yellowstone on September 25th/26th, 1937, after the Johnsons were safely back home, so we can assume that Joan did much of her scrap-booking after their trip.

The below page consists of the Johnson's vehicle pass, a two postcards - one of Norris geyser basin and one of the Fountain Paint Pots - a cool decal of a bison, and a 1937 motorist's guide to the park (Don't feed the bears!). The guide is full of great historical info, such as hotel prices, guided fishing trip prices, rules, a fold-out map, and other goodies.

Bison sticker (stamp?) up close;

There are more pages in the scrapbook relating to Yellowstone, and they are included in the next part!

On to Part 21 - MORE Yellowstone!