1937 Vintage Road Trip Scrapbook - Part 21 - Yellowstone, Part 2

(for part 1, click here)

More Yellowstone

I don't know where the Johnsons stayed in Yellowstone. Maybe they drove on through in single day (which would be a shame.) They may have camped or stayed in one of the lodges or inns. Hard to tell from the scrapbook. 

Below are close-up of the postcards from the above page. I like how it looks like there's a face within the billowing steam of Old Faithful. Below the following postcard, our intrepid reporter Joan writes, "150 ft high. This is the most celebrated picture ever taken of this famous geyser, which with clock-like regularity gives its exhibitions at intervals of 60 to 80 minutes..." I believe there's another line written under this, but it's too faded to read.

Below is a postcard of Giant Geyser, of which Joan writes, "This geyser continues each display for an hour and a half. Its intervals of quiet between eruptions vary from six to fourteen days."

Below is a postcard of the Old Faithful Inn, which was constructed in 1904. I love this old building, and spent many evenings inside, writing, reading, and listening to the piano player while having a few cocktails. If you want to see a couple blog posts of pics I took inside the Inn, you can find them here   and  here.

Among the scrapbook pages of Yellowstone, Joan showed some of her drawing skills with pics of flowers. Below is a yellow waterlilly.

Below is a Cedar Juniperus Scopulorum (aka Rocky Mountain Juniper)

Last but not least is Joan's drawing of a giant daisy.

Believe it or not, there are a few more pages that Joan dedicated to their time in Yellowstone.

So on to Part 22!

1937 Vintage Road Trip Scrapbook - Part 19 - Heading East - Soda Springs to Reno

(for part 1, click here)

Soda Springs to Reno

After seeing the sights of San Francisco and the Bay Area, the Johnsons start their trek back home. Heading east toward Reno, Nevada, they spend a night in Soda Springs, CA at the Rainbow Tavern, built by Herstle Jones in 1927. 

It boasts 32 “cool comfortable rooms” with “wonderful meals – wonderful scenery.” The South Yuba River meanders behind the tavern, and visitors could catch fish and have the dining room cook them up.

Fortunately for us modern day travelers, the Rainbow Tavern – later known as the Rainbow Lodge – still stands! It is located at 50080 Hampshire Rocks Road in Soda Springs, and can be visited. It can be found off the Highway 40 Scenic Bypass. Here is their web page!

One of the postcards on this page is of Donner Lake and Pass, which is close to Soda Springs.

Joan writes next to the postcard; “This lake is 35 miles west of Reno. It is 3 miles long, 1 mile wide and is one of the most picturesque alpine lakes in California. The Southern Pacific snowshade and summit of the Divide are not far from this.” It was hard to read the last line, so I’m not sure if snowshade is what she wrote – doesn’t seem to make sense here.

Donner Pass is well known for the tragedy of the Donner-Reed party (not to be confused with the Donna Reed party) - 

Donna Reed - NOT a cannibal!

- who became stuck in that area in the winter of 1846-47 and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. Luckily, the Johnsons avoided eating each other during their 1937 road trip.

Joan also pasted this article into the scrapbook;

Next stop; Reno Nevada! I'm not sure if they stayed here, I believe they just drove through, since it is not that far from Soda Springs. Also, there's not much info on this page, other than the postcards.

Top postcard is titled; Center Street Looking North, Reno Nevada

Middle postcard; Washoe County Courthouse, Reno Nevada

Bottom postcard; Post Office, Reno Nevada

The little cartoon clipping says, "900 miles of wire are required to connect the control equipment at Boulder Dam."

Next stop in the scrapbook - Yellowstone! Woo-hoo!!

1937 Vintage Road Trip Scrapbook, Part 9 - Salt Lake City

(for part 1, click here)

Salt Lake City, Utah

The Johnsons took Hwy 24 out of Colorado and hooked up with Hwy 50 on their way into Utah. They took a detour off of 50 and headed north to Salt Lake City! Looks like they stayed at the Newhouse Hotel. 400 rooms with 400 baths!

Here's some detail from inside the brochure. Look at those prices!

The Newhouse Hotel was demolished on June 26th, 1983. Here's an interesting article on its demolition, with a little history thrown in.

The Johnsons seemed fascinated with the Mormon religion. Perhaps they were Mormon themselves? Hard to tell, but they devoted four full scrapbook pages to Salt Lake City and Mormonism.

Articles of Faith and a postcard titled 'Bird's Eye View of Portion of Salt Lake City, Utah'

I photographed each of the next three pages in two parts to get a little better detail. That's why there's a small space dividing them.

The three postcards below are titled respectively, 'Portion of Temple Block Showing Seagull Monument and Great Mormon Temple,' - 'Great Mormon Tabernacle and Segull Monument, Salt Lake City, Utah,' and 'Construction of Tabernacle Roof, Salt Lake City, Utah.'

On the above page, our scrapbooker wrote: The Sea Gull Monument was erected in commemoration of the miraculous delivery of the Mormon people from starvation when a plague of crickets threatened destruction of their crops in 1848 and 1849. Flocks of Sea Gulls appeared and preyed upon the destroyers until the pests vanished and the people were saved. Since then, the Gulls have been protected in Utah.

The Tabernacle is one of the largest structures for religious worship in the world. It is 150 by 250 ft and 80 ft high. The arches of the roof rest upon 44 stone piers and have no center support. Its seating capacity is 8,000. It contains one of the finest pipe organs in existence. Took 7 yrs to finish organ. It has 8,000 pipes.

This construction commenced Sept. 1, 1865, finished 1867. The roof, the principle portion of the building rests on 44 piers, 3 ft thick, 20 ft high and 9 feet wide. Each section has 9 pillars from which 48 foot arch is sprung. 13 arches spring at each end from piers standing on end. The arches are of a lattice... 

That last paragraph was particularly hard to read, and I couldn't decipher the last sentence. I also may have made a mistake or two in the translation.

Below is a postcard titled 'Tabernacle Organ and Choir; Great Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah.' Below that is a program of the recitals of that day, next to a booklet about Joseph Smith.

Written next to the postcard above is a continuation of the previous page's entry, so there's a tiny gap in the text due to its unread-ability: ...of national renown was originally built 65 years ago by Utah artisans. It was thoroughly rebuilt and enlarged by Austin Organ Co. of Hartford, Conn. and stands as the peer of, if not superior to any pipe organ in the world. The Tabernacle Choir is an unpaid organization of about 300 voices, providing music for each Sunday service. The choir also broadcasts nationally from this building.

On the page below is a pamphlet titled The Plan of Salvation by Elder John Morgan. To the right of that are a couple newspaper clippings about the Great Salt Lake. On the bottom right was an Ernest Hix Strange as it Seems newspaper clipping (added on March 27th, 1946, as per the handwritten note next to it) and to the left of that is a business card of one Dr. A. R. Proelss, Optometrist. I wonder what the story is behind that? Was it someone they met and made friends with? Did one of the Johnson's break a pair of glasses and needed a new pair?

Ah, at the bottom of the card, it looks like the good Dr. works at an optical lab in Seattle. Perhaps he was simply someone they ran into got along swimmingly with.

Next stop, Bryce Canyon.

Happy travels!

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