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Show The 1921 Severance F amily Trip to California A road trip from Nebraska to the West Coast is not the adventure it used to be Edited By Owen Severance During the summer of 1921, my grandparents took the family on a trip from their farm near Fairly good rest tho' Donna was sick. Coffee, fried eggs and leftovers for breakfast. Broke Central City, Nebraska to Los Angeles, California to visit my grandfather's parents and sister. camp at 6:30. A few had already gone —others were in all stages of going. Donna feels The hired hand “Gus” took care of the farm for the six weeks they were gone. My grandmother better. Mailing our first cards this morn at Hersey. Surely is a great country. Irrigation, kept a journal on the trip and also took a camera along. After returning from the trip, she sugar beets etc. We are beginning to rise and see lots of rocks. Looks of country is developed the negatives and made contact prints from them. Part of the trip west was on the changing. Wheat and elevators. Brule 65 mi. —saw Owen Porter. Desolate country. “Lincoln Highway” which became US Highway 30, and part of it was on what later became Stopped at Chappel at 10:50. Ate dinner in car under shade of a tree —as it was 12 “Route 66.” However, at that time, most of the roads were dirt or gravel. My grandparents were _ o'clock by our stomachs and we've made 97 miles. Got into Potter at 1:30 —143 miles. Ralph and Ella Severance. Their children were Helen - 15, Bud (my father) - 13, Donna-5,and This is Alva's town so I mailed her a card. ‘Tis so hot and country is so rocky & dry & Phil - 4. They camped and cooked with a “Sterno” stove most of the time. My grandfather had treeless. Children keep asking if we are nearly there. At Dix at 2:30. We put in gas and oil made a trip to the west coast previously, but the rest of the family hadn't been west of Nebraska. and Owen Severance : : Obed Angier saw our pennant and came out to talk. We still have 75 miles to Cheyenne. Stopped to fix carubereator as we got near the state line. Phil and Donna each have taken good naps today. Phil gives us concerts. Car wasn’t getting gas and we ran into a shower so were delayed —crossed line into Wyoming at just 4:35. Stopped in Pine Bluffs to fix the engine —more shower. The pine tipped bluffs to the south are the one redeeming feature. I don’t think we can make Cheyenne tonight, as it is still 50 miles. Located the engine trouble but had to back up to the rain and wait. Helen took picture of the pine bluff in rain. We are hoping for the best from it as they were grand. Saw mts. (Tetons and Kentucky) first at 5:20. Kept moving and got into Cheyenne all right at 7:43. The N.Y. boys we camped next to in North Platte were here a little ahead of us. 2 _ es SOE Se BL RNAS Speirome \ is BOAi ae 1 Ki Vu ay k a aee Acme | Fl esgneress 2 Helen nearly froze in night. Phil crawled down in bed for warmth and they tho't they'd lost him. I slept in car —rested lots better. Didn't try to get out so early this morn. Stopped in Cheyenne for a crank, etc. & gas. Helen took pictures of camp and “T. ige”. Takes Phil to find the dogs. Many campers. Heard Indians in distance this morning. Leaving Cheyenne now at 7:45, following the N.Y. boys. Climbing, climbing. Air makes us feel lightheaded. You take a full deep breath and don't get anything. A great old curve and up & down grade was the “skeeriest” we've seen. Coming to the foothills now and lots to see. Soil is a dark brick color, then just gravel. Rocks and boulders —have gone over Sherman hill. Can see Sherman monument as I write. This is Continental divide. We'll soon be dropping. Curious hills of rock. Saw our first close up pine trees. Beautiful scenery now. 34 miles out of Cheyenne. See flocks of sheep grazing, sheepherders & dogs. This is the Laramie Plain and the foothills covered with pines are close up. Snow capped mts. in the distance appear nearer. The gravel roads are great and we are making good time. Telephone Canyon made my hair stand erect. Very beautiful —many cars out, it being Sunday. Pretty spring and stream. I was glad to get out of the ae Started on our trip us off and took our splendid. Got thro’ at 9:50. Seeing lots - to California July 8. Left the place at 8 A.M. Woods were down to see picture. Traveled slowly at first as clutch was slipping. Crops looked shouting good by after passing thro’ Archer. Got gas in Grand Island of tourists —some weary looking. West of G.I. it is dryer. Getting _ canyon tho’ it spoiled the scenery. See Laramie now. White is the potash works. Some brick red hills. Followed the N.Y. boys thro’ Laramie then lost them as we got gas and oil. Mailed cards here. As we leave it is 10:30 —have gone 55 miles. : Made Rock River for dinner —ate at campground. Out of here is an irrigated stretch-and fine alfalfa. Next was Medicine Bow where we finally caught the boys and told them dryer and dryer, hotter & hotter. Threshing is all the excitement thro’ here —counted _ about their tire. Wild and woolly all right —sagebrush, cactus and rocks and hills. Before five machines near the highway between G1. and Wood River. The valley is pretty. dinner at Gibbon at Elm Creek Park —73 mi. and left there at 12:05. Had no rain Ate for 2 months. Crops coming to Hanna we had to take a detour and went thro’ a deserted mining camp. Then into Hanna Canyon first on side, where they mine Hanna coal. Out of there we had to: go straight up. are surely suffering. Bud made his first “crush” as we left the park. We are nearing _| didn’t breathe for fen minutes. Guess we shouldn’t have gone in there —anyhow we Kearney now. Heard they had rain from there to North Platte. We are dusty & tired & —_ won't again. Here is where Ralph stopped to fix magneto and Helen took our pictures on dirty but are doing nicely. Phil sings most of the way. See no signs of rain. Got a drink —_ a boulder. Long’s Mt. was the first one we saw and it is still in the distance, only it is —did not see Slim. Got into Lexington at 3:20. Fire whistle blew with the one then on the other. Hard rains made us bad roads to climb. Ralph says usual excitement. Ralph got us a qt. of ice cream which we ate in the car. As we were _he can drive up the side of the silo after getting out of Hanna. The rain on the sagebrush licking out our dishes, a familiar face came around the corner —Rev. Howe, he having _ gives us a very sickish odor. Surely is some awful road. The N.Y. boys are enjoying(?) it seen our pennant, and we chatted a few minutes, leaving at 3:30. Our speedometer along with us. I caught Phil in midair, by the stomach once. There is no high way here, registers 126 miles. No rain until just outside Lexington. Sure is a great country out of just a rocky trail. We wonder how anyone could lay out a road thro’ here —so many Lexington —north and west. Gothenburg —158 miles at 5 P.M. —only 36 miles now to —_ winds in and out and up and down and round & round. They are better before we get North Platte. Made our first camp at the tourist camping grounds in N.P. 193 miles for _ to Fort Stee] —20 miles out of Rawlings. Here is the river and tourists fishing. We had to the first day. It was 6:30 our time tho’ earlier by the sun. Good to get cleaned and _ back off the bridge. Here too are more oil wells & tanks. Fine roads now and we are just stretched out. Phil attached a pretty white dog which he thot fine. —not so fine when he sailing into Rawlings —hungry too, but these last miles are great. 6:30 as we arrived in run off with the ball. Some 30 cars camped in the park so we weren't lonesome. About 1 Rawlings. The young colored boy met us with a hearty welcome and gave us all the A.M. things quieted down and it was a Henry Ford that heralded the dawn at four. information we needed. Great ugly tin can piles everywhere —campground looks like |