This is a journal kept by Lowie Squire during a vacation taken in 1930.
29429 94 mils to Witchita
This is the property of of
Mrs. E.B.Squire
111 S. Main St. Eureka Kansas
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Beginning our vacation
Aug 27, 1930
Started Wednesday Aug 27. Had 27945 miles on car when we left home.
Are now in Council Grove. Have 28029 miles on car.
Went to Franks but they don’t live here now.
So are going on out to Aunt Mary’s.
Only used 4 gal of gas coming to Council Grove. 72 cents worth.
Went out to Aunt Mary. Frank & Zelna was out there
and Grandpa & Uncle Marve. Grandpa is awful sick. So we came back to the Grove & rented a cabin. Cost 1.25 at the Keyto Camp.
Thur. 28 . Are on our way but is raining & making the roads slick. Just as we almost reach Herrington had to wait on a freight train to go by. Had about 100 box cars.
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We followed 50No from Council Grove to Herrington. Then we followed No.4 9 mi from Salina we followed No.8 in to Salina and from Salina on No.40.
Ate lunch in Ellsworth. Got my hair set in Salina.
a little way out of Ellsworth the old car she died. Easy had to get & work some on the vacuum tank. The line come loose. Only took about 10 mi
Saw one oil derrick a few miles west of Russel and they were staking out one or two more locations. And then about 2 or 3 miles further on an oil field.
It was by the town of Gorham. Stopped here at Wakeeney and car won’t start. Something is wrong with the breaker points on the distributor. Easy has to walk about 4 blocks
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to the Chevrolet garage for some new ones.
Well we stayed all nite in Brewster. Thursday nite Aug 28.
Went down to Mary & Austin’s Fri morning. Austin’s aunt & family were there. They left about 1 hour after we come.
Sure had a good time with Mary & Austin.
Stayed there till Sat eve about 4. They are starting for California the 5th of Sept.
Crossed the Colo & Kan. line at about 6 oclock Sat eve.
Stayed all nite in Flagler Colo. Sat nite.
Left there Sun Morn about 8:30.
We could see Pikes Peak while still 100 miles away.
It sure is beautiful country & roads are long & stright. They fence the crops in & leave the pasture land open.
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We were in the mountains Sunday. Went up to the Cave of the Winds. It is the most beautiful sight I have seen.
It was rather frightening when you first get up on one for the first time.
But I soon enjoyed my self. It didn’t make me sleepy or very much light headed. But made Easy light headed & made his ears ring. We didn’t go up on top of Pikes Peak it was 18 mi. high.
We ate lunch at the p—- Cafe in Maniton. Maniton is a large town. Located in the mts it is a summer resort.
Lots of people go there for their health. I saw the cog mail road going up to the top of P.P. but I had no desire to ride up there on it.
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Saw some full blood Indians They were painted and they were silver smiths. Saw them making bracelets.
And saw some Indian women in native garb. Saw one Indian chefs feather war bonnet. They were sure pretty for the feathers are colored.
Stayed all nite in Rocky Ford Colo. Sunday nite Aug 31, 1930 :2
Tues morn Sept 2, 1930
We stopped in Lamar. E.B. got a shave and I bought a few souvenirs.
We crossed the Kan & Colo line at 11:45 Tuesday Sept 2 on our way back towards home.
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We saw of petrified Dweller man They were small of stature.
We went and saw the balanced rock & steam ship rock. Went up on the steam ship rock looked thru the telescopes at the kissing camels & at a $100,000 mansion of top of one the mts. & the flag was flying up there by the building. We also saw the washer woman. These are all seen
in & from the Garden of the Gods. There are many more sights to numerous to mention.
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:2.
Monday Sept 1 was Labor Day and we drove from Rocky Ford to Las Animas
And went to see Laura & Newton. Ate Dinner with them and stayed till Tues morn.
Then we ate lunch in __ and from there into Dodge City. Drove around a while & looked the city over. Then about 18 miles out from Dodge City we saw where they are putting in that
big gas line from Texas to __ so as we don’t have to be in Eureka till the 15th.
Lish says he is going to work a while so we drive on to the one road town of Ford Kansas & spend the nite in a tourist cabin as the workers had all gone home off the pipe line as was 5 o’clock when we came along.
E.B. went out this morn to see if he could land a job. Well he
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did at $1.00 per hr. And as the tourist cabin isn’t very comfortable here in Ford we are going in to Dodge City to stay. Here in Ford there isn’t much of a place to stay. I have been out looking for some light house keeping rooms. Found one for 4 per wk and I wouldn’t have it if it didn’t cost anything.
I discovered bed bugs in the bed here at Ford tourist camp but after I had already
paid for an nite & day. So I went to the drug store & bought .50 cents of fly tox & sprayed this bed & whole room till it was wet and no bed bugs bit us.
It rained last nite too. But it is graveled highway so it didn’t bother Lish from going on out to work. Ford is about 5 miles to where he works and Dodge City is 18 mi. I will have to fix him lunch
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if we go back to Dodge City.
He come home for lunch here. I have everything packed, so when E.B. comes from work we can load up & be gone.
Are not going to eat supper till we reach Dodge City as we don’t want to be after dark hunting a place to stay.
Well we did come to Dodge City after E.B. quit work. Are living in a tourist cabin The Maxwell Camp.
Is just across from the park. Can hear the Lions roar. Haven’t went over to see the animals yet. but figure on doing so tomorrow. Have a real nice cabin to live in. Have to pay $8.00 a week.
It is next to the bath house & laundry. I did our own laundry this week for the first time in 3 years. But it was our clothes we have got dirty while on our
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vacation & were not very hard to wash. Austin turned the ringer for me.
He thought he was big to do that but it was lots of help to me and it wasn’t hard to turn.
It is about time for E.B. to come home I am going to have corn bread porridge for supper. It is a winter dish but we like it once in a while in the summer time for it sure is delicious.
Austin is playing with a box having it for a train and a wooden gun.
He is playing like he is robbed. E.B. told him the days he doesn’t cry he will give him a nickel & all the pennies he has. He is going to get them today I think as the day is almost gone. No he didn’t he bumped his knee on the bed as he was going to bed.
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There is a grocery store close. It is about 50 ft from our cabin.
I am lucky seems like for I nearly always do get close to the store.
Tomorrow we will be a week we have been in Dodge city. After we had been here 4 days Austin & I went up town to a grocery store and who did you think was clerking in it. Clyde Bluel a boy that clerked for Mr. Hoff at Eureka 2 years ago. We often
thought of him & wondered where he was.
Well E.B. is still on the pipe line. It is a hard job to hold. But he is making the riffle. There is a chance for promotion, the boss is a Mason & he has a chance where most of the others do not.
I sure got a good joke on E.B. last nite. He went after a pail of water out at the hydrant.
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and as you know the cabins are all alike. And he said he came along half dreaming & studying about his work & went into the wrong cabin. And he said the folks sure laughed. And maybe you think I didn’t. Then this morn I pulled the same bone head. I’m not going to tell E.B. He may read it in here, if he does alright.
We are just across from the zoo. We can hear the old lion roar every nite & morn. Sure sound like they are coming right out after you.
We have to go home Sunday & help Bill out. They are expecting a new addition to their family. So we have to stay there till it is older then we are coming back.
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This is Friday. I washed what we had dirty today so most of our clothes would be clean to go home Sunday. They sure have a keen place to wash here.
When I went up to the office this morn after the washboard a smart aleck was sitting out in a car and he says “Say want to go take a joy ride.” And say when I got thru telling him what I thought of him he thought he
had been any where mosh but joy riding. I know he thought he found a hornets nest. And I saw to it he doesn’t come back in this camp.
I am trying to study up some thing new for dinner tonite. I had Irish Stew last nite. I would like to have some fish. Guess I could get some but not the kind I would like.
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I’d like some out of the water’s of Mo. Tomorrow I iron & start packing things for it is Sat.
Sunday on our way home. Ate lunch at the Holmes Cafeteria in Dodge. Is now 1:30 o’clock.
Expences
Wednesday Aug 27. 1930
Gas 4 Gallon .72
Cabin 1.25
Lunch 1.10
Thursday Aug 28
Gas 4 Gallon .72
Gas 5 Gallon .90
Dinner 1.00
Oranges .30
Pop .20
Ice Cream .10
Breaker Points 1.00
Gas 5 Gallon .90
(Friday Aug 29)
Cabin 1.00
Eats .88
Gas 7 1/2 Gallon 1.35
Groceries .18
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Sat Aug 30 1930
Change Oil 1.35
Gas .60
Checking Oil .30
Cabin 1.00
Eggs .10
Never Leak .50
Aug 31 1930
Gas 6 Gallon 1.26
Gas 5 1/2 Gallon 1.15
Gas 2 1/2 .45
Lunch 1.00
Cave of the Winds 2.00
Garden of Gods .50
Gas 4 Gallon .84
Cherry Cider & Candy .45
Cabin 1.50
Tues Sept 2
Gas 4 Gallon 1qt .90
Oil .70
Lunch .70
Souvenirs .35
Hair Set .50
Gas 7 Gallon 1.52
Eats 1.48
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72 19
90 7.5
100 —-
30 133
20
10 .72
100 1.25
—- 1.40
4.22 —-
3.07 3.07
7.29
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Wedensday Aug 27 1930
Gas .72 4 gal
Cabin 1.25
Lunch 1.10
—-
3.07
Thur. aug 28 1930
Gas 4 gal .72
Gas 5 gal .90
Dinner 1.00
Oranges .30
Pop .20
Ice Cream .10
Breaker Points 1.00
Gas 5 gal .90
Cabin 1.00
Eats —-
6.12
Gas 7 1/2=1.35 .88
B. .18? —-
7.00
1.35
.18
—-
8.53
Aug 30 1930
Change Oil 1.85
Gas .60
Checking Oil .30
Cabin 1.00
Eggs .10
Never Leak .50
—-
4.35
8.33
—–
12.88
3.07
—–
15.95
Aug 31, 1930
Gas 6 gal 1.26
Gas 5 1/2 gal .45
Lunch in Monitos 1.00
Cave of Winds 2.00
Garden of Gods .50
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4 gal .84
Mon C Cider Candy .45
Tues 4 gal 1 qt .90
oil .70
Lunch .70
Souvenirs .35
Hair Set .50
Gas 7 gal 1qt 1.52
Eats 1.48
E.B. Squire
Mrs E.B. Squire
Austin Leroy Squire
Leroy Leroy
Leroy Lee Roy
Austin Leroy Squire
Nick Fockert
Ford Kansas
Page 41 (Inside Back Cover)
70 18
25 1.52
20 .90
10 70
—
.73
65-
10
1.48 2
85
4 1
—- 1
3.40 1
1
1
5.50
3.40
—-
8.90
4.25 ---- 5 85 2 .48 ---- 16 32