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Philly to Alaska 1930
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:37 am
by JohnM
Family home movies. (Not mine) 1929 Franklin, Lincoln Highway road scenes, small towns, landmarks, steam trains, motor court cabins. If you have some time on a cold winters day it's a good window into what auto travel was like for one family in 1929-30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAyITIlOz3I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qTqLQSgS-s
Re: Philly to Alaska 1930
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 1:51 pm
by Norman Kling
I watched the first half to Idaho. Takes quite a while. Those people must have had some money to take that long trip in a Franklin and stop at so many hotels. Those days others were driving cross country with all their belongings in the car looking for Prune Picking jobs in California.
When in my teens I had a 1930 Franklin but not very good condition. i think I paid 15 dollars for it and found the problem was in the ignition. I tried to get points at the NAPA dealer in town who didn't carry Franklin parts. I took the old ones in and found out they matched a Pontiac. The distributor was Delco Remy. So I got it running. One day we went to the original Bob's Big Boy in Glendale where many high school kids hung out because it was only about a block from Glendale High School. A kid with a 1940 Plymouth wanted to drag. That was a mistake. The Franklin had aluminum connecting rods and I threw a rod through the crankcase. Ben's Auto Wrecking was called and that was the end of my Franklin!
Norm
Re: Philly to Alaska 1930
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 4:38 pm
by Rich Eagle
That is fun to see. There must be miles of film like that which was never saved. Or at least not yet. Dad took 16mm color a bit later than that. I need to get some on video.
I particularly enjoyed the Yellowstone buses in motion. The lack of caution around the bears was so different that today. Times change.
Thanks for sharing that, John.
Rich
Re: Philly to Alaska 1930
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 6:48 pm
by JohnM
You are welcome, Rich. When I saw the buses I thought, I wonder if one of those is Rich Eagle's bus?
Re: Philly to Alaska 1930
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 7:07 pm
by Rich Eagle
The buses had their park number painted on the rear trunk flap. I can read 31? I believe on that one. It was purchased by YPC in 1925. Mine is no. 199 and was purchased in 1924.
I do have a copy of photo of mine at Rosevelt Lodge a fellow in California found and sent to me.
Re: Philly to Alaska 1930
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 7:44 pm
by perry kete
I just finished watching the two videos and what I think is amazing is that these people went on a cross country drive from Phila to Alaska during the 1st year of the depression and thought nothing of it.
Early in the first video when they are driving on the concrete highways it's easy to see the oil trail in each lane.