Leaving Bakersfield in 1938

When my Larson relatives left Bakersfield, California after their two week visit, they took a different route home than they did on the way there. To get to California, they went south first, down to Mobile, Alabama where they paid respects to Frank’s son Walter and his family. This side trip at the beginning of their journey brought them all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, and they drove from there along the gulf, through New Orleans and the bayous of Louisiana up to Shreveport, where they crossed Texas and toured El Paso before driving across the southern tier of New Mexico and Arizona, into California and up to Bakersfield.

To get home from Bakersfield, the same route would make no sense because they were not going back through Alabama. Instead, they had plans to visit family in Rockford, Illinois, near Chicago, and then drive on to Detroit before heading across Canada to Buffalo, so they opted to follow the national road, Route 66, for most of the way.

They left Bakersfield on March 23, 1938 and drove over 330 miles that day to Kingman, Arizona. On their way to Kingman, Route 66 took them across the Mojave Desert and through some iconic western towns such as Barstow and Oatman. At Barstow, California, they had lunch and got gas, but also took several dramatic photos of the flood damage from the epic storms and rain that had hit California just a week before they arrived in the area.

When they drove through that mountainous portion of Route 66 between Barstow and Kingman, my grandfather Fred made a note on his map that there were “50 gold mines within 50 miles,” an impressive number in 1938. Of course, when it comes to mining, all good things must come to an end, and within a few years after the Larsons drove through that area (that had produced over 1.8 million ounces of gold by 1930) the boom was over and Oatman went into decline. When highway 40 was built in the 1950’s, it was a death knell for Oatman because it was no longer necessary to traverse the harrowing mountain pass that included Oatman and Cool Springs to get through the desert and to Kingman.

On March 24, the group drove from Kingman, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico, a distance of over 330 miles. I’m guessing this was a particularly long driving day for them because they took a detour at Flagstaff to go see the Grand Canyon, driving north to Cameron, Arizona and then west to the southern rim of the canyon. This would have added to the mileage total for the day.

Even though I didn’t go all the way to the Canyon, I did drive a significant chunk of the way there and had fun thinking about the Larsons looking at the same scenery I enjoyed on the drive. Same mountains. Same colors. Same vistas. And who knows, maybe even some of the same farms run by the same families that they photographed in 1938. Probably not, but still…

Besides the fact that the family took a significant chunk of time out of a long driving day to see the Grand Canyon, equally amazing are the additional stops they made that same day on their way to Gallup, New Mexico, where they spent the night. After leaving Flagstaff, they stopped at Meteor Crater (which was 6 miles off the main road for a 12 mile round trip detour) and then drove through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest.

Theodore Roosevelt designated the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906 and it was redesignated as a National Park in 1962. When I drove through the national park in 2023, I had to exit Interstate 40, which speeds traffic past the area so fast that the stunning beauty of the area just goes by in a blur. The old Route 66 doesn’t exist at all along that part of the interstate, which is the only option for passing through the area. The good news is that there is an exit one can take that leads you to a protected and very accessible driving and hiking sightseeing adventure if one cares to take the opportunity. I did, and no regrets that I took probably a full 2 or 3 hours to drive the public road that runs the length of the park. I stopped at virtually every scenic vista and trail that was offered, and took many, many pictures because every stop I made opened up totally new and amazing scenery and colors. I know that the Larsons were equally awed by what they saw but I have to say that my amateur photographs in living color with my Samsung phone depict the amazing beauty and color of the area better than the blurry black and white photos they took in 1938.

After all those side trips and touring on their way through Arizona, I’m sure it was late in the day by the time they got to Gallup, New Mexico for their overnight stay. But apparently there was no time to waste at that point in the trip because the next day, March 25, they got up early and drove over 500 miles to Shamrock, Texas where they spent the night. Remember, there were no highways, so I’m thinking they couldn’t have gone more than 50 or 60 miles per hour on Route 66, depending on the condition of the roadway.

I can’t imagine what that day in the car must have been like for the five travellers. At that point they were on a mission to get to Rockford, Illinois and after taking so much time out the day before in Arizona I guess they felt they couldn’t afford any more detours and just blew right through New Mexico and the panhandle of Texas, stopping just short of the Oklahoma border. While stopping for gas in Tucumcari, New Mexico, Fred noted on the map “cattle” and this would fit with the history of the area, which is known for two very large cattle ranches that began in the 19th and early 20th centuries and were still going strong in 1938.

When the group stopped for gas and a meal in Amarillo, Texas, Fred noted on the map “gas helium plant.” I was curious about that as I had always associated Amarillo with cowboys and big cattle herds being driven into Amarillo for the auctions. When I did a little research into the helium connection in Amarillo, I was surprised to discover that apparently the plant in Amarillo was the sole producer of helium in the world throughout the 1920’s and 30’s. Knowing Fred and Frank and their interests in gas and oil, I’m sure they found this tidbit interesting as they drove through Texas.

I will save the next part of their journey across Oklahoma, Missouri and into Illinois for a future article. Suffice it to say that once they left Arizona they were not really in touring mode anymore and were intent on reaching their Rockford, Illinois relatives and then heading home, with just a couple of small diversions along the way.

2023 Roadtrip Respite

After following the Larson homeward-bound trail through California and Arizona, my travel itinerary included a built-in respite week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When planning the trip I figured by the time I reached New Mexico at the end of Week 6 I would be ready for a little break from all the camping, driving and one-night stopovers. Also, I had plans to be in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving and I had some buffer time to spend as I waited for Thanksgiving week to arrive. So I booked myself an AirBnb in the heart of the Old Town neighborhood with the intention of totally taking it easy, doing laundry, cleaning out the camper, writing, and generally luxuriating in the warmth and space of a bricks and mortar dwelling. Also, I’ve never been to New Mexico before and was looking forward to some exploring in the area.

The respite week was everything I had hoped for and more. The bonus was when my sister Carol (best sister EVER) decided to join me! Yay! We spent the week doing all kinds of things together, from exploring the Turquoise Trail, to going horseback riding in the mountains, to hiking to see petroglyphs, to driving to the Acoma “Sky City” Pueblo (which included an unintended adventure of taking a scenic byway - as opposed to the big interstate - only to discover that Google doesn’t know the difference between an actual road and a road that used to be a road but stopped being one when the highway was built, which required poor Nellie Bly to rattle and shake across rough dirt pathways as we tried to find a driveable way forward that would get us where we needed to go, which ended up being a gully-ridden, sort-of road - more of a drainage ditch, really - that went down a steep slope, curved under the highway and back up on the other side where we finally found our way to an actual road that people drive on), to the ride to the top of the Sandia Mountain range where we had lunch overlooking the city of Albuquerque and beyond, to amazing museums and cultural centers, and of course restaurants and shopping trips.

After that relaxing week I am once again doing a series of one-night stopovers as I continue to explore the area and work my way toward Santa Fe. Sadie and I visited some pueblo mission ruins, and we stayed at more breweries and The Enchanted Mill and Ranch, where I learned that Sadie is not quite ready for prime time when it comes to making friends with large farm animals. She was interested and curious in the sheep, donkeys, alpacas and llamas, but it was way too much stimulation and she kind of freaked out, wanting to get closer and then getting frustrated (i.e. barking incessantly) when she couldn’t take a little taste. We went into training mode, but I wasn’t there long enough to make much of a dent in her predatory instinct. She really just wanted to get inside the fence and chase them around.

Next Steps

Next time you hear from me I will be back on the road headed east, hot on the trail of the 1938 group. Until then, peace be with you as we enter the end of year holiday season. Whatever holidays you celebrate (or not), hold your loved ones close, the time we have with them is so precious.