I received a transcribed copy of my granddad’s journal which details his journey with three friends across the US in a Model T. I became very interested in his trip and then discovered he had taken pictures along the way. I first decided to create a Shutterfly book of the trip but then my sisters and I have decided to recreate his trip in the summer of 2015. Since I thought that the trip might interest many people, I decided to create this website and blog. If you would like to follow the process of me creating the website or follow our planning and our trip as we recreate the journey, then please sign up for the blog so that you can receive emails when we post.
In the website I’ve included both the journal entries and the pictures. In addition I’ve added information I thought would enhance the story. I’m unsure if the pictures were taken on the exact days to which I assigned them, however I used my best guesses. A best guess for the approximate daily mileage they drove is also given. My estimates for the mileage were calculated by using the Rand McNally Junior Auto Road maps of 1927. (This link takes you to the Colorado Map. If you want to see another state, leave in the 1927 but add the state. Select the Rand McNally map in the list)This atlas lists many of the routes as well as cities the routes passed through. I used Google maps to follow these routes and used the old highways that passed through the cities. On each of the pages I place the journal entries in italics and set the color to blue. The other text is information I have added that is black and not italicized. The caption of the pictures and postcards that were my granddads are blue. Any pictures I added have gray captions.
Besides the pictures, I discovered that there was more information that Lloyd kept, and so I have also included much of that information including postcards and maps. I have also found a wealth of information while I was making my Shutterfly book. Now that I have a website I will be contacting many people to see if I can include pictures they may have that can add to the history. Each time I get permission or find a neat new fact, I’ll update the blog.
Special thanks to
- Steven Varner; www.AmericanRoads.us. He made almost all the trail markers I use throughout the website and has given me permission to use them. His website on the Historic Trails is amazing.
- Holt Smith – My uncle who had the Journal and all of the paraphernalia that was my granddads. He and my cousin Sarah Smith Clark transcribed the journal.
- Susan Smith Morgan(sister 1) and Patty Nealley (BFF) for their editing of my prose.