Waning Vacation August 1957 – Part Two

“Sunday August 25 ??
Livingston

Dear Folks,

The postcards don’t have much room for writing so thought this better. It is 9:00A.M. We arrived in Livingston late yesterday afternoon. Came from the Roosevelt Lodge in the Park out the North East Entrance, over the Cook City to Red Lodge highway, to Laurel then up the Yellowstone through Big Timber. Wanted to turn in to see Hunter Hot Sp. But everyone was in a hurry to get a cabin. We were all about exhausted. Saw sign of the Island Motel Livingston so went there. The landlady was a Shadoan from around Clyde Park years ago. She doesn’t know Hattye S. but knew the basketball playing boys.

We will probably go up the Shields R. today. No motels in Wilsall or White Sulphur or many till Great Falls, so will stay here a day or so.

The Island Motel doesn’t have a place large enough for us, so called her niece by marriage who has lost her husband and is renting her home to tourists. So here we are in a nice 5 room house for the price of a little cabin. The lady has two sets of twins 12 and 15 yrs and husband dead at 43.

Margaret just got back from putting the wash in the land lady’s washer and we are about ready to look for breakfast. Still more hair to comb. (Not mine). The sun is bright. We have had cloudy weather some. Thunder storms in the Park. Not on us but all around the mountain Peaks. Beautiful over the Beartooth Mts yesterday 10,942ft. Then cloudy from Laurel on in with a few drops of rain but lots of lightening in the distance. Not uncomfortably hot anytime except in Idaho one day and then some clouds. Nothing in the Teton Park except high beautiful Mountains. Not many stops. But in the Park a stop every hundred yards to see something. Need two months!

Don’t know if we can find time to go see Uncle Mat. It is a long way out of our way. May not take long here. I may be like Dad in Maine. It may not take me long to get enough here. We are on the street next to the railroad tracks about two blocks West of the depot. Can barely remember anything about the town except the railroad and River which doesn’t seem the same.
Well I had better stop before we all starve (still no breakfast). Didn’t really think I would need all this paper when I started, but it will probably take me the rest of my life to tell all we have seen so far.

Love,
Jim and all Notes: In 1912 James Waning was born on a ranch outside of Wilsall, MT (north of Livingston) and lived there until 1923. He and his mother spent a year in White Sulphur Springs, MT and in 1924 the Waning family moved to Wendling, OR.

Dear Grandma and gramp,
Sorry I didn’t get a letter before but I have been awful busy. Mommy has been reminding us of school and of the reports we have to make. I am thinking of things I can say, dad said I can say “we saw a geyser and it bubbled and it bubbled and so on” but I’m sure my teacher wouldn’t like it. We have seen lots of bears and a grizzly bear. One of the bears grined Sandy down, it looked her right in the face. One little cub stood up and put his nose in the wendow but tiny put his in and touched noses. tiny barked and scared the bear. Well I must go now and eat because dad is starving.

Love Connie

P.S. Sorry so sloppy but in a hurry.

P.S. 10:A.M. but are ready to eat finally J.W.

The Wanings did visit "Uncle Mat" - Matthew McAdam - in Havre, MT - also Lillian McAdam Gillette - James' cousin (and Thomas McAdam's daughter) who lived with her Uncle Matt.

James refers to his father's 1947 trip to Maine. Willard Lowe Waning left Maine sometime before 1900, residing in Boston, and Montana, and Oregon before taking an airplane back to visit relatives. He did not stay as long a originally planned.