Waning Vacation August 1957 – Part Three

The American Summer Family Vacation – A quintessential rite of summer! For the Waning family it was an extraordinary break in the pattern of their summers. Grandfather's work logging had generally precluded summer vacations. The good weather of late spring, summer, and early fall meant long days in the woods. In 1957, however, Grandmother decided that if the Waning family was to ever have a "Summer Family Vacation" it would be have to be that year. Barbara was headed into her senior year in high school that fall, and the window of opportunity was contracting. Grandmother thought it important the family have a vacation together, and the girls have the chance to visit the Teton's, Glacier, and Yellowstone, She also wanted them to visit the state where their father was born. So Gramps shut down his operation for a couple of weeks, and off they went!

Margaret Waning's Vacation Notes – Yellowstone Trip August 1957

"Starting Mileage 25,635

Start 11 o'clock Sat. Morn. Beautiful trip across McKenzie – ate about 2 at Bend – Milkshakes at Burns. (Antelope) changed time – slept at Vale – breakfast at Nyssa.

25,999 – Nyssa Sun 18
Spent Sunday at Caldwell cause Barb didn't feel so hot.

26,030 – Caldwell
A lovely trip past 1,000 Springs – travel warm – not hot, cloudy smokey big fire on Sun. Spent the nite at Idaho Falls same as 20 yrs ago. Town twice as big – saw the falls. Dressed up & went to dinner.

Start at 26,360
Got to the Park Tuesday eve after beautiful ride through the Teton's. This is Friday have seen dozens of Geysers - & I went for a horse back ride Thursday morn. Saw a buffalo – also have seen beautiful elk – huge rack of horns & big thrill of all three moose. Stayed Tues & Wed, nite at Old Faithful. Thursday nite at Mammouth Hot Springs.

26,800 – Roosevelt Lodge
Sat. Morn off to Mont.


27,036 – Sun. Morn. – 25^th
In Livingston – very rugged mts. Between the Park & Red Lodge. Summit 10,942 ft. Warm, windy from Red Lodge to Livingston – see thunder storms in the distance. Friday Morn. – spent Sun. Mon. & Tues. around Wilsall. Jim visited Everett Carr(Mon) – Sun. went to the Old Place & John Swandalls, Had supper Mon. nite with the Ray Isbells. On Tues. visited Hattie S. & had lunch – in the aft. Visited & had supper with Elery Brights – then saw Oscar Olsons's.
Wed. drove to Havre & Thursday visited Matt & Lily.


27,634 – Friday Morn at Havre
On our way home through Glacier.
Back to the dishes. B.W. **


27,890 Sat. Morn Hungry Horse
Leaving West Glacier. Beautiful scenery. Barb drove through Logan Pass. No bears.

Sun. Morn left Spokane – saw Grand Coulee. Stopped at June's for a couple of hours –

28,347 Mileage at June's
Spent Sun. nite at Goldendale, Wash – then on home.
28,773 –


Travelled 3,138 miles."



** Barbara Waning penciled note (Waning humor)



Note: June was one of Gram's many maternal Greenwell cousins - June Gantenbein Suckow – the daughter of Fred Gantenbein and Fanny Greenwell.
Thanks to Barbara for the use of her Yellowstone trip photos.

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.

Waning Vacation August 1957

In late August 1957 the Waning family embarked on a family vacation that included The Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. We are fortunate to have several postcards, photographs, crib notes, and one long letter which document that adventure.
Today we'll examine the postcards.


The first card is postmarked August 20^th 1957 and is from Jim Waning to his parents.


"6:30am Idaho Falls – Tues.
All is going well now. We lost one day when Barb was sick and stayed all day in Caldwell. Roads are very good weather not too hot. Cloudy and overcast which is lucky for us as it must be really hot when the sun is bright. Wonderful farms. Alfalfa everywhere, stacks & stacks. May be in Jackson Wyoming tonight. Be in Wilsall night Monday I think. Will go to Post Office to look for mail. Love Jim"


This card is postmarked from Yellowstone Park, August 22^nd 1957. It is from Margaret Waning to her in-laws, and she references the cross country car trip she took with her mother and sisters about 20 years previously.



"Dear Mom & Dad –
We stayed here – also 20 years ago – town twice as big now. We arrived at Yellowstone lave eve. After a lovely ride through Teton's & stopped at Jackson, Wyo. For lunch. Will stay here a couple of days before going on into Montana. A Mamma bear with two babies stopped us coming in. Gave everyone quite a thrill. Love, Marg."


This card is also postmarked from Yellowstone Park, August 22^nd 1957. It was written by Barbara Waning to her grandparents.



"August 21, 1957
Dear Grandmother and Dad,
I'm having a very nice time. We have crossed Oregon, Idaho, visited Jackson Hole, Wym., and the Tetons. Today we are at Yellowstone and in 2 or 3 days go on to Mont. We are all scheduled to go horse back riding tomorrow and if we all live will write again. Barbie"

The last postcard – what was it about White Faced Herefords anyway? – is postmarked August 27^th from Livingston, MT and was written by Margaret Waning to her in-laws. She refers to the fact that Jim Waning was just 12 years old when his family left Montana for Oregon in 1924.



"Tue Morn.
Dear Mom and Dad –
We are still in Livingston. Went out to your old home Sun & visited with the Swandells. Then Jim drove around looking at other ranches – he remembers very well for being so small when he left. Yesterday we stopped at the Everett Carr place then on to the Ray Isbell's. Had supper there – met his son & family – all very nice to us/ Hope to see Hattie, the Olsons, & Ellery today. Then on to Havre tomorrow. It was just wonderful to have a letter from home waiting for us! Love, Margaret"