January 16 - 18, 1947

Thursday January 16, 1947

Went to ostrich and alligator farms and Chinatown.  Met Luella in evening after school.  To “Bit-of-Sweden” to Smorgasbord.  Eat as much as you want to.  The six of us ate $11.38 worth.  Then we went to Chinese theater to a show.  This is a place where actor and actresses have their hand and foot prints and autographs in cement floor at entrance.  Dwane and Luella even looked up Bob Hope’s nose print.

Postcard to Geneva

We went to this circled description on post card 

This world-famous theatre is the scene of some most spectacular Premieres.  In the cement paving of the forecourt prominent starts, both past and present have left their hand and footprints as mementoes to their admiring public.

last night after having a big supper at “Bit-of-Sweden”.  Sorta expensive $11.38 for the six of us.  Tomorrow we are planning on seeing Forrest Lawn Memorial Park, a wedding in  church tomorrow eve.  Catalina Island on Sun. Mon to Long Beach and San Diego.  Tues. evening we we will plan on celebrating Lillians birthday and be going on our way by Wed. or Thurs. I suppose our next stop will be Ed ??? but we will only be there 2 days  Their address is  Eugene, Ore.  842 Bethel Drive.

Friday January 17, 1947

Dwane had his first ride on streetcars and escalators.  We went shopping in L.A. today.  To “Snow Queen Festival” at Gardena Hi - School to night.

Saturday January 18, 1947

Visited Forrest Lawn Memorial Park to - day.  Home for dinner and then to Knotts Berry place at Buena Park, Cal.  We had quite a time visiting the ghost town especially Luellas jail visit, and then the swell chicken dinner and berry pie. M-m-m!  Then to wedding in Lillians church.  Lillian had made the brides dress and the mother-of-the-bride dress.  Both looked lovely.

January 14 - 15, 1947

January 14, 1947 Tuesday 

Left at 6:35 on Tues. morning.  orange orchard right nest to turn.  The big transports and trains ran right by our cabin.  Slept 3 in a bed crosswise.  Acre of date palms  Lots of “date stands” but too early for business.  Desert everywhere except where irrigated.

Around Banning we saw lots of peach and cherry groves, some in blossom.  Also pear trees.

Stopped and visited with Mrs. Eddie Cox and Stella at San Bernardino, 124 9th St.  Found Ed Cox Welding Supply shop but Ed was out and would not be back for 4 hrs.  so we had to miss seeing him.

Got to Lillian’s at 2 P.M. Lovely weather here, but chilly nights, white frost and close to freezing.

Wednesday January 15, 1947

Went to Cal. Luth. Hospital Auxilliary meeting with Lillian to-day.  This town is too big.  I don’t like the long bus rides.  See lots of unusual trees and flowers.  Took a rid ( 6 miles) to the ocean just before dark. Dwane and Roy went with Maynard to League Bowling to-night.

Same picture postcard for both  Geneva and Lena

Postcard  Wed. evening

Dear Geneva:  We sent you an airmail letter this morning but we got another letter from you today so I am really writing this for Dwane.  He and daddy went with Maynard to some League Bowling tonight.  He is busy with school work every minute he has. ha!  We are going to see alligator farm tomorrow.  Took a drive ( 6 miles) down to the ocean just before dark.  Am sending the 3 reels, some pictures (you can take them home when you go) and a good luck charm D. made for you.  D. says not to let everybody wear his V. Master out on Jan. 26th, so you better keep your eye on it.  Mom.

 

Post card Wed. evening

Mrs. Lena B. Nelson

Valley Spring, S. Dak.

Dear Mother: we got here yesterday about 2 P.M.  Everybody is fine.  Weather chilly here at night, almost freezing, has been white frost.  Took a drive down to ocean just before dark.  Tomorrow we are going to Alligator farm and ostrich farm, and maybe Cliftons.  Don’t know what day we go to Catalina Island ― Luella wanted to go there too so maybe Sat. or Sun.  Lillian and I go to L.A. on Friday.  Dwane and Roy went to airport today.  Bouquet of narcissus here on table.  Love, Selma.

January 12 - 13, 1947

January 12, 1947

Left Las Cruces at 7:45 this Sunday morning.  Lovely weather.  Crossed the Continental Divide at 10:00 in western N. Mexico.  Lots of cactus, desert land.  Ate dinner at Safford, Arizona $1.95.  Oleander taller than houses.  Seeing lots of trees and shrubs we never saw before.

Went to Apache Indian reservation.  Took a picture of a few.  We’re supposed to send the picture if it’s any good to Mr. Geo. L Wayne, Globe. Ariz. Gen. Delivery.  He is an Apache Indian that Roy talked to while they (his daughter and wife were with him) waiting to take the bus back to Globe, from the Indian Reservation at San Carlos.  He had been in army and was wearing army clothes (he now worked in copper mines at Globe.) but his wife was dressed typically Indian. 

Saw Coolidge Dam. Stupendous but very little water now.  Oh! the mountainous roads and curves between Globe and Superior.  I almost lost my breath looking into some of those canyons.  Dwane says “keep looking up, and it doesn’t look so bad.”  Came thru a tunnel.  Our engine boiled so we stopped when we got to the top where luckily there was a station, 5,000 ft. elevation.

Hoped to get to Phoenix tonight but got as far as Mesa, by 7:30 and every tourist cabin full so we found a place in a tourist home — a grand place, orange trees lined the driveway $5.00 for a room with 2 single beds, showers etc.

January 13, 1947  Monday 

Had breakfast here too $2.25  Picked some fruit. Left house at 9:45.

Stopped a few minutes in Phoenix — Lots and lots of fruit trees, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and date palms..  We would have loaded up on fruit had we been on the way home but express about doubles the price.

Irrigation is what makes the place grow.  Now a few miles out of Phoenix and all we see is desert plants again.  saw fields of carrots, head lettuce etc. in edge of Phoenix.

Near Aguilla, Arizona met a man, that looked like the pictures we have seen of “prospectors”.  He had a pack burro so loaded, and he was leading him and carrying a gun.  Rather a bewhiskered old guy.

Yellow daisy-like flower blooming in western Arizona a few kinds of cactus seem to have yellow flowers or buds started.  

Crossed the Colorado River and into California.  Were thoroughly inspected at Blythe.  Had to unload and open all the boxes and suit cases.  Had a few Arizona oranges but that was O.K.

Got to Indio and looked and looked but “no vacancy” in any camp or hotel and then just as we were leaving we discovered one little old cabin, one bed $4.00 but here we are — poorest one we’ve had but glad to get it.

January 11, 1947

January 11, 1947

Leaving cabin at El Paso at 8:40 Temp 32°  Bought 4 lbs of dry ice 40₵ to keep the meat for Lillian.

We parked our car for 25₵ on the Amer. side of Rio Grande and walked int Mexico on the toll bridge 2₵ each going in and 1₵ going out.  What a place!  Shops and stands all over the sidewalks and you are begged to come in and look, and buy.  They are very insistent.  Usually come down several times rather than have you go out without buying.  Much cheap labor, for instance these Mexican jackets can be bought there for 5 to 7 dollars and across the line in El Paso they are 16 and 20 each.  Lots of pretty jewelry, table clothes, rugs etc at just a fraction of what we pay here.  You are allowed to take out duty free 25 dollars worth every 30 days.  It was so cold, we just froze, walking around, but those poor Mexican Indians with just old rags, some without shoes, wrapped in most every kind of old thing.  Little fires were built here and there and how they would crowd around to get a little heat.  We finally began to go into some shops.  Found some articles in diff. places with several dollars diff. in price. Our money is worth about 5 times as much Mexican  money  —so most everything had 2 markings Mexican and U.S. prices.  So many candy carts, right out in open, phew!

I wanted to find a restroom so asked a clerk and she told me in a cafe across the street.  It was noon so Roy thot we should try eating too. Phew!  I’ll never forget it.  After seeing their meat markets with meat laying in the windows — I thot I’d order Amer. Cheese sandwiches but it was green and stunk!  Dwane and Roy had ham sandwiches — they ate theirs.  Well we found the rest room and that was horrible.  Long dark corridor, and dirty, ladies and mens side by side and such doors.  I could tell in Mexican which one said ladies.  About 3 P.M. we decided we had had enough so went towards where we saw the Amer. flag waving.  I wouldn’t care to go up those streets after dark.

Drove to Las Cruces and got a cabin $5.50  2 double beds, quite nice but no cooking facilities.

Postcard dated Jan. 11, 1947 

addressed to Miss Geneva Sanford

State College,

Brookings, S.D.  U.S.A.

Box 668

“Hello” from Mexico.  We are having quite a time, but br-r-r! it’s cold.     Mother

January 9 - 10, 1947

January 9, 1947

Left at 7:3- Thurs. A.M.  Seeing lots of oil wells pumping but these do not have towers.  One place a big flame burning at the top of a tall pipe — most likely natural gas going to waste.  All these wells pump by their own power.  Stopped at Dundee, Texas and took a picture where there were 11 timber wolves hanging on fence.  Ears were gone so we decided that must be for bounty.

Saw some more antelope. Lots of sage brush, wheat fields and cotton.  Turtle doves, blackbirds and meadowlarks, wild ducks flying.  Also blue jays.  I’d like to see this country when the cactus and yuccas are blooming.

Red, red soil and its sticky.  Had 11 inches of snow here Anson, Texas  — unusual!  Still a bit of it left.  Dinner at Snyder $1.75.  They said they had had about 5 or 6 in. of snow here.  Started to rain at 2:30 and rained for several hours.

We drove by acres and acres and miles and miles of watermelons today.  They had frozen but the ground was just about covered with them.

Stopped for gas at Seminole (last town in Texas) and Dwane wanted a drink so we asked about water and the station attendant said (in a Southern drawl) “We had 8 below zero — and our water pipes are still all froze solid so no water.”

Cabin at Carlsbad, New Mexico Thurs. nite Jan. 9. $3.00

More oil wells some with towers and some without.  Sometimes we see a big pipe up into air and burning with a big blaze at top.  This is natural gas, going to waste, has to be burned at it is poisonous and settles to ground so has to be burned to get rid of it.

Friday January 10, 1947

Started at 7:45  Terribly foggy.  Froze muddy ground solid last night.  8:00 fog just about gone.  Sun shining.  Just saw some more snow.  Started to Caverns at 9:30 — our tickets were $1.50 each.  Under ten free.  Got out at 1:30  Wonderful place —in fact you are so impressed there is very little talking and that’s low.  241 people went on our tour.  I never could imagine such sights as you see in this cave.  Had dinner 750 ft. underground.  Big dining room, rest rooms, souvenirs, etc.  Saw the bucket that used to take visitors down into the cave.  Talked to the widow of Jim White, the cowboy who discovered cavern.  He died last year.  My watched refused to work underground.  We walked nearly 3 miles in cave and came out on elevator form 700 ft. level.

3:15 back in Texas and more snow, cactus.  Some of these Mts. make my ears ring.

1947 trip to southwest and west coast January 6-8

The travels resume after the war. Roy, Selma and Dwane, 11 years old take a road trip to the southwest, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska.  I wish I had a road map from 1947 before the Interstates were built.  Sadly I do not have photographs of this trip but I did find post cards that were written home and saved which I have included.  Mom was in college at the time and Arlene was teaching in a country school.

January 6, 1947

Left home at 10:30 Jan. 6, 1947 to Luverne, to Soo City, Lincoln at 5:15.  Had no trouble finding Aunt Mabel.  Grand supper and visit with Aunt Mabel, Uncle Murray and Vera at 2917 N. 52nd St.

Aunt Mabel ( Melvina Mabel Arnold ) was a sister to Great Grandma Sanford. Same birthday as Grandma Selma Oct. 2, different year 1879. Married Murray  L. Ross

January 7, 1947

Left at 9:15 Tues. morning.  More snow in Kansas than Nebr.  31° below at Waterville, Kansas last week.  Snowplows widening east and west roads, pushing up big snow banks.

Meadow larks and robins in Kansas.  Saw a robin in Lincoln too.  Ate dinner in Junction City, Ks $1.78.

Lots of oil wells around Newton and Wichita.  Cabin at Wichita $2.50.  Had a fireplace so we made tomato soup, toast, also had cookies, doughnuts and pineapple slice and milk.

January 8, 1947

Wednesday Left Wichita at 7:15  Streets in Wellington slippery — slid into back bumper of a guy ahead of us on the stop street locked bumpers and bent over grill a bit.  Dinner at El Reno $1.50.  Tube repair at El Reno $1.25.  Stopped at Cement, Okla. to watch oil well pump oil, right on the street in town.  Oil wells by the hundreds around  here some of these pumping continually, day and night.  This oil well gives 30 barrels of oil per day.  Pumps both oil and water so has to be treated.  3700 ft deep — 2 inch casing inside where oil comes out of.  A bigger casing outside where 115 lbs. of pressure of natural gas comes up.  This natural gas is used for power lights and heat, but not piped out of the burg.  Roy and Dwane wasted (?) 35 minutes here.  It is now 4:15 P.M.  Lots of cedars in Kansas and Okla.  Scrub oaks in Okla.  Lots of very red soil.  Wheat fields and more wheat fields.  Some cotton occasionally.  Saw a herd of  antelope in Ft. Sill Military Reservation.

Stayed in a cabin at Wichita Falls, Texas Wednesday night $3.00  Cooked supper and breakfast on a small oil heater.

1945 Aug. Nov.

Who remembers playing this at Grandmas?? with the ration tokens

8 / 10 / 45

Fri. eve

1830

Dear Selma: 

I finally got around to writing you after so long a time.  Guess it is better late tan never tho.

I am sorry the report got out that I was wounded as it was a mistake I am glad to say.  I was in the hospital on Opinawa with a strained back and in sending in a report they put my name in as a B.C. (battle casualty) by mistake.  I guess Helen was quite worried but those kind of mistakes are made occasionally.

I sure would like to have some of those strawberries you put in the freezer locker.  Maybe I will be home by next strawberry time I hope.  I guess those freezer lockers are just the thing.

Well since writing you last I have gotten away from the Japs.  I am glad of it because I was getting tired looking at them.  I don’t suppose I will ever get used to the water as I got seasick as usual.  It was worse this time than usual because we had some very rough water.

One nice thing about Opinawa was the fact that the climate was pretty nice.  It was hot here.  The nites are cool however so that helps a lot.

I am now on my 13th month overseas as I boarded ship for Guadalcanal a year ago last Wed.  In some ways it seems a short time and in others a long time.  It will soon be a year since Mom passed away too.

Must close for now.

Love

George

George O. Holm Phm3/e

Co. D. 6th Med Bn.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

11 / 3 / 45

Sat. Nite

Dear Selma:

Well I’m not much closer home but guess I am closer to getting out.  The hospitals in the middle west were full so apparently so here I am in Portsmouth Va. I was rather disappointed but I am a lot closer home than I was a few weeks ago.

I got here a week ago tonite and had a very nice trip as we had first class pullmans.  Best trip I’ve had in the service and I’ve done a lot of traveling.

They really give you a going over here and I have been busy since I got here going from place to place to be examined for this and that.  They have put me on a diet as I only weighed 128 when I left Guam.  I have gained about 5 lbs. since getting back.

I don’t know how long I will be here but it will be at least a month.  It all depends on whether I get a survey or get out on points.

Guess I’d better quit as I don’t have much to write about right now.  Try to write more next time.

Love

George

This ends the WW2 letters which have been donated to the Siouxlnad Heritage Museum / Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls, S.D.

1944 Dec - 1945 Feb

dated Dec. 16, 1944

DearCousins:

Will try to write you a few lines tonight to let you know I am getting along ok.

I should have written you quite some time ago but just didn’t seem to set my mind to it.

I received the Christmas package we were sitting around talking about fresh buttered popcorn how good it would taste so that popcorn sure hit the spot even if it wasn’t fresh buttered.

Thanks very much for the other things too.  It has been quite a while since I have heard from Mother but suppose she is quite busy.

I hear from Lenore quite regularly though she still lives in Kansas City.

We haven’t had much news as yet but suppose it won’t be long until we run into some.

Sometimes we live in a building so it isn’t too bad that is if there are buildings around that are standing up.

We also have a show occasionally and every once in a while the Red Cross comes around with doughnuts.

Well will close for this time. 

Your Loving Cousin,

Ernest

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Somewhere in India

Feb.6, 1945

Dear Geneva,

It seems I have put off writing to you for so long now that I am almost ashame to write, but we’ll see what i get down on paper the next few minutes.

i has been very cold over here at nites, now don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t freeze or even get close to it, but when you walk outside in the day it is very hot and then when nite comes and the sun goes down there is a very big change, so during the winter a field jacket feels very good, even some nites I thro my over coat over my bunk to keep warm.  I never get this cold back home, I guess its because our blood is so thin.

Some time ago one of my Indian boys got married and invited three of us to the Banquet, every thing is so much different from anything I have ever seen, but very interesting.  I’ll try to give you an idea shat its like.  The young man’s father, or elder brother if father is deceased, picks a bride for him securing permission from the girl’s father for the marriage.  In an ideal union the boy should be four years older than the girl.  The girl’s father starts the proceedings by giving the boy a gift, the other parent in turn presenting on the the girl.  The wedding date is then set by a Brahmin priest, both parents at that time inviting friends and relatives to the affair, the girls father opening his house for the event.  On the wedding day, boy and girl sit side by side while the priest chants sanskist incantations.  After four hours of this the groom officially see his brides face for the first time and they exchange vows, the boy excepting seven of them, the girl three.  The vows are similar to ours except that the girl has to have her husband’s permission in all she does.

Divorce is out of the question.  The boy finishes the ceremony by rubbing vermillion into the part in the girl’s hair.  Bride and groom receive wedding gifts from the parents, then following a banquet for the guests, the boy takes the bride to live with hime at his fathers house.

We took a few pictures of this, and they turned out quite well.  The banquet was something very different also.  We entered a long narrow room and all sat down on the floor on a mat about 15 inches square. A part of a long leaf was used for a dish and we used out hands, as they do not have silverware.  There were about ten different coarses, and took about an hr. and a half —- a long time to sit like that —- and then to eat rice with a sauce was rather messy, some  with the rest of the food.  It all was hot with spices.

No women were allowed to be in the room, the wife never eats with her husband, that in certain casts.  There is a lot more one could tell about these weddings, but my mind isn’t working to well, maybe I’m just lazy.

Write a long letter to me if you can find the time —— I’m sorry for not answering before.

Just me

Earle

now Cpl. Earle V. Larson

attached  47th Depot Supply Sq.