Archives West Finding Aid
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Evelyn Webb Carpenter Diary, 1936 June 22-1936 July 26
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Carpenter, Evelyn Webb, 1907-1996
- Title
- Evelyn Webb Carpenter Diary
- Dates
- 1936 June 22-1936 July 261936062219360726
- Quantity
- 1 volume
- Collection Number
- Collection 2520, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Evelyn Webb Carpenter Diary relates Carpenter's journey from Lancaster, Vermont through Niagara Falls, Chicago, Mitchell, South Dakota, Rapid City, Buffalo, Wyoming, and Yellowstone National Park, southern Utah, Las Vegas, Nevada, Long Beach, California, Seattle, Montana, and Ontario in 1936. Included are impressions of the countryside, her critique of the various hotels they stayed at, some information on her fellow travelers, and financial notations on the trip expenses.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Evelyn Webb Carpenter, a Vermont native, was born on May 5, 1907. She attended Bates College in Lewistown, Maine and was a 1929 Phi Beta Kappa graduate with honors in Latin. She began her career as a Latin and French instructor at Thetford (Vt.) Academy, where she also was supervisor of girls' dormitories. She then taught in the high schools of Lancaster, Vermont and Hanover, New Hampshire. A homemaker, she was a 60-year resident of Springfield, N.H. She had been a member of the Altrurian Club and the Hospital Auxiliary. Predeceased by her husband, Paul Carpenter, she was the daughter of Iona Webb Kierstead, a housemother at Bates College during the 1940s. In the summer of 1936, Carpenter, along with her mother, Mrs. Angie Taylor, and Miss Ruth Whitney took an automobile trip from Vermont to California and back. Their route included stops at Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park, and Salt Lake City. Evelyn Webb Carpenter died on June 26, 1996.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Carpenter diary begins with the party's departure from Lancaster, Vermont on June 22, 1936. Their route west took them to Niagara Falls, Chicago, and Mitchell, South Dakota where they paused for car repairs. The women then pushed on to Rapid City, Buffalo, Wyoming, and Yellowstone National Park, where they stayed at Old Faithful. The trip finished with a lengthy route through southern Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada before their arrival in Long Beach, California. The return trip took them to Seattle, across Montana, and then through Ontario before they arrived back in Vermont in late July. Carpenter's entry on Yellowstone is brief, and mentions seeing the Grand Canyon, the geysers, and bears on the road. Other information recorded are her impressions of the countryside, her critique of the various hotels they stayed at, and some information on her fellow travelers. The diary also includes financial notations on the trip expenses from June 22 to June 28.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Automobile travel-United States
- Tourists-United States-Diaries
- Women travelers-United States-Diaries
Personal Names
- Kierstead, Iona Webb, 1886-1981
Geographical Names
- Buffalo (Wyo.)
- Chicago (Ill.)
- Las Vegas (Nev.)
- Long Beach (Calif.)
- Mitchell (S.D.)
- Montana-Description and travel
- Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.)-Description and travel
- Old Faithful Geyser (Wyo.)
- Ontario-Description and travel
- Rapid City (S.D.)
- Salt Lake City (Utah)
- Seattle (Wash.)
- United States-Description and travel
- Utah-Description and travel
- Yellowstone National Park
Form or Genre Terms
- Diaries
Kim Allen Scott, 2009
October 9, 2019
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
