Theme: Epic Road Trip | Images: Click on many to enlarge
MAP OF THE CLARK FAMILY ROAD TRIP ACROSS CANADA AND THE USA
JULY 1953 - EAST TO WEST LOCATIONS
PEI: Linkletter PEI; NEW BRUNSWICK: Chatham, Bathurst, Dalhousie, Campbellton; QUEBEC: Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec, Montreal;
ONTARIO: Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Toronto; MICHIGAN: Port Huron, Flint, Bay City, Straits of Mackinac;
MINNESOTA: Aitkin, Detroit Lakes; NORTH DAKOTA: Bismarck; MONTANA: Billings, Bozeman;
WASHINGTON: Spokane, Moses Lake, Seattle, Winslow, Lofall, Port Angeles; BC: Victoria, Langford, Duncan.
Harriet C and Charles B CLARK, PEI Canada Canada is a BIG country; from coast to coast it extends a maximum of 9,306 km (5,780 miles) and contains six time zones. As you head east from the Atlantic you encounter the four maritime provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick), followed by Quebec and Ontario. The three prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, are bordered on the west by the majestic Rocky Mountains, gateway to British Columbia, the western-most Canadian province. Of the many islands off its Pacific coast, by far the largest is Vancouver Island, greater in size than the whole province of PEI. Surprisingly the large city of Vancouver is not on this island but on the adjacent mainland. The smaller provincial capital of Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
It’s a long way to drive across Canada or the northern states in the USA, but that is what my mother’s sister Harriet Compton (ANDREW) CLARK did in 1953 with her husband Charlie CLARK and 3 children. How fortunate we are that she kept a diary of their journey that started in Linkletter PEI (near Summerside and St Eleanors), and ended in Duncan BC on Vancouver Island less than 50 miles northwest of Victoria. That’s a distance of over 9,000 km, with about two-thirds of their road trip routed south of the border - the logical route after stopping in Toronto. Harriet's travel journal is filled with amazing details of their cross continent trip, focusing on their timeline, distances traveled, weather, key place names (particular where they had meals and stopped each evening), the scenery (usually if it was monotonous), car trouble, and trip expenses. I’ll share some of the highlights here.
It’s a long way to drive across Canada or the northern states in the USA, but that is what my mother’s sister Harriet Compton (ANDREW) CLARK did in 1953 with her husband Charlie CLARK and 3 children. How fortunate we are that she kept a diary of their journey that started in Linkletter PEI (near Summerside and St Eleanors), and ended in Duncan BC on Vancouver Island less than 50 miles northwest of Victoria. That’s a distance of over 9,000 km, with about two-thirds of their road trip routed south of the border - the logical route after stopping in Toronto. Harriet's travel journal is filled with amazing details of their cross continent trip, focusing on their timeline, distances traveled, weather, key place names (particular where they had meals and stopped each evening), the scenery (usually if it was monotonous), car trouble, and trip expenses. I’ll share some of the highlights here.
Harriet and oldest son Arnold CLARK, 1945, PEI Harriet was the last of her immediate ANDREW family to leave PEI. Her parent and six siblings had already headed west after the war, and for the most part settled in the Duncan BC area, although some ended up in Ontario. Harriet and Charlie (who had married on 25 Sep 1942 in St Eleanors PEI) had no immediate plans to follow them, but in early 1953 Harriet was hospitalized with double pneumonia and pleurisy. She blamed her illness on their “big old cold house" that had belonged to her RICHARDSON grandparents, who both died in 1951. Although renovations had updated the house with electricity and improved oil heating, it wasn’t enough to make the house comfortable during the hard winter months. So in February 1953, Charlie insisted they move to BC where the winters were much warmer and where there was family to welcome them. So the planning began.
As Charlie was a mechanic, tinkerer extraordinaire, and lover of all things on wheels, of course they had to drive the distance, although Harriet thought longingly of the train. In his “spare” time between two jobs, Charlie organized their “covered wagon”, a 1948 International Metro 3/4 ton cab over engine van, retrofitted with bunk beds made from BC fir plywood, and stuffed with their belongings and supplies for the trip. Harriet, while still recovering from her illness and dealing with their three young children, had the daunting tasks of selling off most of their possessions in preparation for leaving. They were so exhausted they couldn’t even enjoy the farewell parties.
They planned their route and schedule with great care. The trip was to last 19 days with a 10 night break in Toronto to visit Harriet’s oldest brother George ANDREW and family plus her youngest brother who was there apprenticing for an auto mechanic. From the above map you can see that the eastern leg of their route remained in Canada until after they left Toronto, and then crossed the border into Michigan at the south end of Lake Huron Lake. They then headed north to the head of Lake Michigan Lake, crossing the Straight of Mackinac by ferry. Remaining in the United States, they drove west all the way to Seattle on the Pacific coast. And finally they headed north to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula where they caught a ferry to southern Vancouver Island.
As Charlie was a mechanic, tinkerer extraordinaire, and lover of all things on wheels, of course they had to drive the distance, although Harriet thought longingly of the train. In his “spare” time between two jobs, Charlie organized their “covered wagon”, a 1948 International Metro 3/4 ton cab over engine van, retrofitted with bunk beds made from BC fir plywood, and stuffed with their belongings and supplies for the trip. Harriet, while still recovering from her illness and dealing with their three young children, had the daunting tasks of selling off most of their possessions in preparation for leaving. They were so exhausted they couldn’t even enjoy the farewell parties.
They planned their route and schedule with great care. The trip was to last 19 days with a 10 night break in Toronto to visit Harriet’s oldest brother George ANDREW and family plus her youngest brother who was there apprenticing for an auto mechanic. From the above map you can see that the eastern leg of their route remained in Canada until after they left Toronto, and then crossed the border into Michigan at the south end of Lake Huron Lake. They then headed north to the head of Lake Michigan Lake, crossing the Straight of Mackinac by ferry. Remaining in the United States, they drove west all the way to Seattle on the Pacific coast. And finally they headed north to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula where they caught a ferry to southern Vancouver Island.
Harriet CLARK visiting with her brother George ANDREW's familyat 56 MacPherson Avenue, Toronto in July 1953
The trip was scheduled to start on Thursday 2 July 1953, and that day arrived all to quickly. It was 5am when Charlie, Harriet and their three children left from Charlie’s parents place on Linkletter Road (near Summerside PEI). They took the ferry over to New Brunswick and ended up for the night near Campbelltown NB with only an overheating radiator causing them trouble. But it was also emotionally draining to realize they had just left their homeland behind. Their feelings must have see-sawed between excitement, worry, doubt, sadness and expectation. Harriet was probably too tired to explain these mixed emotions because all she wrote was: “Slept very well ‘considering everything’. Kids good.”
When on the road they drove hard, often getting up before dawn to cover the necessary miles. Sometimes they continued driving into the evening after putting the kids to bed in back. On Sunday July 5 they were delayed by a flat tire, and after getting it repaired in Cornwall Ontario (a new tube and patch cost them $9.50), they drove 375 miles before arriving in Toronto at 11:30pm.
During their stay with relatives in Toronto (from 11:30 pm Sunday July 5 to 6am Wednesday July 15), they were convinced that their van was no longer a suitable vehicle. I think the concern was that it was too heavy a vehicle and wouldn’t make it over the Rockies. No doubt there were mechanical reasons as well. Harriet doesn’t mention why, just that they decided to trade their van in on a brand new but very small car …
When on the road they drove hard, often getting up before dawn to cover the necessary miles. Sometimes they continued driving into the evening after putting the kids to bed in back. On Sunday July 5 they were delayed by a flat tire, and after getting it repaired in Cornwall Ontario (a new tube and patch cost them $9.50), they drove 375 miles before arriving in Toronto at 11:30pm.
During their stay with relatives in Toronto (from 11:30 pm Sunday July 5 to 6am Wednesday July 15), they were convinced that their van was no longer a suitable vehicle. I think the concern was that it was too heavy a vehicle and wouldn’t make it over the Rockies. No doubt there were mechanical reasons as well. Harriet doesn’t mention why, just that they decided to trade their van in on a brand new but very small car …
We decided we would have to change out transportation - sell the Van and get something else, to see us to the west coast. The only deal we could make to get a few dollars out of the Van was to trade it in on a 1953 “Volkswagon Beetle” Car “Brand New” “out of the box so to speak”. Charlie was fed coffee & doughnuts while our “BUG” was assembled, painted, and upholstered from scratch !!!! But to make this drastic change it meant undoing all the interior of the Van, the bunks and all clothing, bedding Dishes, etc. we bought large steamer trunks and packed & repacked [and then shipped west], left the plywood & sponge rubber, fragile dishes with George & June and started out for the second leg of our journey west. … Our little V.W. Beetle was a funny looking sight, we had a roof carrier loaded on top with a lot of stuff, so the wheels looked a bit pigeon–toed.
Can you imagine traveling all that way with five people crammed into a VW bug? But in Harriet’s words: “Car really good even if it was slightly crowded.” Their new car drew a lot of attention and when they arrived in BC they learned that theirs with the very first of its kind in BC. One of my favorite stories in Harriet's trip diary involves this car:
[On Friday July 17] After lunch on the road again it was about 1.30pm. we were traveling at around 100 mph when suddenly there was a loud BANG and our windshield literally crumbled in on us like very course salt, glass was everywhere it gave us all an awful scare!!!!!
Charlie cleaned out the glass & I quieted the kids, we had scratches on our arms, Charlie and I had sun glasses that clipped on over our glasses and there was tiny chips of glass imbedded in them, it was the shock more than anything. As the kids were sleeping – it was a rude awakening, Cleaned up and on the road again we drove slower till we reached a little town called Atkin Minnesota, about 10 miles of driving without a windshield, we found a glass cutting & (Body) and auto wrecker’s, run by a man by the name of “Wright” he cut us a windshield out of a 36 Chev. one ton truck windshield, just a bit of trimming to make it fit, an hour an a half later we were on the road again. Suddenly it pores rain and thunder what a relief from the extreme Heat!!
Harriet CLARK and her three children on their epic and exhausting (yawn!) road trip across America in 1953.
Yet they still managed to drive 421 miles that day! Their expenses were $19.00 (installed windshield), $10.00 (cottage for the night), and $2.80 (groceries for supper). The day before they had filled up with gas at a cost of $3.30. Prices sure aren’t what they used to be!
Their trip across the central States was uneventful, with "very tiresome scenery, desert & Hills ". On Monday July 20 they got up at 5:15am and were on the road by 6:30 am to drive through the Rocky Mountains. Their VW handled the terrain well: "VW very good passed lots of boiling radiators, struck about 12 miles of road construction, dusty gravel slowed us down considerably, but we reached “Spokane” Washington State at roughly 6pm.”
I think their longest and most grueling day must have been their last of the trip - Tuesday July 21. They were up at 3:30 am, leaving Spokane and arriving in Seattle by noon. and took a ferry to Winslow by 2 pm, ended up in Port Angeles at 4:20 pm. The CPR ferry Princess Elizabeth to Victoria was delayed until well after 8:30 pm due to high winds and rough seas. Harriet and son Arnold both got sick on the voyage. Harriet notes that the German officers on board and the Customs Officials were quite interested in their German “Folksvagon”.
Once on shore in Victoria they drove as far as Langford before being intercepted by their welcoming committee. Harriet’s mother Nell ANDREW and her sister (with husband Vern JONES and two young sons) had driven down from Duncan to escort them to their new home. What a welcome reunion that must have been! But the winding, narrow and scary Malahat drive was still ahead of them, which they drove at 50 mph most of the way. They finally arrived in Duncan at 1:30 am July 22, “totally bushed” but only a few hours behind schedule.
Their trip across the central States was uneventful, with "very tiresome scenery, desert & Hills ". On Monday July 20 they got up at 5:15am and were on the road by 6:30 am to drive through the Rocky Mountains. Their VW handled the terrain well: "VW very good passed lots of boiling radiators, struck about 12 miles of road construction, dusty gravel slowed us down considerably, but we reached “Spokane” Washington State at roughly 6pm.”
I think their longest and most grueling day must have been their last of the trip - Tuesday July 21. They were up at 3:30 am, leaving Spokane and arriving in Seattle by noon. and took a ferry to Winslow by 2 pm, ended up in Port Angeles at 4:20 pm. The CPR ferry Princess Elizabeth to Victoria was delayed until well after 8:30 pm due to high winds and rough seas. Harriet and son Arnold both got sick on the voyage. Harriet notes that the German officers on board and the Customs Officials were quite interested in their German “Folksvagon”.
Once on shore in Victoria they drove as far as Langford before being intercepted by their welcoming committee. Harriet’s mother Nell ANDREW and her sister (with husband Vern JONES and two young sons) had driven down from Duncan to escort them to their new home. What a welcome reunion that must have been! But the winding, narrow and scary Malahat drive was still ahead of them, which they drove at 50 mph most of the way. They finally arrived in Duncan at 1:30 am July 22, “totally bushed” but only a few hours behind schedule.
With their journey now over, they spent several weeks living with her parents in Duncan, but conditions were very cramped in the two bedroom house. Charlie, always extremely resourceful, quickly got a job at a GM car dealership, and through a customer quickly bought a small but comfortable house on nearby Alderlea Street for $50 down and $50 per month at 4%. Just like that! Very pleased with their good fortune, they wasted little time getting ready to move in, buying all their "new" second hand furniture locally. So they settled in, happy to be in their very own home on this Pacific side of Canada.
A final but very important note about their marathon trip is that Harriet was already expecting their fourth child at the time. So you could say the baby-to-be also came along for the ride! Charlie quickly had to make renovations to their new house to accommodate a nursery for their new daughter, born in February 1954. Their youngest son wasn't born until 1960. It wasn't long before they needed a bigger house!
Harriet’s handwritten trip diary was later transcribed by Charlie, who added the following note at the end:
“This is the Diary that Harriet did on our way from PEI to BC I have finally got it in the computer 52 years and 10 houses later.”
A final but very important note about their marathon trip is that Harriet was already expecting their fourth child at the time. So you could say the baby-to-be also came along for the ride! Charlie quickly had to make renovations to their new house to accommodate a nursery for their new daughter, born in February 1954. Their youngest son wasn't born until 1960. It wasn't long before they needed a bigger house!
Harriet’s handwritten trip diary was later transcribed by Charlie, who added the following note at the end:
“This is the Diary that Harriet did on our way from PEI to BC I have finally got it in the computer 52 years and 10 houses later.”
Harriet Compton (ANDREW) CLARK, 1922-2009 It should be evident by now that Harriet and Charlie CLARK were both very personable, outgoing and enterprising people who didn’t shy away from trying new experiences. Not only did they continue to move their home frequently (always in Duncan or the surrounding area), but Charlie owned about 96 vehicles (give or take) during his lifetime. He also had uncounted computers starting in the 1980s as soon as they were available. The Clarks hosted the Andrew family reunion in 1959 and Charlie took the photos. Of course he had a camera, and for quite some time he even developed his own film.
Harriet Compton (ANDREW) CLARK, the middle of seven children born to Harry Charles ANDREW and Eleanor Louise “Nell” (RICHARDSON) ANDREW, was born 17 May 1922 on their family farm in North St Eleanors, PEI, Canada. She described herself as “the brazen one”, I think in comparison to her siblings. A petite woman with a positive outlook and a wonderful whit, she was also energetic, very organized and didn’t suffer dust or clutter gladly. She was a a great cook and could bake up a storm anytime. I was always happy to get some of her cookies at Christmas, and the church bazaars always benefited from her skills and generosity as well. Harriet later worked side by side with Charlie in their family locksmith business. As a child I always enjoyed visiting the Clarks and playing with their two daughters. Their two older sons acted as our babysitters for a time. And as adults we kept in contact, and always enjoyed our visits.
Harriet Compton (ANDREW) CLARK, the middle of seven children born to Harry Charles ANDREW and Eleanor Louise “Nell” (RICHARDSON) ANDREW, was born 17 May 1922 on their family farm in North St Eleanors, PEI, Canada. She described herself as “the brazen one”, I think in comparison to her siblings. A petite woman with a positive outlook and a wonderful whit, she was also energetic, very organized and didn’t suffer dust or clutter gladly. She was a a great cook and could bake up a storm anytime. I was always happy to get some of her cookies at Christmas, and the church bazaars always benefited from her skills and generosity as well. Harriet later worked side by side with Charlie in their family locksmith business. As a child I always enjoyed visiting the Clarks and playing with their two daughters. Their two older sons acted as our babysitters for a time. And as adults we kept in contact, and always enjoyed our visits.
Harriet and Charlie CLARK's burial at St Marys Anglican Cemetery, North Cowichan (Duncan) BC on 20 Apr 2015
Charlie and Harriet CLARK were active members of the Anglican Church, first at St Johns and then St Peters, but they chose to be buried in St Mary’s Church cemetery on Somenos Road. Harriet died first from recurring cancer on 2 Jun 2009, age 87. They had been married almost 67 years and had such a strong love for one another that Charlie was devastated. Charlie CLARK died five and a half years later on 11 Jan 2015 at the age of 94. I attended their memorial tea on 19 Apr 2015 at St Peter’s Church Hall in Duncan, where both their ashes were on display, encased in beautiful wooden marquetry boxes hand crafted by their older daughter. The following day, on what would have been Charlie’s 95th birthday, they were buried together beside their eldest son Arnold CLARK and Harriet’s parents Harry and Nell ANDREW. All much loved and not forgotten.
I am selfishly grateful that Harriet and Charlie CLARK decided to drive from coast to coast back in 1953 to start a new life in the town where I grew up, swapping one island life for another. If they hadn’t, I probably would not have gotten to know and appreciate my darling Aunt Harriet and her wonderful family.
I am selfishly grateful that Harriet and Charlie CLARK decided to drive from coast to coast back in 1953 to start a new life in the town where I grew up, swapping one island life for another. If they hadn’t, I probably would not have gotten to know and appreciate my darling Aunt Harriet and her wonderful family.
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