by Harry
These are my memories of our family trip to Chicago at age 9. John, Jim and Joan were also on this trip so they might remember or correct my memories if their memories are different. We were eight: Dad, Frieda, John, Ralph, Jim, Joan, Larry, and myself. We left Canton in a 1940 Ford. Of course the Ford had no seat belts or air conditioning. Larry and I sat on milk stools on the floor board in the back seat.
Our first tour stop was in Kansas City at the Ford plant. I can’t remember what we did until we got to Springfield, Illinois and visited all of the Lincoln sites and the State Capitol. We left Springfield for Chicago and it seemed like forever until we got to Walt and Della’s. If I remember correctly, it was an apartment. Somehow, they were able to accommodate all of us. In Chicago, I remember the Planetarium, Natural Museum of History, Soldier’s Field, and going swimming in Lake Michigan. We had a great time in the big city.
Our next stop was Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. I was a huge Cardinal fan and wanted to see Stan the Man Musial. The Cardinals weren’t in town, but the American League St. Louis Browns were. We saw the St. Louis Browns, now the Baltimore Orioles, and the Washington Senators, now the Minnesota Twins, play. That was a real treat. The next stop was the Merrimac Caverns. I had never seen anything like it. I also remember our guide telling us it was a hideout for the James brothers.
The last thing I remember was the long ride home overnight with John driving most of the way home. According to John, the reason we drove all night is because Dad ran out of money for lodging. John, thank you for getting us home safe.
See also: One fine summer day in 1945….