In 1930, Louise traveled to the extreme north of Finland in anticipation of her 1931 expedition to Greenland and took a cross-country ski trip to the Russian border area known as Petsamo which was ceded to the Russians after World War II. It was there that she met refugees walking across the border of Finland in order to escape the harsh conditions and repressive regime of Stalinist Russia.
1930 Finland Diary – Sep. 21, 1930 -“Russian refugees met on the trail…only
a few kilometers from Moskova, extreme NE Finland about 30km from frontier of
Russia...packs on there (sic) back, feet wrapped in socks because their shoes were wore out, long coats, Three with fur boots, they had come eleven days with food, bread and some fat that they carried, fish they caught & berries in the woods....A minister, his wife & 2 children, a businessman & his 2 children, all in their teens....nice upper class people. "
On Sep. 12, 1941 Louise received the letter below from Col. Giles of the U.S.
Air Corps thanking her for her photographic and cartographic contributions to a
Greenland air base. Her Arctic expeditions in 1937 and 1938 provided the War Department with invaluable images and information in support of the Atlantic Naval and Air Campaigns.
Louise Boyd was honored in 1934 by being selected as the U.S. representative to the International Geographical Congress in Warsaw, Poland. Always the intrepid traveler and observer, Louise set out on a 3 month journey across the Polish countryside, after the Congress, photographing and recording the customs, dress, economy and culture of the many ethnic Poles and Russians in the newly formed nation. The journey, by car, rail, boat and on foot took her through regions that are now part of the Ukraine and Belarus today. Her travel narrative was supplemented with over 500 photographs and published by the American Geographical Society in 1937 as Polish Countrysides. Sept. 11, 1934 Poland Journal Entry
Czestochowa…market in square, 13 covered wagons with cross
being carried in front…barefoot women walking, men with high boots, all wagons
half covered, half open. The covered part is decorated with artificial flowers
and garlands.
Louise Boyd, ever the intrepid traveler, took the train back to Buffalo, New York in the summer of 1919 to make a cross-country motor tour at a time when most of the roads outside of cities were dirt or gravel. She brought along her chauffeur and purchased a new Pierce-Arrow Limousine just like that of President Wilson (Louise was never going to travel in anything but first-class conveyances!). Her diary of that trip describes the roads, the towns, the landscape, her interactions with others, and what she ate and where she stayed. Still relatively young, 31 years old, her journaling is that of an experienced traveler who has yet to find her true calling, but the curious, hardy, humorous woman comes alive in the pages of her journal. I don't know if she was the first woman to drive across the United States, but she was surely one of the first! US Motor Trip 1919 – Aug. 4-6
Left Fallon, Nevada 9:45AM. It reminded me of Egypt with its
alfalfa and irrigating canals. Mud flats and quick sand getting into Fallon,
lost lights. Off the road you were a goner! You had to crawl and stay in ruts,
no passing for miles. Reached the Brighthuas at Lake Tahoe at 6:30PM. Left the
Brighthuas at 11AM, lunched by road below Strawberry. Reached Placerville 4PM
and Sacramento 6:10. Tried for boat but no accommodations. Arrived 10PM in
Stockton. Left Stockton at 10AM, took the Creek Route boat to Oakland, 71 miles
from Stockton. Lincoln Highway signs we had followed all the way from Salt Lake
/city to the Oakland Ferry, Reached San Francisco by 1:20PM.Took 2:30 Sausalito
Ferry auto boat and reached San Rafael at 4:05. Total of 3, 365 miles from
Hotel Savoy, Buffalo, N.Y. to Maple Lawn, San Rafael, 21 actual running days
not including stay-overs in cities and the Park. A grand and most interesting
Trip! Am very glad to be home. Mother looks terribly ill although she and her
nurse came down to greet us. But, am very sad and fear the approaching claim of
those she loves in the great beyond!
Louisa's mother, Louise Arner Cook would die less than 2 months after this was written at the Adler Sanitarium in San Francisco.
Letter from Lt. Col. Poole of the U.S. Military Intelligence
Office asking her for her “expert services” as a consultant. Louise worked for the War Department for a nominal $1/year providing the U.S. government with maps, photographs, and expertise in the Arctic areas she had explored in the 1930's. A year earlier, at the request of the government she also 'secretly' planned and paid for an expedition to Arctic areas of Baffin Bay to study the effects of polar magnetic fields on radio communications for the National Bureau of Standards. She paid $10,000 from her own bank account to charter the ship, Effie M. Morrissey and its Captain, Robert Bartlett and crew.
Louise Boyd, ever the intrepid traveler, took the train back to Buffalo, New York in the summer of 1919 to make a cross-country motor tour at a time when most of the roads outside of cities were dirt or gravel. She brought along her chauffeur and purchased a new Pierce-Arrow Limousine just like that of President Wilson (Louise was never going to travel in anything but first-class conveyances!). Her diary of that trip describes the roads, the towns, the landscape, her interactions with others, and what she ate and where she stayed. Still relatively young, 31 years old, her journaling is that of an experienced traveler who has yet to find her true calling, but the curious, hardy, humorous woman comes alive in the pages of her journal. I don't know if she was the first woman to drive across the United States, but she was surely one of the first!
US Motor Tour 1919 – July 2
Dixie Highway between Bowling Green and Rudolph excellent,
but only had a few miles of it. Found map ‘poor’ and hard to follow! Saw only
white horses through here! Ate Dinner at Defiance, Ohio….rooms looked fair but
food (75 cents) was awful!. Steak could not be chewed and “Wilted Lettuce
Salad”, truly was! Man said, “Is you folks from Frisco? and I said, “Yes, we
folks is a long ways from home!
US Motor Tour 1919 - July 10
Reached Marshfield at 5PM, decided to stay, and then changed
our minds. Bought food and headed for Eau Claire. Had dinner by beautiful river
at 7:30. Arrived Eau Claire about 11PM went to Galloway Hotel, full, not a hole
or corner. Telephoned within a radius of 25 miles, all full, Carnival at Eau Claire.
Ate midnight meal in cafeteria and left at 2:30AM. I took the wheel and drove
all night till 7AM. Much of road under construction! Moon went down at 3:20AM
after beautiful display with clouds!
Along with her eight Arctic expeditions and numerous international tours, Louise took many cross-country tours in her chauffeured touring car starting in 1919! Always a diligent observer, Louise kept diaries and journals from all her trips. The following entry is from a stop in Iowa during the "Great Depression" where she and her chauffeur, Cameron, received some unvarnished 'Hawkeye" sentiment!
1935 US Motor Tour – June 19, 1935
Iowa Sunny and clear! Cold. Windshield wiper fixed. Garage man told Cameron all
for Pres. Roosevelt here! If Hoover or a ‘Yellow Dog’, they’d vote for the dog!
Under Hoover they got 7 cents for wheat and Roosevelt 52 cents and as high as 70
cents. To grow and harvest cost 42 cents so nowhave a good profit!
On board the expedition vessel, Veslekari, Louise writes home to her secretary, Mrs. Roche, about her recent undersea discovery. Using early echo-sounding technology, Louise and her crew discover a previously unknown undersea mountain range NE of Jan Mayen Islands between the Norwegian and Barents Seas. The letter, written in a palpably excited tone, describes Louise's plan to immediately contact the American Geographical Society (her sponsoring scientific organization) and the press in Tromso, Norway to the discovery as she fears the crew members will not remain silent for long. This discovery along with her many other expedition accomplishments would result in the mountain range being officially named the Louise A. Boyd Bank and her being honored by the American Geographical Society as the 1938 recipient of the Society's prestigious Collum Medal. The hand-written letter (seen below) is in the Marin History Museum's Louise Arner Boyd collection.
The History of Earth Day in America began on April 22, 1970. With an estimated 20 million Americans involved, an environmental resurgence began. The passage of the Clean Air Act in ( December, 1970) signed by Nixon was designed to control air pollution by enforcing regulations that protect people from air pollutants such as acid rain and gasoline emissions. The Clean Water Act of (1972 ) (interestingly enough, vetoed by Nixon, to be overridden by the Senate) provides for the removal of toxic substances in the water and to ensure that public recreational spots are free of contaminates in the water. The Endangered Species Act of (1973) signed by Nixon, to protect endangered species from extinction due to development projects that reduced their habitat. All of these acts were enforced by the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, a federally run agency that uses recent scientific information to enforce environmental measures to make sure that citizens throughout America are protected against pollution. They also make sure businesses are adhering to policies inhibiting pollution in order to ensure a healthy society. They also protect species that were previously threatened by unfair business practices.
This awareness has continued to promote better living practices in American and world wide. With global warming and the resulting climate change humanity's existence is at stake. Every year everyone comes together on Earth Day to celebrate how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful world and that only through preservation of our planet will it last.
Here is the official Earth Day website that will give you plenty of activities and community outreach opportunities to spread awareness to the human impact on our environment. http://www.earthday.org/2013/about.html
This week’s Did YOU Know? series is about the celebrated May
Day festivals occurring all around the world starting on the 1st of
May.
Part1: The History of May Day
Through my research into the
history of this festival; I have traced our practice of May Day in Marin to the
Irish Celtic celebration of the summer solstice called Bealtaine. The Celtic
revival, a cultural reemergence of Irish history and religion, previously
suppressed by British influence, reinstituted this Celtic pagan celebration
based on the lunar cycles. This
astrological event marks the Sun’s progression from the spring equinox to the
summer solstice.
A have included a video of a woman
who describes the Bealtaine festival
in the ritual aspect of the celebration.
She talks about easy ways to access objects that can be used to express
your creative side. She also includes where
to go for workshops to get in touch with your spirit animals that represent
fertility and nature.
Kentfield’s May Day festival began in 1909. The Tamalpais Center was established that year as a gift from Mrs. A.E. Kent which included almost 30 acres of land. The event center was designed to create a place for educational and entertaining activities for everyone in Marin County. The May Day festival was considered the most celebrated event at the Center.
The school kids wore different colored ribbons to identify their schools in competitive events such as potato sack races and pole dancing. At the end of the celebration a Queen of May was crowned, an honor every woman aspired to receive.
Sack and Pole Dancing in 1909, courtesy of UC Libraries
As I was looking through the Marin History’s collections I found one of the flags that was presented at the festival from 1913, exactly 100 years ago.
May Day is such an interesting event and how it evolves either in a traditional manner or new age context the festival will live on as a moment to embrace the blessings that spring brings!
In Part 3 I will talk about how we celebrate it in Marin in 2013!
The closest example of May Day celebrations in the Bay Area, despite countless hikes and workshops in Marin, is this event at Berkely's botanical garden on May 5th from 2:30-3:00. Morris Dancers will preform a routine that is similar to dances practiced in May Day celebrations. The event is free with admission, adult is $10,
to the botanical garden. For more information visit:
Recently I was forced to go through my
things at my parents’ house.I was
unsure what to keep and what to get rid of.I was able to convince my parents to keep storing big-ticket
items, like my old dollhouse and rocking chair, with a promise of grandchildren
in the future.Smaller toys,
however, had to go to my house or goodwill.I wanted to keep it all, but I also did not want my house to
look like a children’s playroom!The entire experience got me thinking about how to decorate and showcase
toys from my past in a sophisticated way.
This week’s Curate Your Life blog is dedicated to answering that very
question!
Barbies
Most of us played with Barbies, dolls, GI Joes, or some
other kind of action figure.My
sisters and I loved to play Barbies, and with three girls we managed to
accumulate lots of Barbies and accessories.When it came down to what to get rid of, I found myself
unable to discard certain Barbie clothes.They were the dresses my sisters and I fought over every time we played
Barbies, and were therefore what I remembered most.Here is how I displayed them in my home.
Framing clothes, or even the dolls themselves, in keepsake frames can be used to highlight all types of childhood toys!
LEGOS
LEGOs were a great toy for both girls and boys.My Dad hated playing Barbies, but we would play with LEGOs for hours.We played until our fingers hurt from pulling the pieces apart and putting them back together!
Here are some great ways to add color to your home and highlight your past love of LEGOs!
LEGO people make great wall art! Would this work with Polly Pockets? Image from http://cheezburger.com/7074794496
I never played with little toy cars, but I know they were popular. I am sure there are many men out there
that have little toy cars hidden around their parents’ home. If you have a collection of miniature
cars, maybe you can make an art piece for your wall. This is an image of David T. Walker’s installation entitled Car- Atlas Rainbow.This art piece, made of 1,500 toy cars, is installed on the floor, but something
similar could be done on a wall in your home! Toy Planters While doing my research for this blog, I came across the idea of using toys to make planters.You can use old tonka trucks or hollow plastic toys. I can't wait to spruce up my garden with these whimsical planters!
This is the second part of the Do YOU remember? series.
This newspaper clip is a political cartoon of John F.
Kennedy from the Marin IJ on April 28, 1961, eight days after the Bay of Pigs' invasion. It depicts Fidel Castro as a chicken
exclaiming, “I have licked the eagle” as a rhetorical response to the American eagle that is the U.S. national bird.
There is also a dead chick covered in blood resting next to a sign that
says, “Barely hatched revolt”. This is referring to how the Bay of Pigs' Invasion was not executed properly. When Kennedy did not approve one of the crucial air strikes, many historians claim he crippled the success of the invasion. The newspaper reporters at the time were weary of what was going to become of the Kennedy administration's decision to claim responsibility of the invasion but, leaving out significant details was what, I believe, warranted this caricature.
The third of the series on the Coastal Miwok Indians.
This is an example of a man who transformed his life by searching for his true identity. I believe that Marin residents can also become more active in their community through events by learning the story of this man, and how by finding his roots; he has become an active person in the community, bringing awareness to the environment and pursing a community-based lifestyle.
Greg Sarris is a living descendant and now modern-day chief and
spokesperson for the Miwok people. His long journey to finding his Miwok
roots and uncovering his true heritage were attributed to the falsification of
his real identity. His childhood was ideologically painful.
Assimilating into a suburban lifestyle as an adopted kid was hard enough but
the prejudice he received from his looks caused him to turn to harmful
ways. It took Sarris a near-death experience to wake up to his addiction
and move towards a better life for himself. He excelled in high school
and made his way through college obtaining a Ph.D. in English from Stanford
University. His quest to uncover his true identity came about in 1977
while attended Santa Rosa community college. His first informer was his
doctor, telling him the sad news about his accidental assistance in the death
of his biological mother. The heart-aching truth was consuming him yet
his journey did not end there. He made his way to his paternal
grandfather who enlightened him on his father and proclaimed Sarris as his
own. This pivotal moment in Sarris life story brought tears and joy to
his Miwok community who accepted him with open arms. This touching story
goes to show how European ways can shape natives positively through education
yet; community and identity are what need to be re-established in western
belief systems.
Here is a Youtube video of Greg Sarris himself in a lecture series talking about his family history. Some people have discredited his native background however; his story is fascinating and up to interpretation.
A quest to uncover the messages that these natives knew, a
stronger connection to our land, and the inter-connection they shared with
their neighbors; will help us, westerners, see how far we have drifted from
the nature we were once enveloped in. I believe that we need to be more self-sufficient,
community oriented and nature driven people in order to achieve a stronger continuity here in Marin County. Looking back at cultures, such as the Miwoks, who shared the same interests
and survived on the basis of collective-self, us westerners can model our lifestyles to be more in tune with these beliefs systems, thus creating a more community based society focused more on communal interests rather than individual interests. Marin county residents can achieve a higher level of happiness by helping out in the community through social events, charity work or clean-up crews. These are just a few ways that locals can join in their community which I hope will help bring about a stronger positive environment for everyone.
Here is a website called Marin.org which gives a list of events that are happening in Marin County which YOU could become involved in!
Schneider, Tsim D. 2007.
"Shellmounds and Colonial Encounters in the San Francisco Bay Area."
News From Native California 21, no. 2: 14-36.
Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 13, 2013).
Schindehette, Susan, and Danelle
Morton. "Native Son." People 50, no. 22 (December 14, 1998): 83.
Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 13, 2013).
Slaymaker, Charles. The
Material Culture of Cotomkota: A Coast Miwok Tribelet in Marin County,
California. San Rafael, CA: Miwok Archeological Preserve of Marin, 1977.
Lescohier, Ruth. The
Coast Miwok People. San Rafael, CA: Poco Presidio Press, 1979.
This is the second of a three part series on the native Coastal Miwok Indians.
Did YOU know?
This image was retrieved from the Bel Aire School in Tiburon. Their website highlights the culture of the Coastal Miwok. These are examples of beautiful baskets the Miwoks made for holding acorns, seeds and roots which women in the tribe would gather for communal meals. The water tight baskets were often made with tule reeds with quail head feathers on the rim and some contained abalone shells from decoration.
Archeologists continue to discover Miwok treasures in the San Francisco Bay Area which help to further our understanding of the peoples who preceded us. A team of graduate students from University of California, Berkeley found three shell mounds on their excavation expedition at China Camp State Park in 2008. Compared to over two hundred that Nels C. Nelson, a Berkeley alumni, discovered from his archaeological digs between 1906-1908. By retracing Nelson’s steps, the Berkeley graduates are continuously shaping a better picture of the culture and landscape that aided the Miwok’s sustainability and existence to this day.
It is also important to note that the students are in full disclosure of their excavation findings with the California Department of Parks and Recreation as well as with the descendents of the Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes represented by the Federated Indians of Graton Racheria. The continuity between the three is essential as preservation of the park is important and respecting the Miwoks by releasing artifacts that have ceremonial value. In 1992, a new Miwok chief was elected and his story shed light on how his Miwok past and European upbringing bridged the gap between western civilization and his native roots.
Do YOU remember? This is the first of a two part series on the Bay of Pigs' Invasion.
This is a newspaper clipping I found from the Marin IJ of a headline from
April 21st. I find this
article particularly fascinating considering the misinformation that was
reported by the Kennedy Administration at that time.
The Bay
of Pigs’ Invasion was a series of attacks on Cuba by CIA sponsored Ex-Cuban
exiles from April 15-20th 1961.
I included two clips from the Marin IJ’s Newspaper from April 15-28th
1961.
The Freedom of Information Act of
1998, which requires government documents to be declassified over 50 years,
allowed many historians to investigate further into the Bay of Pigs
fiasco. They were able to finally see
the CIA’s internal investigation on the invasion called, The Inspector General’s Survey of the Cuban Operation. By seeing the first-hand accounts of the
Marin IJ’s newspapers, I was shocked at what the government was not providing the
media with information for Kennedy said, “the facts would be revealed in due
time” (pg.1) The confusion of U.S.
involvement was circling and there were even protests by U.S. students. This event was a dramatic affair in the U.S.
which I feel was overshadowed by the escalated Cuban Missile Crisis.
Here at the Marin History Museum we care for and display
Marin’s collective history and treasures, but we know that history is more than
the collective story.Its value
also exists on a very personal and individual level.Most of us have collections or things we have kept that
remind us of our past.It is the
Marin History Museum’s job to highlight our shared history, but we also want to
rouse a passion in you to care for and highlight your own history.This blog, Curating your Life, is dedicated to that endeavor.We hope you will be inspired and share
how you display your story!
Most of us have a favorite book. It could be a children’s
picture book or a novel. Here are two ideas to
showcase pages from your most beloved books.
This scarf will remind you of your favorite book and provide you with reading material. I would want to get the pages Jane Eyre printed on a scarf because it was the first chapter book I sacrificed many nights of sleep to finish.
Below are letters with Dr. Suess illustrations. You can scan your favorite illustration and frame it in your house! For me, I would want to highlight my favorite childhood series Morris and Borris. I have fond memories of reading it with my mom until I was crying from laughter!
You can buy these prints from Amazon or make your own! Image from Amazon.com
Paper bags and card
catalogues
I have lots of collections, including gift shop bags.I have them from all of my travels, and
although not all gift shop bags are created equal there are some decorative
gems. I stored them with my pre-digital travel photographs, meaning they were
hidden away in the closet.A
Country Magazine article inspired me to display them.Now my best bags from around the world line my entryway.This idea can be applied to most paper
products, including brochures, tickets, greeting cards, and post cards.
This is a picture of a wall in the San Francisco Public library. The walls are covered with the old card catalogue.
Do you have a collection that could be used to cover a wall?
CD and Record Covers
Make a headboard out of record covers! Image from www.sfgate.com
Today music is bought and sold in an MP3 format.Rarely do we buy or listen to CDs or
records.So what do we do with all
those Backstreet Boys CD’s or Frank Sinatra Records?Here are some great ideas!
Continuing on her journey Louise and her driver encounter more severe weather conditions on entering California: Mud, snow, floods and sandstorms!
US Motor Tour - March 25, 1938 Route 99…Terrific storm and gale N.W. of Lancaster, much of road out on both
sides…5:52PM Terrific Gale, one miles s. of Gorman…Deep snow everywhere about!
Trucks off road every body running to it! Cameron says not to stop too many
people may block road and cause other accident
US Motor Tour - March 26, 1938
Modesto detour to Tracy! Road flooded west of Modesto. San
Joaquin river so high over its banks that whole area under water! House…water
up to roof! Trees and bushes uprooted…awful sand storm all out to Tracey!
* These dates correspond to the Marin History Museum 2013 Calendar (available for purchase at MHM) for the dates: March 25th & 26th
