Dad's footlocker ... aka The Memory Trunk

by Walter Richards

An old painting that belonged to my great-grandpa. I don’t know who the painter is, or if the painting has any value … but there were two of them, and my brother is getting the other one.

Next, a stained-glass window from my great-great-grandparents’ home. There were five windows left when one of my aunts found out about them, and went back east to get them. She got two and mom asked for, and got, two. Nobody seems to know what happened to the fifth one. My brother is getting the other window mom had. Neither window has been evaluated, but they’re about 200 years old.

Finally, my dad’s old footlocker from when he was in the Marines. My mom didn’t remember what was in it, but knew it was my “stuff”. Unfortunately, the key had been lost for a number of years. Well, after she left, I tinkered with it a bit, and unlocked it. The key was taped to the inside of the lid. Or at least A key to it, maybe the spare. Anyways, there’s a lot of stuff in there … but I chose to pull out a photo album first.

MEMORIES!

Now, most of you have probably read me mention my family’s trips. About half the photos in the book were from those trips. Unfortunately, most of them are out-of-focus or just plain too dark … thanks to using an old Brownie (sp?) camera, and some places not allowing the use of flash bulbs. At least most of the pictures from those trips have notations on the back, of what they’re supposed to show. So, here’s some of the memories they brought back … in no particular order.

1 – My parents’ first house. I swear it was less than 800 square feet, with a woodstove that could have heated a house 4 times as large.

2 – My first trip to Multnomah Falls and Mary Hill Museum.

3 – “Old Faithful” at Yellowstone National Park, during our Washington DC trip (1978).

4 – Mt Rushmore, same trip.

5 – I have only 3 pictures from the entire Smithsonian Museum. And they didn’t allow flash bulbs in the Air/Space Museum. One says it’s a “rescue craft”, but looks like an experimental (triangular) plane. Another is a glider. And the third is a replica of the lunar landing pod.

6 – The Mayflower II.

7 – Niagara Falls, from the American side. I remember seeing the sign in the river warning people not to go over the falls, and hoping I’d get a picture of someone trying to.

8 – A postcard, showing the Jefferson Memorial, I sent to my grandparents. I wonder if the government would still let me tour the Bureau of Printing and Engraving? heeheehee

9 – Pictures of a “water wagon” and covered wagon from the “Old West Museum”. I guess my taste in “cool” vehicles hasn’t changed that much in almost 30 years.

10 – Pictures from Custer Battlefield Monument (1980). People talk about the feelings they get at Gettysburg, where I’ve also been, but I get similar feelings at most battlefields. And I can picture the scene, like a movie in my head, as the guides describe what happened. In 1979, at the age of 10, I knew that Custer was an idiot for splitting his forces and leaving his strongest military advantage (gatling guns) behind – all in the name of glory.

11 – Visit to the Whitman Massacre Monument, and seeing the existing tracks of the wagons on the Oregon Trail. History lesson learned from the Whitman Massacre? Talking peace is fine … when you have the wherewithal to protect yourself from those who don’t want to talk.

12 – A “restored old town” in Montana. Deadwood? I don’t remember. I know there were some old mine pits around, that they warned us to watch out for. Rattlesnakes at the bottom, y’know. So if the fall didn’t kill you, the snakes would. I believe it was being restored by a historic society. Naturally, the first thing they had completed was the general store, and were using it as a gift shop … as well as selling replica (historic) mining supplies, food, and candy.

13 – Pictures from visiting the G.M. Russell Museum. (Auntie, why not do a piece on him?) Western painter. Visited his home and studio. I think his studio inspired him a bit, it being a log cabin. lol.

13 – A tree growing in “solid rock” in Wyoming (1978). The sign says The original line of the Union Pacific Railroad passed within a few feet of this point and supposedly was deflected slightly to avoid destruction of this phenomenon. The fireman of each passing train never failed to drench the tree with a bucket of water. Unfortunately, one of the sign posts blocks most of the view of the tree.

14 – My family standing next to a freight wagon at Ft Bridger. The back wheel is as tall as my dad, at probably 6 1/2 feet. The wagon wasn’t a replica, or restoration … just good carpentry that had been found in an old barn, protected from the elements. Those who “collect” rusting tractors could probably learn something from that. lol.

15 – A picture of the St Louis Gateway Arch (1978). No, I didn’t go up in it. My brother and dad did, but I got this thing about heights … and you could hear it sway.

16 – Quantico, VA (1978) ... pictures of WWII aircraft and a rather large bomb. Yep, still like those old fighters/bombers and things that go BOOM.

17 – The “Lost Colony” of Roanoak, VA. Still remember we went in the early morning before the fog burned off, and the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees. The entire time there, my hair was standing on end. I couldn’t wait to get away from it, the feeling was so eerie. And that was before I heard what happened there.

18 – Kittyhawk. I remember most the drive there, seeing all the houses on stilts. A relative we were staying with explained it was so the houses weren’t flooded by storms. I couldn’t understand why the people would build a home where it would be flooded in the first place.

19 – Ft Bragg. I know I had a cousin who was stationed there. I remember him telling of breaking his leg in a jump, healing, going back up for another jump … and breaking his other leg.

20 – Historic Williamsburg. As opposed to modern Williamsburg, of the high-rises and hover-cars?

21 – The Lincoln Memorial. Dad tried to convince my brother and I that the statue was lifesize. We didn’t believe him, because none of the doors were tall enough.

22 – The Washington Monument. Closed for interior remodeling, so we couldn’t go inside past the lobby. But we could LOOK at all the stairs going up … and be glad it was closed so dad wasn’t gonna make us climb them.

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