[TRAVEL NARRATIVE] -- [WOMEN]. Manuscript diary of two young women hitchhiking across country, ca 1921.

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American Historical Ephemera & Photography

By Cowan's Auctions

Jun 25, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-06-25 10:00:00 2021-06-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Historical Ephemera & Photography https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-historical-ephemera-photography-7043
The June 25 American Historical Ephemera and Photography Auction features an exciting assemblage of 18th-early 20th century material, including Civil War archives, Early Photography, Western Americana, Autographs and Manuscripts, and more. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

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• Lot Description
  A compelling manuscript diary kept by two young women, a Margaret Ross and a Lois Miller of Clarksdale, Mississippi, as they hitchhiked to Los Angeles in the Fall of 1921. Recorded in a repurposed World War I-era soldier’s diary the pair seem to have acquired second hand in Little Rock, Arkansas, the nexus point for the journey recorded here. Approximately 6 1/2 x 4 3/8 in. Maroon cloth over boards. 30 numbered pages with printed military-related text followed by 72 blank ruled leaves. All blank space full with writing in pencil cursive, seemingly in two different hands. Approximately 10,000 words in total, typically highly legible. Volume with gilt stamped personalization to front from previous owner: “WAR RECORD / WARREN T. KING.” (Board cloth splitting at spine, second leaf loose from binding, binding somewhat shaken.) Housed in a new and custom fit, archival cloth clamshell container.
  
  We locate nothing definitive on Lois Miller in typical reference, though Margaret Ross seems to be the daughter of a John A. Ross, an accountant who relocated to Clarksdale from Indianapolis in about 1919. We locate several print ads for his firm (Clinton-Ross) in newspapers in Clarksdale and Vicksburg, his 1910 census entry from Indianapolis (which identifies his daughter as Margaret F., born in about 1898), a 1928 legal notice regarding a lawsuit against his wife (who is residing in Glendale, California at the time), and his 1936 obituary.
  
  The diary opens in late November, with the pair departing Little Rock via train, bound for Dallas, though their final destination is Los Angeles, to meet up with Margaret’s mother: “On Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, we left Little Rock, Ark. For Dallas, Texas. Goodness the sensation we caused at the depot. Every Arkansaw hick turned out to see us. We were rigged up to kill in our army equipment that our “Unkie Stewart” bought for us. The old jigger certainly was sorry to see us leave! We surely felt conspicuous. Got in Dallas at eight-thirty Wednesday morning.” [sic all]
  
  Following their arrival in Dallas, the pair travels entirely by car, via found rides and hitchhiking. They are near entirely broke throughout the journey. They are also incredibly bold, demonstrating a defiant flapper sass and fearlessness throughout the diary. Their longest stay is in El Paso, Texas, where they became stranded with two men, self-professed professional gamblers they met on the road in Mineral Springs, who provided the names “Two Gun” Jimmy Coleman and “32 Caliber” Curly Mayfield. In El Paso the men were arrested and had their car confiscated by police, an incident described in detail on 6 December 1921: “After lunch Marg and I sat in the car while Curly and Jimmy talked to a friend of theirs. In a little while they came and we all went over to this friends room to get washed up. Curly went out to get some razor blades and we were all talking when a knock came at the door. They opened it and a detective (Ed Smith) walked into the room. He questioned us very closely and decided I guess we were alright but took Jimmy and the other fellow and got Curly outside. Well we were in a hell of a mess. We didn’t know which way to turn. We finally decided to […] sit down in the car and wait for them. It was cold and we sat for three long hours until we almost froze. A Ford drove up and a man got out and took the number off of the car we were in. We asked him what the trouble was but all he said was that he thought we had better not wait as the boys would not be back soon." [sic all]  The diary continues with the saga the next day: “The only money we have in the world at the present writing is one lonely two-bit piece. Jimmy said he was going to hock his grip that we have also his clothes if something doesn’t turn up soon. They are still holding Jimmy’s car and he doesn’t expect to get it until they hear from the Nash factory. Poor kid – I feel sorry for him. In the last 30 days he has lost $10,000 worth of diamonds won in Breckenridge playing poker and a Hudson Super Six worth $1,000 worth of 'good drunken licker.' And now the Nash is gone – But he may get it back. What a graft the law is. They stand back until you get something and then step up and take it away from you.'" [sic all] 
  
  Eventually the young women find it necessary to split from Curley and Jimmy and resume their trip. They were able to settle their hotel bill in El Paso only after receiving a wire for $19.50 from Margaret’s mother. From there, luck improved and they found a reliable ride with a man named Al Sears, which took them near the entire way to Los Angeles. Along the journey through New Mexico and Arizona, Sears takes them to see a sprawling ranch and gives them a tour of the Amador Hotel in Las Cruces. The pair arrived in Los Angeles on the 19th of December, settling in an apartment in Venice. Entries then cease until Margaret resumes the diary on October 4, 1922, when she documents the early days of a car trip that is to (seemingly begrudgingly) take her, her mother, and a man named Harvey Davis back east to Memphis. We are unable to locate anything on the later lives of either Lois or Margaret. 
  
  AN ENTHRALLING ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE THROUGH THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, AND AN EXTRAORDINARY RECORD OF WOMEN'S TRAVEL AND AGENCY IN THE EARLY 1920s. 
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