Processed by
Susan A. Fletcher
23 August 2005
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
1 manuscript box |
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COLLECTION |
1931 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Ricki Jo Hoffmann, Indianapolis, IN, 23 April 2005 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
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ACCESSION |
2005.0207 |
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NOTES: |
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The Educational Board of the General Baptists of Indiana founded Oakland City College in 1885 when they drafted a charter to incorporate a college in Gibson County. The college began classes in 1891 with one administration and classroom building. By the 1920s the campus had grown considerably and the college operated four different schools including normal, theological, liberal arts, and agriculture. The 1920s were a prosperous time for the school, with over 1000 students enrolled each semester. The Great Depression brought very difficult times to the college. During the early- and mid-1930s staff and faculty members often went without pay in order to keep the college’s doors open.
In the summer of 1931 a group of fifteen students and chaperones from Oakland City College traveled to the western United States. The group of twelve women and three men left Oakland City at 5:30 a.m. on 24 July, traveling in a bus bound for Illinois. The group stopped in Danville, Illinois where they visited the Danville Public Library. After seeing the University of Illinois campus the group went to Dubuque, Iowa. Over the next few weeks they traveled to South Dakota where they saw the Badlands and the Black Hills, to Wyoming and Yellowstone Park, to Utah and Salt Lake City, and to Colorado where they drove to the summit of Pikes Peak. The group made its way back to Indiana through Kansas and Missouri, arriving in early August.
During the early-twentieth century, western tourism was very popular among Midwesterners. The automobile allowed them to explore the grandeur of their country and to experience scenic wonders such as the Rocky Mountains, Black Hills, and various national parks. Tourism was a very important part of the western economy and localities marketed themselves to travelers, drawing people in with promises of beauty and grandeur and sending them home with postcards and other novelties. This scrapbook is a chronicle of the Oakland City College trip to the west and contains several trade photographs, postcards, and tourist pamphlets.
Sources:
Materials in collection
Oakland City University: www.oak.edu/history.shtm 23 August 2005
In 1931 Edna Martin compiled this scrapbook after returning home from a visit to the western United States with a group from Oakland City College. She wrote extensively about the places that the group visited as well as their impressions of the scenery and the locals. She pasted postcards, trade photographs, tourist pamphlets, and maps onto the pages of the book. This scrapbook was originally bound in a loose-leaf binder and has been separated into six different folders. The first folder contains a Final Bulletin from the Oakland City College Director of Educational Tours, describing arrangements for the trip. This folder also contains the pages of the scrapbook relating to Illinois and Iowa. These pages include Edna’s descriptions of the Danville Public Library, University of Illinois campus, and Dubuque, Iowa, as well as postcards and pictures from these places. Edna also describes her feelings upon crossing the Mississippi River for the first time.
The second folder contains the pages of the scrapbook related to South Dakota. Martin writes about the group’s visit to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, the locusts that had invaded the state that summer, a flat tire, and a visit to the School of Mines in Rapid City. Martin also includes descriptions and pictures of the Badlands and the beautiful Black Hills. The group visited Mount Rushmore, which Martin calls “one of the great works of art of all time.” During her visit, the sculpting of the monument was still in progress and she writes about Gutzon Borglum and what the monument will mean for the nation. The group also visited Deadwood and the Homestake Mine.
The third folder contains pages relating to Wyoming. In this state, the group visited Buffalo, Big Horn Mountain, and Shoshone Dam. One of the highlights of the trip was the trip to Yellowstone National Park. Edna writes about the geysers including Old Faithful, as well as other natural wonders that she saw. She was particularly amused by the daily feeding of the bears. Martin included many postcards and photographs of the park in the scrapbook. The fourth folder contains the pages relating to Utah. The Oakland City group visited Salt Lake City where they went to the capitol building and saw the Mormon Tabernacle.
The fifth folder contains the pages of the scrapbook about Colorado. Martin visited the state capitol in Denver. On one occasion she wrote, “We came through the beautiful city of Colorado Springs on our way to Manitou.” After spending the night in Manitou Springs the group drove to the summit of Pikes Peak. Martin describes everything that she saw on the trip up the mountain, including the animals and vegetation. There are several ephemeral items from the Pikes Peak region including postcards and an issue of the Pikes Peak Daily News that Martin bought at the top of Pikes Peak, as well as several trade photographs of the mountain and Garden of the Gods. Martin comments on the beautiful view from the summit and reflects on the many miles they had traveled.
After leaving Colorado, the group drove through Kansas and Missouri on their way back home to Indiana. They arrived safely in Oakland City in early August 1931.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Illinois and Iowa pages |
Folder 1 |
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South Dakota pages |
Folder 2 |
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Wyoming pages |
Folder 3 |
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Utah pages |
Folder 4 |
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Colorado pages |
Folder 5 |
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Kansas and Missouri pages |
Folder 6 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0851).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.