PENTECOST TOURIST TRIP July 1, 1925

The occupants of this car are Earl F. Pentecost and family, 5 in family, Grain Valley, Mo. In case of accident, notify, Sni-A-Bar Bank, Grain Valley, MO and A. M. Snyder, Grandview, MO. Children, Ellis (8 yrs); Harry (6 yrs); Barbara (3 yrs). (Earl was 34 and Grace 25).

Highway is just being concreted from Galloway to James River. Crops are fair to Ozark. Began raining on us just south of Ozark, extended 10 or 12 miles. Began to see lots of tomatoes from Ozark on south. Most of them look good. Lots of them in land just cleared. Corn looks good. Lots of new gravel on road. Follow ridge road and it certainly is crooked. Lots of pretty scenery. Crops look good to Branson. Branson about 6:45 P. M. Lots of boats on lake and the town full of people. On into Hollister about 7:00 P. M. Get lunch supplies and go on out to farm. Cook first camp meal and pitch tent for night. (Sometime earlier Earl had bought 40 acres near Hollister, coming down on the train to do so. This was the first time he had brought the family down).

SATURDAY, JULY 4: Have breakfast then take a walk around the 40 acres. Get all lines located. Mr. Stoner on next farm came from Harrison, CO 6 years ago, for his health, had asthma. Likes the country fine and says he can make easy living. Is going to start hauling rock for K. C. lady to build house just south. Break camp about 2 P. M. and drive to Hollister and get lunch, go to campground and eat. Start to Forsyth about 4 P. M. A new cannery at Kirby. See lots of tomatoes and they look good. See quite a lot of cotton and several new vineyards. Go to Shadowrock Camp at Forsyth, have supper about 7 P. M., then go bathing in the Shadowrock pool on Swan Creek. The Shadowrock is 300 feet high on west side of creek.

SUNDAY, July 5: Get up about 6 and cook breakfast. Take some pictures, go bathing. Leave camp about noon. Drive to Powersite, get in rain for short time, eat lunch while there. Leave about 2:30 P. M., stop in Hollister, see Mr. Heath, Todd and Kelly. A new Tea Room is going up on Front St. Drive out to Acacia to get some pictures (this was a Masonic development and is now the location of The School Of The Ozarks). Go down to Boat House, see Mr. Draper and son. They are developing a fine park. Leave park and drive out to farm. Help boy out of ditch after he hit a bridge. Have supper then go to Mr. Stoner's, visit until 11:00 P. M.

MONDAY, JULY 5: Leave camp 8:30 A. M., see big vineyard, Ridgedale, near State line, lots of pine for quite a ways. Not very much farming for a good ways. Land gets sandy, some nice farming around Harrison, AR. Reach Harrison about 11:00 A. M. Go to camp ground and have dinner, see natural bridge and water mill. Leave Harrison 2:15 P. M. headed west. Hit Alpena Pass, Green Forest, Berryville. Reach Eureka Springs 6:30 P. M. Nice farms west of Harrison for some distance then gets rough. Apples, grapes and tomatoes are the main crops. Large evaporator at Alpena Pass. Pass by some tall peaks between Green Forest and Berryville. Lots of large pines. Come over East Mountain into town, very steep winding road. A beautiful town, lots of pretty scenery. Go out to campground, well equipped, free bath, rest room, dining and kitchen, wash house, etc. Most of campers are from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. Goat milk sells at camp, 25 cents per qt. Little Switzerland is less than a half acre, steep hillside, owned by Hugo Lund. He grows over 100 varieties of produce which brings him returns of over $100 per month. He has something to market every month. Mr. Sam Leath, camp manager, offers $100 for any more that will produce as much on a 10 acre farm anywhere south of the Boston Mountains.

TUESDAY, JULY 7: Eureka Springs. Cook breakfast in camp house. Starts raining between 7 and 8 and rains most all morning. Stay at camp for dinner. Leave camp about 1 P. M., take scenic drive over city. Very crooked, hilly drive. Stop at some springs, visit store with natural cave refrigerator in hill. Leave Stand Pipe at Eureka 2:45 P. M. for Rogers. Over mountains, beautiful drive, very hilly. Cross White River, some pretty valleys, see lots of pines. As we get out of the mountains there is some farming. Hit Missouri line just south of Seligman, drive to Seligman then turn back toward Rogers. Lots of tomatoes along the way. New cannery going up at Garfield and one at Avoca. Reach Rogers about 6:00 P. M., go on out to Mr. Carsons, 1 mile from town. Mr. Carson is building new evaporator with capacity of 500 bushel per day. Will require about 14 girls and 10 men to operate. Last year run 60 days and used 18,000 bu. He has about 40 acres of orchard, altogether 60 acres of land. 15 acres in one field, about 15 year old trees, expects a $4,000 crop this year....$10 per tree. Values land at $500 per acre. He put 3 1/2 carloads of K. C. Stockyard fertilizer on the 15 acres last winter @ $30 per car and 3 1/2# of nitrate of soda per tree. They are well cultivated, should be fertilized about every 2 years. Has 5 acres of 2 year old trees in one block that are fine. It is sowed to clover.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8: Rogers. Go to town with Mr. Carson, see wood splitter machine, see large ice plant. It has cold storage plant with capacity of 25 to 30,000 barrels, also have contract for icing refrigerator cars. It takes about 9,000# of ice to pack a car. There is a large poultry killing plant and the largest vinegar plant in the U. S. They are now shipping 7 cars per day, carried over from last year. Lots of apples and beans now being shipped. Beans sell at 4 cents per lb. The crops about this part of the country are apples, grapes, beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, strawberries and some grain crops. Rogers population is 4,000. Go out to Grandma's old place (John W. and Martha Jane Phillips). It is mostly timber, lots of wild blackberries. To Springdale after noon. Grapes and apples on every hand. Most of young orchards and vineyards have beans or tomatoes planted between the rows. Mr. Harry Coghill planted 10,000 bermuda onions on about 1/2 acre. They will return him over $100 and they are pulled and the land planted to beans and they should bring over $25. At Springdale we went through the Welch Grape Juice Factory. In the strawberry season they work about 250 women, capping strawberries, and about 22 men. At present they are working about 35 employees. They operate about 9 months of the year making all kinds of preserves, jellies and grape juices. They operate 5 plants in the U. S. they have a large experimental farm west of town, with some fine vineyards.

THURSDAY, JULY 9, ROGERS: Leave Mr. Carsons at 8 A. M., go by Bentonville, see some fine orchards, grapes, beans, sweet potatoes, etc. From Bentonville to Bella Vista, a pretty resort. Pass through some hilly country, under bluffs than hang out over the road. See hay stacked under the bluff in one place. Pass through Pineville, stop at Elk-O-Zar. They have nice free campground, with dutch ovens and tables built around trees, water piped from cold spring for ovens and shower, bath, natural pressure. Go on to I. R. H. at Lanagan (this was a resort development where they bought a lot). Meet Mr. Rappin, who was in charge, cook dinner at Big Springs. They are just starting club house.

NOTE: This was the end of the journal but the car expenses showed that they came back by way of Gentry, AR, and Friestatt, MO to El Dorado, leaving there July 13, buying gas at Corbin and Leeton, MO. (Cousins of Earl's lived at Leeton.)

 

July 2	Kodak	2.50
	film	.30
	printing pictures	.32
	washpan	.15
	pie tins	.15
	spoons.	.10
	cups	.10
	soapdish & soap	.10
	jug	.25
	meal	.35
	cones	.l5
	fire crackers	.20
	stamps	.10
July 3 – Bolivar
	lunch	.60
	bread	.25
	milk	.15
	eggs	.25
	film	.30
July 4 –
	potatoes	.50
	meat	.25
	bread	.10
	cookies	.30
July 5 - Forsyth
	meat	.35
	eggs	.30
	campground	.50
	meat	.40
	beans	.25
	milk	.75
	cones	.25
	meat	.45
	milk	.20
	bread	.25
	campground	.75
July 6 –
	supper supplies	.55
July 7 –
	bread	.10
	milk	.05
Seligman	cones	.25
Eureka	cards	.10
	pop	.25
July 8 – Rogers
	cards	.10
July 9 – Lanagan
	dinner	1.00
	cookies	.50
	rolls	.15
	bananas	.20
Total Misc. Expense:		$15.42

 

TOTAL TRIP EXPENSE: $28.90