Carscallen Cousins' Road Trip

On the 26^th of May 1939, Kathleen “Kay” Carscallen and her sister, Alice Carscallen (great-granddaughters of John Culbert & Mary Ward) set out on a road trip with their cousins: sisters, Beth Carscallen and Eula (Carscallen) Lapp.

Their point of departure? Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their destination? The province of Alberta via the USA. Total distance covered? 6,000 miles (9,656 km.)

Left to right: Cousins Eula Lapp (born 29 July 1905) and Kay Carscallen (born 21 July 1908). Photo courtesy of Kay’s daughter, Wendy (Gowland) Boole.

Alice Carscallen (Kay’s sister, born 15 April 1913.) No photo available of Beth Carscallen from this era.

I don't have any photos from their big adventure but I have a copy of Eula's "Trip Log." I've tried in this post to give you a general idea of their journey, based on Eula's travel journal.

The cousins set out from Toronto, Ontario on a 6,000 mile journey.

Eula’s sister, Beth Carscallen was the owner of a 1934 Ford, christened “Jane.” Jane lacked a trunk but they loaded her down with their luggage, a picnic hamper, a pile of road maps, and a First Aid kit. Oh, and a pile of library books (more about those, later.)

They pinned two paper hat bags to the back of the front seats, and a suction coat hanger on the window, which Eula said, “refused to suck after the first day.”

I don’t have a photo of “Jane,” their 1934 Ford so this image from Pinterest will have to do. The 1934 Ford was the getaway car of choice for American bank robbers such as Bonnie & Clyde.

Kay and Beth did all the driving, switching every hundred miles.

The customs officer at the border was taken by surprise when the women declared their occupations: a social worker (Kay), a librarian (Alice), and a psychologist (Beth.) He looked relieved when Eula responded, “Oh, I’m just married.” Unaccustomed to seeing a car full of professional women, Eula’s answer brought a sense of normalcy to the befuddled clerk. Eula said, “I was a bit sorry I had missed the opportunity to say something like “religious educationist” or “minister’s assistant”. But obviously the poor man had had all he could stand of capable women for one carload!”

As they drove through Michigan, the Carscallen cousins saw several CCC camps. These work camps were organized by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); a work relief programme that gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects during the Great Depression.

Members of the CCC planting trees in Lolo National Forest, Montana, 1938. Source: U.S. Forest Service.

The women were interested in learning more about the CCC project so when they saw some of the men hitchhiking, they decided to pick one up. They didn’t learn much about the camps as they were lucky to get replies of one syllable from the young man. Eula exclaimed, “Perhaps we frightened him!” When the women told their family about this little adventure, they received a stiff lecture. They were told it was “never safe to pick up an American.” Later, they read about a man who was killed by a hitch-hiker he picked up in Michigan.

They were amused by the many humorous Burma Shave signs along the highway from Michigan all the way to Montana. Burma Shave (an American shaving cream company) started this roadside advertising campaign in 1927 and it ran until 1963.
 

Typically, several consecutive small signs would be posted along the edge of highways, spaced for sequential reading by passing motorists. The last sign was almost always the name of the product. Because they were spaced apart, the signs would hold the driver’s attention much longer than a conventional billboard.

An example of Burma Shave signs seen along their route, as noted by Eula in her travel journal. These signs would have been spaced out along the highway, not vertically displayed as in this image. No lady likes to snuggle or dine accompanied by a porcupine.

Another Burma Shave sign they noted said: “Careless bridegroom, dainty bride, scratchy whiskers, homicide!”

In Minnesota, they saw a sign pointing to “Clark Gable’s Resort.” This was just months before the release of the blockbuster hit, “Gone with the Wind” in which Clark Gable starred as Rhett Butler. Clark Gable was considered a big movie star even before that film. Naturally, this sign aroused the women’s interest.

Clark Gable

Disappointingly, Eula says that “Clark Gable’s Resort” “was nothing more exciting than people by the name of Clark with a house with gables.”

To give you an idea of how things have changed since 1939, Eula remarks that Fargo, North Dakota had a population of 28,000. Today, it boasts over 122,000 people.

On the other hand, they mention spending a night in Shelby, Montana which Eula described as “a booming town, about 2000 population, destined no doubt to be a sizable city some day.” However, today Shelby’s population is estimated at just over 3,000.

Eula complained that the men of Shelby looked like smooth, well-fed oil magnates from California or like actor Victor McLaglen...

Victor McLaglen

It was in Shelby that the man who rented them a cabin said, “You never have to worry about Canadians stealing anything nor leaving the place untidy. Canadians are usually dependable.”

Back across the border in Canada, they ate lunch by the river on the outskirts of Lethbridge, Alberta in a pretty spot among willows. However, it turned out to be a cow pasture, and three times during lunch they chased away cows from their “dining room.”

They finally arrived in Sylvan Lake, west of Red Deer, Alberta. Here, they visited Eula and Beth’s parents, Mary and Stanley Carscallen (former Mayor of Red Deer.)

Sylvan Lake as it looked in 1937.

Not content to sit still, they also travelled extensively around Alberta.

Eula wrote, “The Waterton Lake District is in the extreme southwest corner of Alberta, but none of us had seen it before. It proved a highlight of the whole trip. I think I should like to spend my old age in this corner of Alberta – provided I got there before I was too old to ride a horse!”

CLIMAX OF THE STORY

Eula said, “Every story has its climax; and the climax of this one came as we left Glasgow, Montana.” 

 This incident occurred on 20 June 1939. Kay was at the wheel of the car.

Eula reports: We had a collision with a county truck, and spent a day and a half in Glasgow waiting for repairs to Jane [the car], and trying to arrange to get damages. Like a miracle none of us was hurt. It all happened like lightning. And after it was over, we recalled that the only remark made by anyone was a quiet, "He's going to turn, Kay" by me. (Kay and I were in front.) Involuntarily we ducked our heads. Then, crash! bang! -- and Jane looked like nothing so much as a folded accordion.

The truck-driver [Dave Cuniff] remarked as we were getting out to view the wreck, "You can't get anything on me -- I work for the county!"

He must have had a guilty conscience. He also told the patrolman when he and Beth had returned with him to the “scene of the accident” that we were "just a bunch of women who lost their heads." But the patrolman was completely on our side (in private). The only thing he couldn't do was help us! The truck-driver took us back to the garage. He was obviously very upset and contradicted himself several times telling his story. We didn't want him to think we had any desire that he should lose his job; so when we saw him again at the garage at six that evening, Kay spoke to him quite pleasantly. He looked about to murder her. She said it was the same look she had seen in the eyes of mental patients; and she didn't stay long!"

Eula said, “I have no recollection of seeing any women in Glasgow, except the wife of the owner of the cabin.”

The passage about the incident goes on much longer in Eula’s “Trip’s Log.” The women had to consult with everyone in town who could possibly be of assistance such as the highway patrolman, the A.A.A. (American Automobile Association) secretary, the county attorney, the sheriff, and a lawyer. Everyone they saw “passed the buck.” Of course, they also had to get the car repaired.

Their so-called lawyer was one “Mr. R.,” who asked the women for a detailed statement of the accident. Mr. R. said that their statement wasn’t legal enough in its phraseology “so he rewrote it rather laboriously on his typewriter, adding many whereases and heretofores and translating all the respectable English into comfortable, ungrammatical Montanian.” Beth whispered to Eula, “I don’t know whether I want to put my name to all this bad grammar.” Nonetheless, she signed it. (The county attorney who was to receive the statement was the only man Beth had seen who appeared to have gone past public school.)

Mr. R. was impressed by the word “psychologist” after Beth’s name. He remarked that people in Canada “sure were well-educated.” He asked Beth how many years it had taken to get to be a “psychologist or whatever you call it?” He asked, “Is it true that all lawyers in Canada have to go to college?” Obviously, Mr. R. had received his education through the school of experience.

On the evening they left Glasgow, they got a flat tire. The jack wouldn’t work because the handle was too short. Being the resourceful women that they were, they came up with a solution. They’d brought along many books from the Toronto Public Library, thinking they would have time to read. (Alice was a librarian at TPL.) So they propped up the jack on a stack of library books. However, the jack still wouldn’t work. Fortunately, a couple of people stopped and lent them a jack. One of them offered the ladies his bottle of whiskey to drown their troubles!

Back in Canada, they stopped in Lucan, Ontario to visit Kay and Alice’s grandmother, Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert, the widow of Richard Culbert.

Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert (1858-1949). Photo courtesy of Paul Hodgson.

Eula Lapp recounts her final impressions of the trip:

The final impressions I have of the trip are: the length of Bloor Street [Toronto] in Sunday afternoon traffic: and people staring and laughing at us. Jane [the car] had not been washed since we left Toronto four weeks before! She was covered with Montana dust and Alberta gumbo and an accumulation of dust from other states. She looked more like a mud-turtle than a respectable, if tired, five-year-old Ford just home from a 6000-mile jaunt.

Kathleen Ethel “Kay” Carscallen and Alice Patricia Carscallen’s Family Tree:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Eleanor Fairhall (grandparents)

Hulda May Culbert & Charles Rupert Carscallen (parents)

To read more about Kay Carscallen, click here.

The Carscallen Kids Meet Their Grandmothers

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while...but our hearts forever.
- author unknown

Left to right: Ann Jane (Wilde) Carscallen, Charles Newton "Charlie" Carscallen, Kathleen Ethel "Kay" Carscallen, and Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert, c1912.

These two Culbert descendant children, Charlie and Kay Carscallen are enjoying a day with both their grandmothers. Up until around the time this photo was taken, these children had never met either of their grandmothers!

Today, children can easily see and talk to their grandmothers via Skype. However, in the early 1900s, Charlie and Kay wouldn't have heard their grandmothers' voices until they met them. And having never met them, the only image of their grandmothers may have come from a black and white photograph, if they'd had one.

Charles Newton "Charlie" Carscallen (1906-2007) and his sister, Kathleen Ethel "Kay" Carscallen (1908-2003) were the children of educational missionaries, Hulda May Culbert and Rev. Charles Rupert Carscallen.

The woman on the right of the photo is Charlie and Kay's maternal grandmother, Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert (1858-1949) of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario; wife of Richard Culbert (1853-1932). 

The woman on the left is their paternal grandmother, Ann Jane (Wilde) Carscallen (1839-1925) of Dresden, Ontario; wife of Isaac Newton Carscallen (1828-1912).

The photo looks like it was taken at the Culbert homestead (Poplar Farm) on the Coursey Line near Lucan, Ontario. That's where the children's Culbert grandparents lived, and that's where their mother, Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen was born.

This photo was taken while the Carscallen family were on furlough; a leave of absence given to missionary families in China so that they might visit their families abroad. The Carscallens first furlough was from late 1911 to 1913 so this photo was taken somewhere in that time period.

Little Charlie and his sister, Kay would welcome two more sisters later but for now, they were the sole recipients of their grandmothers' affections. Charlie and Kay were born in China and up until this furlough, they'd spent all their young lives there; this being the first time they'd met their grandmothers.

Charlie and Kay grew up and raised families of their own. Their great-grandchildren have methods of communicating with their grandparents that were unheard of a hundred years ago! Who knows what the future holds for their descendants?

Kathleen Ethel "Kay" (Carscallen) Gowland (1908-2003)

Today, we’re taking time out from the life of Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen to remember her daughter, Kay (Carscallen) Gowland who was born on this day, 110 days years ago.

Note: Photos courtesy of Pat Rowell & Wendy Boole unless otherwise credited.

            EULOGY FOR KAY GOWLAND

Written by her daughters, Pat Rowell and Wendy Boole, and presented at Kay’s funeral by their husbands, Terry Rowell and Charles Boole.

Kay was born July 21, 1908 in Chengtu, Sichuan province West China – the daughter of Hulda May and Charles Carscallen, Methodist missionaries. She was the second born of four children, Charles being her older brother and Alice and Helen her younger sisters.

Kay Gowland (right) with her brother, Charles Jr., and her mother, Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen in China, c1909. Photo courtesy of Betty (Carscallen) Marmura.

Kay remained with her family, mainly in China, until the age of 12, when they all came back to Canada on furlough[1] in 1920. Her parents along with Alice and Helen then returned to China until 1926.

Kay attended Alma Ladies College in St. Thomas, Ontario where she excelled at her studies and received numerous awards and prizes for her accomplishments. She was much loved and admired by her fellow students.

Alma College. Kay is in the middle row, second from left.

 

Alma College.

Summers and holidays were spent (along with her brother Charles) with the Carscallen family in Dresden and the Culbert family in Lucan. This must, at times, have been lonely for a young girl away from her parents and sisters – but she never complained. As we all know, complaining was not her style.

An interest in China and all things Chinese remained with her throughout her life. A multi-course Chinese dinner prepared for their friends became a much anticipated yearly event in the Gowland household. For the rest of her life, she always considered a Chinese meal to be a wonderful treat. Much to her great enjoyment Kay returned to China twice, in 1979 and 1984.

Kay (left) with her brother, Charlie and sister, Alice Griffiths at the Great Wall of China, 1984.

Upon high school graduation Kay attended Victoria College, University of Toronto and received a degree in Social Work. She moved to Kingston and worked for many years at what is now the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital as a Social Worker supervising out patients. This meant travelling the countryside for home visits, often taking her as far as Renfrew County. It was during this time that she met Howard and they were married March 2, 1940.

Howard Gowland & Kay Carscallen's wedding at the Ontario Ladies' College in Whitby, Ontario on March 2nd, 1940.

Wedding announcement in the 6 March 1940 edition of the Whitby Gazette & Chronicle newspaper. Kay's father, Reverend Dr. Charles Rupert Carscallen officiated, assisted by Howard's brother, Reverend Arthur Gowland.

Guests at Kay & Howard's wedding. Published in the 6 March 1940 edition of the Whitby Gazette & Chronicle.

Shortly after, Howard joined the army Dental Corps and was posted to Ottawa and then Nova Scotia. Kay joined him at both these locations. After he was sent overseas, she lived with her parents in Whitby where her father was principal of Ontario Ladies College. Their daughter, Pat was born in 1942 during this time.

When Howard returned they settled in Kingston and their daughter, Wendy was born in 1946. Throughout their life together they lived at 98 Macdonnell Street, Kingston; a place always open to family and friends where every Sunday there was a standing rib roast to share, and fresh baked squares for Wendy and Pat to snack on with their friends after school.

The Gowland residence at 98 Macdonnell Street in Kingston, Ontario.

Kay was very devoted to her family, but always spent many hours as a volunteer with Sunnyside Children’s Centre, the Kingston Medical Wives Society and various church groups. She is also well remembered as an excellent bridge player – this being a great source of enjoyment for her. The house on Macdonnell always contained wonderful floral bouquets arranged with flowers from Howard’s famous garden. She won many prizes every year at the Kingston Horticultural Society annual show. Being married to an avid gardener also meant that she did a lot of preserving and pickle making, and the fruit cellar was always full to the brim.

Kay and Howard Gowland, 40th wedding anniversary, 1980.

After Howard died in 1982, Kay stayed on in her Macdonnell Street home until 1989 when she moved to her condo at the Landmark.

Kay Gowland's 80th birthday, 1988. Daughters Pat Rowell (left) and Wendy Boole (right).

During this time her grandson Jeff lived with her while he attended Queens University. Eventually, because of failing health, she had to take emergency placement at a nursing home in Kingston and after several months, in November 1998, she moved to Starwood in Ottawa to be close to Wendy and family.

Her grandson Michael, in a tribute he wrote for her 90^th birthday, highlighted the fact that she was a woman much ahead of her time in many ways. For instance, she was a pioneer in the world of recycling. He said to her, “I wonder how many people know that you have always been an active environmentalist with your now famous ‘waste-not-want-not’ saying!!”

Kay Gowland.

Kay will be remembered by all who knew her, for her kind and generous nature. She always put others before herself. Kay, always the care giver and helper, presented a calm demeanour and a quiet sense of humour.

Her daughters, Pat and Wendy remember her as a loving and devoted mother with the patience of Job. They wonder how she ever put up with their squabbling of which there was a lot. They knew they’d finally crossed the line when one day she said, “If you girls don’t stop this fighting you will drive me to the Ontario Hospital!” But such a display of displeasure seldom happened.

As a tribute to this remarkable lady, Pat is now going to read a poem.

"The poem I am going to read is very special to Wendy and I. It was given to our mother, by her mother [Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen], on the occasion of Kay’s 13^th birthday. It truly epitomizes who mom was her whole life."

              My Somebody

Here’s to somebody staunch and true

Who’s always around when there’s work to do.

Who keeps a supply of love and cheer

For all the folks for all the year.

Who knows that a gentle loving smile

Is the best of tonics for all the while.

That there’s nothing so bad that it can’t be worse

A case of blues is a terrible curse;

So here’s to somebody staunch and true

Of course you don’t know,

But that somebody’s you!

Kay with her mother, Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen.

Footnotes:  
[1] A furlough is a leave of absence.

Kay (Carscallen) Gowland's family tree:  

Ancestors: 

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Fairhall (grandparents)

Hulda May Culbert & Reverend Charles Rupert Carscallen (parents)

Descendants: (children)

Patricia Jane (Gowland) Rowell

Wendy Kathleen (Gowland) Boole