48 REMINISCE.COM * SEPTEMBER 2019
BACK IN TIME
A
girls’ road trip is pretty common
today, but during the 1930 s, when
cars were still a luxury and women
didn’t have as much freedom, it was
rare. But my Aunt Ridgely wasn’t
exactly an average woman.
Born Elizabeth Ridgely
Jackson in 1898 , she was the
second youngest of 11 children
and the only one in the family
to graduate from high school.
Later, she earned a college
degree in an era when few
women even wanted one,
much less had the opportunity
to obtain one.
Aunt Ridgely insisted on
good manners and behavior,
but she also had a wonderful
sense of humor and a keen
curiosity about other cultures.
So it’s no surprise that in 1938 ,
at age 41 , she traveled across
the United States with five of
her friends: Grace Clevinger,Mamie Childs, Ada Woore, Annie Reese and
Carrie Cochran. Recently, we found the map
and a portion of her trip journal, which had
been stored away since her death in 1983.
According to the newspaper clipping tucked
inside the log, the group left
Winchester, Virginia, on July
5 in a Buick touring car driven
by Carrie’s nephew Thomas.
Entries documenting the
first part of the trip have
been lost, but we know that
on July 20 they were in
Pasadena, California, where
they drove down Orange
Grove Avenue, “the street on
which the most millionaires
live.” They saw actors’
mansions along Hollywood
and Sunset boulevards and
took in a concert at the
Hollywood Bowl under “the
starry dome of the sky.”
Sunsets at Grand Canyon
National Park were aTRAVELS WITH MY AUNT RIDGELY
Intrepid Virginian marvels at 1930 s America.
BY LOUISE KLEH • SOUTH BURLINGTON, VTMotoring
MemoriesRIDGELY HOLDS Louise’s
daughter Cindy in 1959. Louise is
on the far right beside her mother.