The Roads Were of Course Bad: Thanksgiving 1918

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

Today, the weather in Kansas is dreary and getting colder.  The north wind is beating against the large windows of the museum.  It is a good day to stay inside.  Before television and video games, people had to find other entertainment on cold Kansas days. 

Playing a Game
HCHM Photo Archives

Waive Kline described her Thanksgiving Day 1918 in a letter to Glenn Wacker, who was serving with the United States Army in France during World War I.  Harvey County had received a fair amount of rain throughout October and November.  The rural roads were frequently impassible and this proved to be true on Thanksgiving Day.

"This has surely been a beautiful day.  This morning when we got up everything was covered with snow. The evergreen trees in the front yard were so full of snow that they bent almost to the ground. . . . The roads were of course bad. We had  invited  Aunt Elva's here so we were rather disappointed when the roads had to get so bad.  As it was the Kline family ate their Thanksgiving dinner by their 'lonesomes'. . . . We haven't done much to-day.  I have read a lot and tatted some.  I started to read a book." (Letter Waive Kline, Newton, Kansas to Glenn Wacker, France, Thanksgiving Day, Waive & Glenn Wacker Collection, HCHM Archives, Newton, Ks)

No doubt, many rural Harvey County families were home bound on Thanksgiving Day in 1918 and for entertainment played games together, read and worked on handwork.

Playing a Game
Lucile Mitchel Miller Collection
1917

Our next exhibit, Games People Play, will open January 18, 2014.

Sources

• Letter - Waive Kline, Newton, Kansas to Glenn Wacker, France, Thanksgiving Day, Waive and Glenn Wacker Collection, HCHM Archives, Newton, Ks)

For other blog posts featuring the Glenn and Waive Kline Wacker Collection click here.

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