A Trip West in Photographs, 1935
Including Yellowstone National Park, the Badlands, Custer State
Park, Zion National Park, the city of Los Angeles, Petrified Forest,
and New Mexico
IN AUGUST 1935, Rev. Franklin G. Markley and his wife Gertrude, along with their 9-year-old son Franklin G. Markley,
Jr. took a trip west, starting from Marion, Ohio, and traveling to Los Angeles and back. With them were their friends
Fred and Jessie Ellery and the Ellerys' son Charles. Along the way, they drove through the Black Hills of South Dakota,
Custer State Park, saw Mount Rushmore under construction (the head of Washington was the only figure nearing
completion), then drove through Cody and along the Cody Road into Yellowstone National Park. As planned, after
Yellowstone the two families parted for several days. The Ellerys traveled to the Boulder Dam construction site, where
Fred took photographs for the Marion Steam Shovel Co.  Meanwhile, the Markleys traveled on to Salt Lake City, Zion
National Park, and to the city of Los Angeles, where they would again meet up with the Ellerys. From there, they
followed old Route 66 through the southwest on their return. The photos on these pages are all from that 1935 trip.
   A few years ago, several of these photos relating to Yellowstone were donated to the Yellowstone National Park photo
archives.

                   
Except where noted, all photos on these pages © F.G. Markley              Click Images for Larger Views
Taking a break in the Badlands of South
Dakota are (from left to right) Charles,
Jessie, and Fred Ellery.
Young Charles and Franklin, Jr. climb
atop a hill in the Badlands. The square box
at lower left is a storage box attached to
the back of the Markleys' Buick.
On the back of this photograph is written
"Our cars in 'Bad Lands' of S.
Dakota.--1935". The Markleys drove a
Buick (left) and the Ellerys drove a
Pontiac. This was the first real glimse of
the West the two families from Ohio
would see on this trip.
Along a dirt road, probably in South
Dakota's Black Hills. At least once during
this trip, one of their cars got "stuck in the
gumbo," as Fred Ellery described it. On
another occasion  Mrs. Ellery became
concerned about their safety in a
mountainous area of the Black Hills,
resulting in an inpromptu prayer meeting.
Standing by the car are Rev. and Mrs.
Markley and their son Franklin, with Mrs.
Ellery to the left.
This photo and illustration are from a
leaflet given to tourists in 1935 advertising
a patriotic outdoor drama. As shown,
Washington was the only recognizable
figure on Mt. Rushmore that summer.
Though no blasting was being done on the
monument at the time they saw it, the
face of another figure was emerging from
the rock. The leaflet states "The figure of
Washington and the head of Thomas
Jefferson...will be finished by next
summer."
Photo by Publisher's Photo Service
Click for larger view
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