Friday, June 15, 2012

Parent Family - Move from UT to CA, 1952



My uncle, Vernon Parent - August, 1952 when the Parent family moved from Vernal, UT to Crescent City, CA

J. A. Parent Family, October 1959

Note from my Uncle Vernon Parent, written December 11, 2006:

Looking for unused Christmas cards I found this photo of myself, ready to depart with our Parent family and all our belongings for California, August 1952. As you can see we traveled in a 1941 6 cylinder ton-and-a-half truck that Joseph and I bought for $15 at a junk yard in Ogden, UT. Not as seen of course, for the bed and aluminum top was from a similar truck that we purchased for $25 with no motor. I guess we should add the cost of the large mill file for $3.50, and $0.70 package of plastigage we used to file down the connecting-rods so we could get the motor quiet enough to run properly, plus motor oil and gas. The sides are made from flooring removed from the old Baize building (Our current 136 Vernal Avenue property) that Dad wanted for the house he was building in Crescent City, CA. 

The cab over hang was filled with remaining used tires and wheels from the second truck, along with hydraulic jack and tools for emergencies. The truck operation was truly a miracle, as it got the impossible mileage of 21 miles to the gallon, and it didn't expire until we reached the hill above Crescent City. The towing charge from there to our lot, was more than we had invested in the truck, so we pushed the truck to the edge of the hill, and we coasted down to the edge of town, where we used a chain from the 1946 Dodge Coupe to pull it onto our 735 Eldorado Street lot. One of the rear tires, had developed a bump such that it wore the lug bolt holes oblong and partially wore through the lug bolts, and the motor connecting rods finally gave out a mere 5 miles from town. We had bicycles and other items wired to the sides (Okie style), and saved room between the mattresses and aluminum shell top to sleep in comfort at night. We used the truck to store items in, while we boys slept in the same 6 man tent we had used in our logging expedition up on the Uintah National Forest, when Joseph and I logged the dry timber and green lumber for our 155 West 100 North, Vernal, Utah, home. Dad finally gave the truck away and it was used for many additional years by a Crescent City, CA, local handy man.

2 comments:

Alex said...

If it hadn't happened to my family, I'd never believe that story. Pretty amazing.

Katie Parent said...

That is an amazing story. Thanks for posting that.