Bean Ticket Letters

[upper right corner] Flagstaff, Ariz.

July 6, 1930

Dear Mrs. Smith, – You see I have changed my address! We left San Diego a week ago Today after deciding it was dead and buried, and no hope of any financial success there. A friend of Ernest's, who has been looking out for him, heard of a good position open here, and we just took a last chance, packed our things, stored our boxes and trunks ready to ship. Took the two boys and came here. We left the oldest boy on the ranch where he is earning his living and $30 a month, and certainly had wonderful luck because Ernest has a position as assistant manager of the clothing department of the largest store here, and in three months will take over the buying and managing of that and another large clothing store owned by the same people, and at a salary that will enable us to really live and accomplish something. Isn't that quite reward enough for several months of aching uncertainty? I must tell you about our 600 mile trip up here. We were held up three times by car trouble in the blazing heat of Arizona desert country, 110° all day & most all night. – 116° in another Town. We left the mountains last Sunday night at 6, and dropped down into the Imperial Valley – drove all night with the burning, oven heat of the desert in our faces – a sickening heat that makes you nearly faint – and stopped at 3 A. M. with serious car trouble at a

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tiny little place called Mohawk, Ariz. – where there was a road side hotel, a garage and a water Tank for the Santa Fé. No one was awake, and we sat there until 6 – found a mechanic, who discovered we had burned out a bearing to a connecting rod, and after seeing that he phoned to Phoenix for another, got two rooms and went to bed. We were held up there until Tuesday morning, – and in such terrible heat that all we could do was to lie flat and put cold cloths on our heads, throw cool water over us and pray that the express train would bring that bearing! We left Tuesday, managed to crawl into Gila Bend. Where we found that the Mohawk place had put a piston in our car that was too small, and evidently to replace ours that had been broken by them. It had broken the piston rings – so we stayed there in a desert wind storm, heat 116°, and were there for six hours! While our car was jacked up on chains, the back of the garage next door caught on fire and every man in Town ran for the hose cart and to save the new cars in that show room. There was our car, and any minute the garage was liable to go! A Tourist came in to get his car out and he helped Ernest unwind the chain and roll the car out. Well, that was all that happened there! We reached Phoenix at midnight, went to bed in a cool Tourist camp, with showers etc, and left at daybreak. That was a beautiful day, on Wednesday. We crossed the Arizona Divide and reached Prescott at an altitude of 5,500 feet, and found a big Rodeo in progress, and the streets crowded with cowboys, trick riders, beautiful

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horses, and all sorts of excitement. I held a pet horse for a cowpuncher while he bought a new piece for a bit or saddle. The horse had a magnificent saddle of Spanish Embossed leather, with silver mounting, and he could nod his head in answer to questions, kiss his master, and bow. These cowpunchers – are certainly fascinating. They wear the gaudiest silk shirts, green, blue, orange, with big white sombreros, black Spanish leather boots with cutwork, silver spurs and white or Tan riding breeches. We left Prescott at noon and reached Williams, the Grand Canyon "gateway" about three, and drove from Then on through a magnificent mountain country covered with huge yellow Arizona pines. We arrived in Flagstaff about 5 to find a great Indian Pow-wow, the South Western Tribes of Navajos, Hopis, Zunis, Apache, Wallapais [Hualapai], Utes and Mojaves all gathered here for – a grand reunion. Such gorgeous costumes I never saw before. They are probably an old story to you, but to me they were wonderful. The men wear purple velvet blouses, beautiful silver belts with great pieces the size of saucers, hammered out of Mexican pesos by Hopi craftsmen, silver and turquoise chains, rings, bracelets and ear rings, headbands and high moccasins, and carry their gorgeous woven blankets over their shoulders. Their squaws were splendid in long, full, ruffled skirts of crimson or green, with beautiful blankets or shawls of Hopi work, & their babies tied

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on their backs by the shawls. I took a dozen pictures and hope they will be good. There were devil dancers, medicine men, old chiefs and every sort of Indian in full ceremonial costume, and Their horses! – Wonderful. Flagstaff is 6,900 feet high, and almost surrounded by mountains, and the peaks are 12,500 feet high. The San Francisco mountains are right north of Town, and the Grand Canyon is only 80 miles away. The National Petrified Forest is a four hours drive, and Montezumis [Montezuma's] Castle – cliff dwellings – is just south of us. The Painted Desert is less than 50 miles east of us, so you can see we will have same wonderful experience. We have rented a house for a year, but dont [don't] know the number or sheet yet, so address me General Delivery – This is a little place of 5,000 and a typical jumping off place, – and about half the Town is owned by the concern where Ernest is working. Aren't we fortunate? I cant [can't] believe our troubles are over.

Well, I must close – will write you later. – I know you are bored to death!

Love,

Nell Greene

Mrs. E. C. Greene Gen'l. [General] Del. [Delivery] Flagstaff, Ariz.

193.

[Postmark: Flagstaff, Ariz. July 7 1-PM 1930]

[Green stamp: UNITED STATES POSTAGE (Image of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN) FRANKLIN 1 CENT 1]

[Red stamp:UNITED STATES POSTAGE (Image of George Washington) WASHINGTON 2 CENT 2]

1st letter after leaving San Diego in 1930 July

Mrs. Marshall Smith 741 W. Michigan Ave., Jackson, Michigan