Sedona, AZ: “Traveling by Tin Lizzie, the Great Model-T Road Trip of 1924" by Laura Purtymun McBride, has been re-printed by the Sedona Heritage Museum after having been out of print for almost 30 years.
Born of Sedona pioneer families in 1910, Laura grew up with a zest for history and sharing its most interesting stories with others. The family endured many hardships on their journey, which covered seven Western states. Until her death in 1994, Laura was the oldest continuous resident of the Sedona area; her grandparents included Sedona’s first white settler, the first homesteaders, and the legendary Jesse “Bear” Howard.
The young girl was excited. “I don't know what inspired them to try something so wonderful,” she wrote. “It would have been impossible to say how lucky I felt when I heard about this big trip to Oregon and back home through California. Someone had told Papa there was a lot of money to be made working in the big apple orchards along the Columbia River. We hoped to reach there by fall and get rich before continuing our travels.”
Young Laura Purtymun described herself as “freckle-faced and gawky” but she was blessed with a fine wit and a talent for writing. The story of the arduous eight-month trip with her extended family makes a captivating read.
At age 13, she kept a diary of the trip and years later turned it into a fascinating book, “Traveling by Tin Lizzie; The Great Model-T Road Trip of 1924.” It’s a tale of good times, very difficult times, fun, hard work, no work, starvation, anxiety and hope – and above all, adventure. The book has been out of print since 1980, but the Sedona Historical Society has just republished it to commemorate Laura and the 100th anniversary of Ford’s Model T line.
For information or to order a copy, please contact the Sedona Heritage Museum (928-282-7038), info@sedonamuseum.org, or visit the Sedona Heritage Museum at 735 Jordan Road in Uptown Sedona.
Article courtesy of Janeen Trevillyan.
Posted December 22, 2008.
