By the 1930s, Americans who could afford a car, could travel across the nation from coast to coast on various highways. There were no interstates yet but many states had paved or gravel highways. Newlyweds, Burrell and Emma McCord Lawton of 5706 University Avenue, trekked from Irvington to Colorado in the spring of 1935 where they visited with relatives. The following year, Mr. Lawton volunteered for his employer to return a car that had been stolen from Los Angeles. He brought his wife with him for the epic adventure. Together, they traveled across the Great Plains where they might have glimpsed the devastation of the Dust Bowl, through the Rocky Mountains, and eventually to California. The couple managed to snap several photographs of their journey. Once they reached Los Angeles, they purchased bus tickets for the return ride to Indianapolis.
1936--Returning a Stolen Car to Los Angeles
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| Emma McCord Lawton of 5706 University Avenue enjoyed the views at Estes Park, Colorado in 1936. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| In 1936 Burrell Lawton of 5706 University Avenue volunteered for his employer, the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company Insurance Company, to return a stolen car to Los Angeles, California. He was very a organized person and likely drove for hours only pausing in certain locations like Estes, Colorado. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| The Lawtons traveled through the treacherous Red Mountain Pass in Colorado in 1936. Today the road is paved. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| Burrell and Emma McCord Lawton marveled at the beautiful scenery as they passed through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in 1936. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| The Lawtons visited the Eagles Nest in the Petrified Forest of Arizona in 1936. In 1941, the unusual formation collapsed after heavy rains. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
In March of 1937, Emma and Burrell Lawton traveled across the United States once again except this time they did so with Emma's parents, Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. The main purpose of the trip was to visit Emma's sister, Pauline McCord Campbell who lived in Cave Creek, Arizona. The McCord sisters had grown up in Seymour, Indiana. In fact, Harvey and Ada Belle still owned their Seymour home in 1937 although they had lived at 5706 University Avenue in Irvington since 1932.
By all accounts, Pauline McCord was a talented young woman. She was a bright student and an outstanding vocalist. After graduating from Brownstown High School in Jackson County, Indiana, Pauline made the decision to become a nurse. While taking a course at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis she came into contact with someone who had tuberculosis. That unfortunate moment changed the trajectory of her life. Tuberculosis, a bacteria that invades the lungs, was a death sentence for millions of humans. In 1930, there was a strong belief that drier climates helped TB patients breathe, so Pauline left her Hoosier family and moved to a TB camp in Cave Creek.
Pauline lived in a couple of cabins over time at the colony. While there, she met twenty-five-year-old Clifton Campbell, a divorcee and fellow TB sufferer. They married in 1934. He hailed from North Carolina and listed "real estate" as his occupation. They lived in their own cabin by 1937 when her family came to visit.
A beautiful late-winter snow fell upon Irvington just as the Lawton-McCord families departed for Arizona. Either Burrell or Emma grabbed a camera and took a photo of the Irving Circle Park. Then, they departed on their journey along Route 40 stopping first in Greenville, Illinois, which also had snow on the ground. Eventually, the foursome made it to Arizona where they toured many sites including the Coolidge Dam and the Grand Canyon.
At Cave Creek, Arizona, the Lawtons and McCords reunited with Pauline. Photos reveal that she was quite thin and likely suffering. The cure for TB would not be discovered until 1944 so Pauline had to endure the ravages of that dreaded disease. The family had much to think about for the long trip back to Indiana. A Seymour newspaper article noted that Harvey, Ada Bell, Burrell, and Emma made it back to Irvington by early April.
Sadly, Pauline McCord Campbell passed away in September of 1937. Her husband Clifton died months later also from the effects of TB.
1937--Visiting Pauline McCord Campbell in Arizona
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| Before departing for Arizona, the Lawtons snapped this snowy image of the Irving Circle Park from their front porch at 5706 University Avenue in March of 1937. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| The group encountered more snow on their first stop at the intersection of North First Street and Beaumont Avenue in Greenville, Illinois in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| During healthier times, Emma McCord (left) posed with her sister Pauline McCord in the early 1930s before Pauline's demise from tuberculosis. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| Emma McCord Lawton posed behind the wheel of the family's 1934 Chevrolet Master in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| Harvey and Ada Belle McCord of 5706 University Avenue stood near the Coolidge Dam in Arizona in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| Many TB sufferers from the eastern United States moved to places like Cave Creek, Arizona as drier climates were supposed to be better for those who suffered. Pauline McCord moved to this site in 1930 and remained for seven years. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| In 1934, Pauline McCord married Clifton Campbell. The couple met at the TB camp in Cave Creek, Arizona. Both died within months of each other from the disease. This photo is possibly of Mr. Campbell although we are not certain. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| The McCords and Lawtons toured the rim of the Grand Canyon in March of 1937 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) |
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| Ada Belle McCord (left) bids good bye to her daughter, Pauline McCord in March of 1937. Sadly, Mrs. Campbell died six months later. |
Sources: Information for this post came from the unpublished family history written by Steve Lawton. Other sources include The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana), March 16, 1937 and April 9, 1937. To learn more about the TB camp at Cave Creek, Arizona, click on the link below.
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