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ANNA P. HASTINGS : 1932 ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN DIARY OF A YOUNG WOMAN’S TRIP FROM COAST TO COAST ON A GREYHOUND BUS, SEEING SIGHTS, VISITING FRIENDS, AND LIVING LEISURELY IN GREAT DEPRESSION ERA AMERICA

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is the 1932 travel journal kept by Anna P. Hastings, a young woman travelling by Greyhound bus across the United States to tourist spots and friends homes along the way. Beginning in her home town of Waltham, Massachusetts, Hasting’s travels to California and then all the way back.This very scarce first person account of an early Greyhound cross country trip covers a mostly pleasant ride in the era before the Eisenhower Interstate System, however there are times where Hastings is obviously unhappy and disappointed with the trip, though they are few and far between. Along the route, she stops at National Parks, museums, Indian Reservations, roadside stops and stands, but most often at the homes of friends. It may be that Hastings had once lived in Southern California, as she seems to have many friends and acquaintances that she meets and stay with in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Davis, California. The journal begins on June 3rd, 1932. She writes, “Left Waltham at 11:30. Went thru beautiful country Springfield to Leonx and Dalton and Pittsfield. The streams seemed very low but the gardens and laurels were beautiful and green. Think I drove all night when I wasn’t watching the stars come out. We are in Albany at one o’clock then had ? with in Syracuse and din’t stop till we got to Buffalo.”; “June 6, Mon. Saw acres and acres of corn and wheat growing. Coming into St. Louis we crossed the Mississippi on a very long bridge. Had a very nice diner in Ellington, Ill. Had supper in station at St. Louis. Arrived at 5.15and had to wait for bus to take us on our way to Kansas City. The natives say summer has just arrived here and it is hot.”; “June 7, Tues. Saw miles of wide open spaces. had breakfast at the Pickwick dinner in Junction City and super in Ellis. Never felt more dirty in my life. Nothing much to see but cattle and horses and mile & mile of grain fields with once in while a village with good looking school house and churches.” On the way to California, Hasting’s comments often on the scenery and the things she sees out the window. She especially likes the landscape and scenery of the Southwest. The bus even stops at the Grand Canyon which she describes as, “so vast and so wonderful it seems to get you more and more as you look at it and realize it has taken millions of years to create.” On June 10th, a week after leaving Waltham, Hasting’s arrives in Hollywood, California and stays with her friend Miriam for a month and a half. At Miriam’s, she sees a number of movies, goes shopping with Myra (Hasting’s bus companion) and Miriam, and visits the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where she sees “the finest collection of statuary in the country and a stained glass window of The Last Supper I think I shall never forget. It was the most beautiful thing of its kind I ever saw.” For the time at Miriam’s, Hasting’s spends her time in leisure, waking late, enjoying the beautiful weather, and visits various touristy spots, including Laurel Canyon and the Huntington Memorial Library. A typical day in L.A. reads like this: “July 14, Thurs. It seemed as if the sky was never more clear and blue. We left about ten o’clock and drove to the San Juan Capistrano Mission arriving at noon. A guide took us there and told us how it was built in 1774 and the church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1812. The chapel was rebuilt and services have been held for 154 years. We drove home by the shore road about 190 miles in all.” On July 30, the 1932 Summer Olympics (Games of the X Olympiad) begin in Los Angeles, “with a very impressive ceremony. We read about it in the papers.” In early August, Hasting’s travels up to her friend Alina’s house in San Francisco. This is just for a few days, and after less than a week in San Francisco, she returns to Miriam’s. A week at Miriam’s and then she goes to Berkeley to stay with her friend Sadie. “Aug. 2, Sn. We slept later than we intended to and got thru breakfast a little after ten. June took Sadie + Alina + Margaret + me to Antioch where we looked up Caddie’s oldest sons Henry & his wife. He was very glad to see us & told us his son Harry was on a trip around the world on the S. S. President Pierce and would be in port in Boston in Nov. His next port of call for mail will be Alexandria, Egypt.” From Berkeley, Hasting’s goes to a friend’s (Edmund) home in Davis, then she begins a trip back home. “August 30, Tues. Arrived in Chicago after riding all night and were advised to spend the night. We decided to go on to Indianapolis. After supper we left for Indianapolis arriving at 2.30. Changed busses + left at 3 AM for Columbus. We were late leaving + missed the bus at 11.58. Had dinner then got the bus out after 5. It was a lovely ride over hill and dale past fine farming country full of fruit and grain.” The trip home is a bit longer as she stays with a friend (Edith) in Wheeling, Illinois, spending much of the time “talking and resting.” After a week with Edith, Hasting’s finally leaves to go back home for good. On September 9th, more than three months after leaving, she arrives back in Waltham. “Left N.Y. at ten o’clock and after many delays that seemed terrible long we arrived in Waltham and at about eight-thirty. Everybody seemed very glad to see us. Margarete phoned to Allan and he came right up and took us home. Talked awhile then took a bath and went to bed. 11 PM seemed too good to get into my own bed once more. Came home by way of Springfield, Worcester, Marlboro, Dudley and Wayland to Waltham.” Finally, there are 4 pages of “Cash Accounts” where Hasting’s has written down the item purchased, the date of its purchase, and the cost. Her ticket across the country and back cost her $108.3. In total, she spent more than $200 on her trip over the course of 3 months, a very significant amount in the midst of the Great Depression. There are also 15 pages of names and addresses of friends and family, mostly from Massachusetts. The diary is filled with approx 100 double sided pages full of material and each entry is fully filled out in Hasting’s easily read script. The writing is in pencil and is once or twice smudged, but the overwhelming majority of the book is very legible. The cover shows some wear, but is still in very good shape and has the word “TRAVELS” embossed in gold. Structurally the book is in excellent shape. It also contains a little holder with a pencil in it, possibly the one Hasting’s used, though that cannot be confirmed.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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