Historical Society to meet October 7

A Yellowstone Trail Program will be presented by the Glenwood Area Historical Society on Sunday, October 7th at 2:00 p.m. at the Glenwood City Community Center.

This is the 100th birthday of the founding of the Yellowstone Trail Highway in America and the first marked route to go through the northern states from Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts to Puget Sound, Washington. Locally the trail passed through Menomonie, Knapp, Wilson, and Hersey, by using State Highway 12.

Barry Prichard from Puposky, MN, grandson of Michael Dowling, will speak about a 1913 motoring trip from Minneapolis to Yellowstone Park, made by his grandfather’s family accompanied by two other families from Oliva, MN. They were the very first people to “blaze the trail” to Yellowstone Park in a 1913 Oakland 6-60, a 1912 Model T Ford, and a 1911 Buick. Only two cars survived the return trip, and the description and pictures of the eventful and historic trip are terrific.

Dowling was the third president of the Yellowstone Trail Association. Without lower legs, without one arm, and without most of his fingers on his remaining hand after losing them at the age of 14, he became a national public speaker, a school teacher and administrator, a bank owner, an auto garage owner, and a celebrated public figure.

Everyone is welcome and, if you own one, please bring your older antique automobiles to show at our meeting. A freewill lunch will follow our program.