From the Badlands to the Tetons: A 1930s Family Road Trip West

Long before smartphones and GPS guided travelers across the country, the Pease family packed their car and headed west. Their destination? The landscapes, attractions, and adventures of the American West. Fortunately for us, they brought a camera along.

The following photographs are part of a photograph album documenting the Pease family’s road trip from Minnesota to the Tetons in the late 1930s. Along the way, they stopped in the Badlands, Rapid City, South Dakota, and Yellowstone National Park, capturing the sights, wildlife, and experiences of their journey.

The Journey Begins

The Pease family started their vacation in Minnesota, stopping at Sutton Tourist Park in Austin, Minnesota before making their way to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The dramatic landscape of the Badlands provided one of their first real opportunities to photograph the scenery that made the West such a popular destination for travelers.

Dinosaur Park

Just outside of Rapid City, South Dakota, the family encountered Dinosaur Park, a reminder that no road trip is complete without at least one roadside attraction.

Roughing It

Their travels also included a stop at the Strato Bowl Dude Ranch, where the family embraced the popular dude-ranch experience. Strato Bowl was once the location where a hot air balloon explorer gained a world record by reaching 72,395 ft in elevation. Photographs show the family participating in the activities that allowed visitors to play at being Westerners for a few days.

The Mountain Takes Shape

As with any road trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota, the family visited Mount Rushmore where the monument was still under construction. Their photographs offer a glimpse of the enormous sculpture before it became the finished landmark familiar to visitors today.

Entering Yellowstone National Park

The Pease family arrive at Yellowstone National Park, coming in through Gardiner and the north entrance. In the park, they take in all the sights, camping near Lake Lodge and seeing the stunning views of Yellowstone Lake.

The Bears of Yellowstone

Bears were a popular attraction for Yellowstone visitors in the 1930s, and the Pease photographs capture several remarkably close encounters between wildlife and automobiles. The bear feeding grounds photograph shows just how much tourist/wildlife relationships in the park have changed since the 1930s.

The Wonders of Yellowstone

Along the way, the Pease family took in some of Yellowstone’s most wondrous sights, from erupting geysers to colorful hot springs and other geothermal features.

Camping in the Park

True to their “roughing it” mentality earlier in the trip, the Pease family spends several nights camping throughout Yellowstone. Their photographs capture a quieter side of the trip, away from the park’s famous attractions.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was another must-see destination, with the family taking in its breathtaking vistas, winding river, and views from Artists’ Point.

South to the Tetons

Rounding out their road trip, the family traveled south to the Tetons, taking in grand mountain landscapes, scenic lakes, and abundant wildlife before spending some family time enjoying the river.

Want to see more of the Pease family trip? View the entire MS 136 Lois Barker Photo Album collection in our digital collections here.