Imagine this in 2019

[46 woodie]

I just finished reading an article on Henry Ford and his camping trips. On one of his trips he was accompanied by Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, Luther Burbank and PRESIDENT Harding! The story states that his Lincoln touring car became bogged down in the mud on a back road in West Virginia and his chauffeur went to seek help. He returned with a farmer, driving a Model T. After they pulled the Lincoln free, Henry introduced himself and told the farmer that he was the person that built his car. He then pointed out Firestone and told the farmer that "he made your tires". He pointed to Thomas Edison and said "he is the man that put electricity in your house" and pointing to Harding said "that man is president of the United States". When he pointed to Luther Burbank, Henry said "do you know who this man is"? The farmer replied "no but if he is the same kind of liar that those fools are I wouldn't be surprised if you said he was Santa Claus". I don't know if the story is true, but can you even remotely imagine several titans of industry AND the President of the United States on such a trip in todays world!

[TerryB]

No, it speaks to a much simpler time in history.  

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, 46 woodie said:

I don't know if the story is true, but can you even remotely imagine several titans of industry AND the President of the United States on such a trip in todays world!

 

I think most must remember when the three C.E.O.'s of GM, Ford, and Chrysler all knocked on the President's door, right after pulling up in their private jets back in 2009 asking for money!!

 

Craig

[John348]

No I can't imagine it, but then again I could not imagine those people "camping" as we know it even back then 

Edited December 9, 2019 by John348 (see edit history)

[46 woodie]

John, the camping that you and I think about, was far from the camping trips that Henry went on. The pictures show several "tents" with floors and a couple set up as kitchens complete with chef's. He also had several "support vehicles" that probably had several servants on board. You do have to give those guy's credit though, they thought they were "roughing it".

[greenie]

Sad that many years later, one of Henry’s SUV’s started to roll over and they blamed Harvey’s tires. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

10 hours ago, 46 woodie said:

...and pointing to Harding said "that man is president of the United States." 

 

I like looking at things logically.  And logic, to me,

indicates that that story is probably made up.

Who wouldn't have known in the 1920's that Harding

was the President, and what he looked like?  Farmers

got newspapers and magazines and could read.

And even Henry Ford was a very public figure,

probably recognizable to many Americans.

[mike6024]

Luther Burbank. I wonder of our local Burbank historian may have anything about that in the files.

[padgett]

Could see them meeting at a club in Palm Beach...

[zepher]

It was actually most likely Tesla that put electricity in that man's house.

Edison wanted DC and that would have required a substation every quarter mile and was wildly impracticable.

Tesla was pushing AC and that is the reason we have the widespread electricity we have today.

 

 

[mike6024]

 

the Four Vagabonds

 

Between 1915 and 1924, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs, calling themselves the Four Vagabonds, embarked on a series of summer camping trips. The idea was initiated in 1914 when Ford and Burroughs visited Edison in Florida and toured the Everglades. The notion blossomed the next year when Ford, Edison and Firestone were in California for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. They visited Luther Burbank and then drove from Riverside to San Diego.

[mike6024]

 

 

http://ppie100.org/adventures-of-the-vagabonds/

 

 

[CHuDWah]

1 hour ago, padgett said:

Could see them meeting at a club in Palm Beach...

 

 

for a round of golf followed by a most beautiful piece of chocolate cake

[JamesR]

One of the Ford biographies I read said that Henry would challenge his famous friends to races, log chopping contests and other "feats of strength" while on these camping trips. Kind of like Festivus, I guess.

[wayne sheldon]

They did go camping! And their camping may have included a chef and servants, but it was closer to real camping than most people today ever get. I would like to add, that does not include my son. He backpacks in, sometimes uses a tent, often, no tent, climbs mountains,  and so forth. Been awhile, but done that sort of thing myself a few times.

 

Over the years, I have probably seen at least fifty photographs taken on their trips. Many of the photos show the several greats lounging around, others show Henry chopping wood (he actually enjoyed doing that), or Henry and others clowning around. One photo I have seen shows Henry with a holster and a six-gun, clowning around a bit.

I don't know just how many such trips there were. The information given by mike6024, zepher, and JamesR  is pretty much in line with much of what I have read over the years. The three main  characters were Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison. Several others went on some of the trips, including Harding, Burbank and/or Burroughs (I have not confirmed either of those two, but have read their names a few times in articles on the camping trips). I know that Henry Ford gave John Burroughs a brand new model T in 1915 (there is a very famous photo of it!). However, John Burroughs was quite elderly by then,  so I don't know for sure if he actually attended any of the camping trips. I am fairly sure that Luther Burbank did go on at least one of the trips. 

[46 woodie]

I can see it now. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Computer, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft giving  President Trump a call and asking "hey Donald, want to go camping with us".

[Zimm63]

I would suspect that the average WVA farmer didn't have electricity in his house in the 1920s.  Rural Electrifiction didn't really get going until the late 30s, with the REA.