We ore currently camped in Rock Island, IL right across the river from Davenport, Iowa. Yesterday, the 15th, we loaded a bus and went to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Homestead in West Branch, IA. The library was dedicated in 1962 and President Hoover and his wife are laid to rest on a small knoll overlooking the library and tall grass plains of Iowa. He was the only President from Iowa and they are proud of it. He was raised as a Quaker, at that shaped him for his time in public service.
Hoovers father and mother passed away before he was 11 years old. With two dimes sewn into his pocket he went to live with his paternal uncle in Oregon. Hoover was studious and took up studies at Stanford where he discovered his interest in engineering. He also met the love of his life and future wife, Lou Henry. He took a job as a clerk in a San Francisco consulting firm of Louis Janin. He so impressed Janin, that when an Australian mining firm asked Janin for a suggestion of an engineer to work for them in Australia, he recommended Hoover. Hoover arrived in western Australia in 1897. The gold field mines were located in the Victoria Desert, a place Hoover described as a land of "black flies, red dust and white heat." He spent the next 18 months working for the company. He so impressed the company that they offered him a position as a Consulting Engineer with the Chinese Government to help develop mines in China. During his time in Australia, Hoover sent money home to his brother, sister and cousin living in the Bay area. He also started anonymously funding Stanford scholarships. This was a result of his Quaker upbringing, a belief in public service and helping others. He also coorosponded with his classmate, Lou Henry. When he was offerd the job in China, he sent Lou a telegram that said, "going to China via San Francisco, want to come?" She replied with one word, "Yes." they were married in the living room of the Henry home by a Catholic priest even though he was Quaker and she was Episcopalian. After the wedding the boarded the steamship Coptic and headed to China. The boxer rebeillion trapped them in China and he manned barricades, ran the water purigication unit and organized food supplies. They were evacuated to England but returned to China after the rebellion to restart mining operations. He was offered a Junior partnership in the firm and he & Lou moved to London. He went on to open up his own consulting business and amassed a small fortune of about $4M in 1914. He literally worked, lived and had consuting offices all over the world. These were known as the "Years of Adventure." He was elected in a landslide in 1929, but was only a one term President due to the Great Depression of which he received the blame, even though he was doing his best to warn Congress and any one else what was going to happen.
His Presidecny paled in comparison to what he did after he left office. He believed in the power of the individual to help and assist in disasters, he organized food drives and distributions to feed the starving children and others after WWII. He was a great organizer and believed that all could help in one way or another. I could go on and on but suffice to say he is one of the most under appreciated people of our nation. He finally returned to his beloved Iowa to be buried next to his wife on a grassy knoll overlooking West Branch and the grassy plains.
On the way back to our RV park, we stopped for lunch at the Iowa 80 truck stop. This is the worlds largest, according to them, and it certianly seems like it. Imagine a Buckees but for truckers and you know what I mean.
Here is a picture of one of the first electric trucks. This one delivered milk in Chicago.
Here is the description of the vehicle. Kind of a long way to a Tesla, huh?
All in all it was a very good day and we were treated to this beautiful sunset that evening at the park.
Tomorrow is a free day, which means we will sleep in late and then do some cleaning. We are scheduled to board a river boat for a dinner cruise at 6pm. The following day we will pull up stakes and head to Hannibal, MO for a chance to see Tom Sawyers cave. In fact, the RV park we are staying at has it on site and we are scheduled to tour it. Hope you all have a great week and thanks for coming along with us.
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