Where Is This?

This photo belonged to Maymie Wilson Martin.  There was no additional information written on the back, but it looks like a Martin family outing.  Maymie is sitting on the right side of the rock.  The two little boys would be Wilbur sitting in the back and LeRoy sitting in front.  The man on the left should be Elmer.  Judging from the ages of Wilbur and LeRoy, I would say this photo would have been taken about 1933 to 1934.  

The big question is WHERE?   Most likely in the Four Corners area, but not sure of the exact location.  Maymie and Elmer would have been living in Dove Creek, Colorado at the time.  Maybe around Bluff, Utah, or somewhere in Monument Valley, Utah?  Perhaps near Moab?

Martin Family Outing
L-R: Elmer, Wilbur (top), LeRoy (bottom), Maymie

  UPDATE to this post, Click Here.

Riding Pigs

Did you ride Pigs as a child?

While I did not ride a pig as a child, I had family members who did when they were young.  Maybe that was all they had to play with? What is interesting is that I have found pictures from both paternal and maternal sides of my family of children riding pigs.😊

The first two cute photos are from my paternal side and were taken at Dove Creek, Colorado in about 1934.  Wilbur and LeRoy were playing cowboys(?) or maybe good guys against the bad guys. Whatever it was they were playing, it involved riding pigs🐖🐖.  In the first photo, Wilbur is riding the pig in the front and LeRoy appears to be chasing after him with his toy gun pointed right at Wilbur.  The pigs don't seem to be moving very fast (if at all) and the pigs don't seem bothered by the fact that little boys are riding on their backs.  The second photo is just of Wilbur riding a pig while shooting his toy gun in the air.

Wilbur and LeRoy Riding Pigs (colorized)

Wilbur Riding a Pig  (colorized)

Next is a photo from my maternal side.  It was taken around 4 years later in about 1938.  Verna is trying to get her baby doll to ride a pig🐖.  Pig looks like he is ready to take off and wants nothing to do with Verna or her doll.  Photo taken about 1938 at Summit Point, Utah.  

Verna and doll with pig

 

All of these photos have been colorized using MyHeritage In Color

Korean War Veteran

In honor of Veteran's Day 2022, I would like to Thank all Veterans and especially the Veterans who have served from our family.  This Veteran's Day, I will highlight a Korean War Veteran in the family - Charles W. Martin.  The photos and letters in this post belonged to his mother, Maymie Martin, and were found in her photo box.

Charles Wilbur "Chuck" Martin
Korean War

C. W. Martin was drafted into the Army in 1950.  He was sent to basic training at Fort Ord.  Fort Ord was a United States Army post in Monterey, California.  According to wikipedia, Fort Ord was a staging area for units departing for the war in the Korean War.  

After basic training and before shipping out for Korea, Wilbur's parents, Elmer and Maymie, made a visit to Wilbur at Fort Ord during Christmas time 1950.

Wilbur and his dad, Elmer Martin.
Christmas 1950 Fort Ord, CA

Maymie and son, Wilbur
Christmas 1950 Fort Ord, CA

After his parents left to drive back home to Yuma, Arizona, Wilbur sent a post card to them.  There are several things I want to point out on the postcard.  First, he put his brand "/H" on the top of the back of the card.  Secondly, he signed the card as "Chuck", which is a nickname for Charles.  Although I remember him occasionally being called Chuck, I mainly remember him as Wilbur.  Since horses were always Wilbur's first love, he asked his parents how the horses were when they arrived back home🐎🐴.  

Postcard to parents, 28 Dec 1950

Perhaps before shipping out

The following photos are of Wilbur while serving in Korea.

Wilbur in Korea.

Wilbur was a camp cook for a while. (colorized)

Below is a letter written by Wilber to his parents on 23 July 1951.  Note that he was just 200 yards south of the 38th parallel line.

Letter written to parents from Korea.
23 July 1951
200 yards south of 38th parallel line

The following is a photo of 1947 Korean money that Wilbur sent his parents.  Both the front and back are shown.  A notation is made on the back - "Korea - Chorwon".  Not sure if Chorwon is where Wilbur obtained the money or if it is the location of the image on the money.  

Charles Wilbur "Chuck" Martin

Korean War Veteran 

Related Posts:

Honoring Our Veterans 

Maymie's Picture Show 

Maymie Wilson Martin