"Elmer" |
"After the Hayride" "Before" Helene (Szerejko) Dingle, left; Unidentified, center; Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, right |
"After" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, left; Helene (Szerejko) Dingle, center; Unidentified, right |
"Kris + Helene riding a pair of Army horses" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, left; Helene (Szerejko) Dingle, right |
"Jack on Patches" Jack Franks |
"Helene feeding Ambitious a daisy" Helene (Szerejko) Dingle |
"Jack + Patches" Jack Franks |
"Helene, Kris + Irv." Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, left; Helene (Szereko) Dingle, center; Irv, right |
"Time out for Dawsons " |
Helene (Szerejko) Dingle |
"Helene - leg art" Helene (Szerejko) Dingle |
Tumbleweed advertised moderate rates for modern, private log cabins with showers, as well as excellent food. The main ranch house was constructed of logs and contained an "Indian fireplace" decorated in "western fashion."
"Crisco Kid" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette |
"Kris Soaping Saddles" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette |
"Follies Cowgirls" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette |
"Follies Cowgirls" Helene (Szerejko) Dingle |
Another reader who vacationed at Tumbleweed between 1951 and 1952 contacted me and said the people who ran Tumbleweed did not discriminate against Jews when other resorts did. I found a 1941 advertisement for Tumbleweed in the Jewish Chronicle which substantiates this. My reader said the folks at Tumbleweed were fun and "open-minded" during a time of discrimination and prejudice. She told me she met a group of girls there, and they became friends for life. Some guests, like my mom and her sister and this lady, returned to Tumbleweed year after year.
"Shoeing Powderpuff" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, left; Jack Franks, center; Elmer, shoeing Powderpuff |
"Kris, Rex, Helene" Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, left; Rex, center; Helene (Szerejko) Dingle, right |
I'm not sure why my mom and her sister stopped going to Tumbleweed after 1945. Maybe the end of the war changed things and opportunities for other types of vacations opened up. I do know that my mom loved Tumbleweed and talked about her time there fondly. Mom worked at the Ration Board during the war, so maybe after the war she had different friends once she moved on to a new job and she and her sister decided to explore new destinations for their annual summer vacation.
"The sister act" Irv, back row center; Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, second on the right; Helene (Szerejko) Dingle, far right |
Jack Franks sold Tumbleweed around 1958 but remained in the guest ranch business. According to a newspaper article he operated the largest ranch for children on the East Coast, at least into the 1960s. Tumbleweed eventually became a riding camp for teens in the 1960s and 1970s. If you are interested, there is an active Facebook group devoted to sharing memories of Tumbleweed.
This concludes this year's visit to Tumbleweed. See y'all next year!
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