Chapter 6 - 8920 Euclid Avenue

The cabin had no running water but there was a cistern nearby where we could pump water for washing clothes and bathing. For drinking and cooking water we carried a bucket down a hill to collect water from a spring. Since the cabin had no bathroom, we had to hike up the hill to use an outhouse. We had electric lights in the kitchen, in the bedroom and on the front porch. The stove used Kerosene for cooking and there was an assortment of pots, pans, plates, glasses and eating utensils in the cupboards.

A large tub was in the kitchen. We used this to heat water on the stove for bathing or for washing clothes. There was a table and four chairs on the screened front porch where we ate all our meals.

Daddy had lived on a farm when he was a boy so he had experience with similar accommodations. Mother had no experience and this must have been very difficult for her. I think she knew that this was the only choice she had for right now. She missed her baby and she missed her home. She may have shed many tears when she was alone. There was no telephone in the cabin but some neighbors shared their phone with her so she could stay in touch her family

Food? We did have food to eat so there must have been groceries available somewhere. For a child of seven I did not worry about food. It was supposed to appear on the table three times each day. Looking back to this situation as an adult, I am still puzzled about what the source of our food was.

The owners of the camp owned a horse and buggy. Maybe they had a car. Maybe they could get to a grocery store. Maybe Mother could give them a list of her needs and they would get things for her. But how did she pay for them? There is no one I can ask now.

For me, the situation was tolerable. There were other children living nearby. The owners of the camp took us riding in the cart once in a while. Remembering back to these days, I felt safe enough to walk around the country block early in the morning. A railroad track on the other side of a large meadow was visible from our house. Counting the cars as they passed along the track was a game we played. There were times when I counted more than 100 cars pulled by one engine.

A horse and buggy belonged to the camp owners and sometimes they let one of their boys to take us for a ride.

Daddy had started working as an office manager for my Grandfather (Dad Shack) who owned a wallpaper and paint store. It did not pay a lot but it was grocery money. To get from 8920 Euclid to Dad Shack’s store, he walked along Euclid Street until he came to a railroad bridge, then he walked under the bridge until he came to the stop for the Dodson Streetcar.

The walk was long and the wait was long because there was just one car on the Dodson line. It went from the town of Dodson at 89th Street to a stop called Waldo at 75th Street and Wornall Road. There he took the Country Club street car which took him to downtown Kansas City.

The comfortable life style that our family had become accustomed to would not be coming back soon. Hopes for the future were not clear. It was not possible to foresee the return of a livable income, the acquisition of a home, or a plan for the education of their children.

Many families were going through the same thing so we were not alone. But we were fortunate in many ways. The four of us were healthy. Our parents had marketable skills and they were determined to hang in there until times got better. We also had relatives and friends who were able and willing to help us.

In late summer we had to move again because the cabin had no source of heat for the winter and there were no elementary schools nearby. So Daddy packed the Chrysler with all our belongings. We had to wait until dark before driving back into the city because the license for our car had expired and Daddy did not have the money to buy a new license.