PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Townsend woman who has a historic journey of her own will cut the ribbon for the Smithsonian exhibit “Journey Stories” when it opens at the Jefferson County Museum on Saturday.
Ruth Short, 95, will cut the ribbon at 11 a.m. at the museum at 540 Water St., Port Townsend.
The exhibit traces four centuries of American journeys.
Using a wide range of visuals, audio clips, music, maps and artifacts, “Journey Stories” brings to life the personal paths of immigrants, slaves, explorers, business tycoons and historical figures whose travels have led from the Mayflower to the Northwest.
Short journeyed from North Dakota to Port Townsend in 1927.
The trip west was made in a “house-car,” which may have been the first recreational vehicle ever built in America, the historical society said.
Short’s parents and their five children traveled 1,345 miles in three months.
“My dad designed the house-car and had it built by a cabinet maker,” Short said.
Inside were three single and two double beds.
Eight people could sit at the table.
“We had a three-burner gas stove, a battery-powered radio and a built-in clothes hamper,” she said.
The family was accompanied by their pet canary, Pete, and their collie, Queenie.
The house-car was fabricated on a 1927 Ford Model T truck chassis.
“Journey Stories” will be on exhibit until Oct. 17.
It will include local components including projects completed by students during the Jefferson County Historical Society summer history camp.
The exhibit is sponsored by Humanities Washington and locally supported by Puget Sound Energy Foundation.
For more information, phone 360-485-1003.
