"Hoo but Hoover"

Fremont SRA, Nebraska

We were going to visit a fort today, but were feeling less than enamored with that idea. After a quick internet search we discovered that we were a short 25 miles from the boyhood home and Presidential Museum and Library of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President and first to be born west of the Mississippi. We were like a dog with his ears perking up, "What...squirrel?!"

We spent half a day getting to know quite a lot about Herbert Hoover. Honestly, what little I did know amounted to "Hoover-ville" tent cities during the Great Depression and drawings of him looking like the cartoon Monopoly character, a chubby man wearing a top hat and tails.Turns out Herbert was more complex and a greater humanitarian than I gave him credit for.

He was born in West Branch, Iowa, orphaned by age 9, raised by relatives and was the youngest member of the pioneer class at Stanford University, age 17. He majored in geology and made his fortune touring the world (Australia, China and England) as a mining engineer. He was raised a Quaker and these beliefs guided much of his life. After making his fortune (and then some), he became involved in the Public Sector. His claim to fame was leading the effort to feed the refugees and starving masses in Europe in the wake of World War 1. He believed that helping the poor was imperative, but this should be done by the private sector, through volunteerism and philanthropy, and not thru Government. He ran the U.S Food Administration, revolutionized the Department of Commerce and ministered to victims of the Mississippi Flood.

When he won the Presidential election it was by a landslide 444 to 87 electoral votes. Basically, his platform was keeping the Federal budget balanced and cutting taxes. After the Stock Market crash he expanded public works projects such as the Hoover Dam, called for an increase in the top tax bracket from 25% to 63% and an increase in corporate taxes. Some how, I don't see today's Republican Party supporting that platform! I think one of his greatest achievements under his presidency was expanding our national forests by more then 2 million acres. He was responsible for many of our National Parks. To name just a few, The Arches, Great Sand Dunes, Death Valley, George Washington's Birthplace, Canyon de Chelly, and White Sands.

What a difference 4 short years make. One story states that as the Depression grew worse, due to his Quaker upbringing he was reluctant to display any emotions regarding how badly he felt towards the plight of the common man. He was also reluctant to campaign and believed his proxies should do it. This backfired and he became the scapegoat for all things. As Will Rogers said, "If someone bites an apple and finds a worm, they'll blame it on Hoover." FDR beat him by 472 to 59 electoral votes. Ouch. Ironically, FDR's New Deal was based on many of Hoover's ideas. There was no love lost between these two and Hoover continued to fight the New Deal and rail against FDR for many years.

The museum was filled with great artifacts and numerous detailed displays. Some of my favorite things - the first program from a Stanford vs. Cal game, colorful stories about his time in China, how he saved Belgium Lace during the war, his future wife's dance card from Stanford with his signature (on line 9), and he was the first President to use an early version of the teleprompter, (called the tele-executive) which was on display. There was also a replica of his suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, where he lived for the next 25 years.

At the museum there was a traveling display on all the First Ladies. I was really looking forward to seeing this. Earlier this year I read a book entitled, "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies". It's written by JB West who was head usher for 3 decades and discusses in detail his memories of working with the First Ladies from Roosevelt to Nixon. This exhibit tied in so nicely with JB West's anecdotes. I loved seeing all their gowns and dresses on display. Mamie Eisenhower loved all things pink, and sure enough there was one of her pink dresses. It was also interesting to see a dress that Mary Todd Lincoln wore and one of Jackie Kennedy's suits. There was an article of clothing from all 44 of the First Ladies. And yes, there was even Lou Hoover's, (wife of Herbert Hoover) cadillac!

Ned and I also enjoyed walking around the grounds which was recreated as Hoover's boyhood village during the 1870's. We saw the microscopic house where he was born, his father's blacksmith shop and the Quaker meeting hall. His mother was a Quaker minister and even tho she died young, her beliefs had a profound effect on young Bert. If you're ever driving near West Branch Iowa, take a couple of hours and stop by. Well worth your time. (unpaid endorsement).

Thanks Iowa for such a fun time. Next time we'll look into the Bridges of Madison County or visiting John Wayne's birthplace. Onto conquering Nebraska.

Tonight we are camped at Fremont State Recreation Area, not too far into Nebraska. It's a series of small lakes with campsites dotting the shores. There are a ton of jet skiers and a couple of water-skiers out, but for the most part it's pretty chill. We got a sweet spot on a small bluff overlooking the lake.