Keeping Up with the Johnsons

A 1923 National Park Road Trip

Over a dozen 1920s cars with tents attached park in an auto campground at Mount Rainier National Park. People mill about their camp sites in a clearing surrounded by trees and mountains.

"National park road trip." The phrase conjures up images of adventure, iconic sites, favorite snacks, and great music or podcasts to pass the drive time.

Now imagine taking that road trip in 1923—before the interstate highway system (and its rest areas) or even Route 66 was built. Although automobile associations existed, and road maps were available, crucial road-condition information came from fellow travelers. In the National Park Service (NPS), only 12 miles of roads were paved throughout the entire system.

How would you fare without motel chains, convenience stores, and fast-food restaurants at every interstate exit? Or without heat and air conditioning in the car? Could you fix the car yourself when it repeatedly broke down? How many arguments would erupt in a car without a radio or GPS system? Would you feel safe knowing that most states didn’t require driver's licenses and even fewer required exams to get them? Or that most cars didn’t have seatbelts?

These are just some of the conditions that people like Pete and Flo Johnson experienced traveling across the United States in 1923. Could you do it? Buckle up and let’s find out!

Get to Know Pete & Flo

Studio portrait of Rozelle "Pete" Johnson with slicked-back hair and wearing a suit and tie.

Rozelle "Pete" Johnson, ca. 1921.

Pete was born Rozelle Parker Johnson in Parkersburg, West Virginia, on December 24, 1899. He graduated from Denison College in 1920. In the early 1920s he worked as a high school teacher. In 1933 he earned a PhD in Latin and Greek from the University of Illinois. He taught classics at Shurtleff College, University of Illinois-Champaign, University of Vermont, Brown University, and the University of North Carolina. Pete enjoyed fishing, hunting, and boating.

Florence Denning Johnson, 1922.

Flo was born Florence Lovie Denning in Ravenswood, West Virginia, on February 16, 1899. She graduated from Huntington College in West Virginia. She got a job teaching school in Charleston, West Virginia, where she met Pete. Flo enjoyed art and handicrafts. She was what we would call today a lifelong learner.

Pete and Flo married on June 6, 1922, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Their first daughter was born in 1925. The second came two years later.

Before they started their family, however, Pete and Flo had a cross-country adventure.

"Our Trip West"

Route taken by Pete & Flo Johnson during their 1923 road trip.

June 5. Starting odometer: 15,396

Total miles traveled: 0

June 5-June 21

Parkersburg, West Virginia, to Golden, Colorado

June 5–21. Odometer: 17,261

Total miles traveled: 1,865

June 23–29. Odometer: 18,333

Total miles traveled: 2,937

Colorized postcards of Petrified Forest National Monument, ca. 1925

Colorized postcards of Grand Canyon National Park, ca. 1925

July 4–15. Odometer: 19,853

Total miles traveled: 4,457

Scenes of Sequoia National Park, ca. 1923

July 21–25. Odometer: 21,026

Total miles traveled: 5,630

July 27–August 5. Odometer: 23,122

Total Miles Traveled: 7,727

August 9-August 21

Cody, Wyoming, to Parkersburg, West Virginia

August 9–21. Ending odometer: 25,562

Total miles traveled: 10,167

Learn More

Want to know more about the Johnsons’ journey? Read their  travel diary  for yourself.

Explore more content from the NPS History Collection by clicking the button below.

Brochures, ticket stubs, and other materials Pete and Flo collected during their journey.

Credits:

Story Map Development

Elizabeth Loomer and Nancy Russell, NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center

Editor

Virginia Reams, Harpers Ferry Center

Modern maps

Alex Fries and Elizabeth Loomer, Harpers Ferry Center

Special Thanks

Susan Hoskins, granddaughter of Pete and Flo Johnson, for sharing family photographs and insights into their characters.

Source Material

Based on the diaries and other materials from the Pete and Flo Johnson Collection (HFCA-01653).

Rozelle "Pete" Johnson, ca. 1921.

Florence Denning Johnson, 1922.

Route taken by Pete & Flo Johnson during their 1923 road trip.

Brochures, ticket stubs, and other materials Pete and Flo collected during their journey.