By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

If you lived in Bluffton during the summer of 1947–76 vacations ago–chances are your vacation plans were announced on the front page of The Bluffton News.

And, if you don’t believe this, simply scroll to the bottom of the feature and see for yourself. You will discover the vacation plans of over 50 Bluffton families.

This became a Bluffton News feature for several reasons. First, during the years of World War II gas rationing and the fact that new automobiles were not built put a crimp on vacations. So, 1947 was the first serious year for vacationing since 1941.

Second, it appears that several Bluffton businesses and industries closed down over the week of Fourth of July. So, if you planned to head out of town, early July was the time to go.

Third, our guess is that a smart editor of The Bluffton News (Ted Biery) probably walked to the Triplett plant where his Presbyterian buddy L.R. Triplett worked. Ted probably had a form that he had permission to pass around to employees inquiring about their vacation plans.

Face it, after several years of no vacations, most everyone in Bluffton who was taking one wanted everyone else to know where they were headed.

You’ll see such exotic locations on the 1947 vacation list as Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Mission, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Wilberforce Lake, Canada; Pike’s Peak, Colorado; Oakland, California; and New York City.

The entire 1947 vacation list follows from the front page of the July 3, 1947, Bluffton News: 

Click HERE for the list.