"one needs not necessarily go to Europe" -- Lombardi visit the Yoho Valley

Smithsonian Institution, 1913

In 1906, Maurice Lombardi was about to take up a new job in Dallas after having been in Portland for several years.  Part of his contract with E. L. Belo company was that he would never spend summers in Dallas.  And so before moving to Dallas, he, his wife, daughter Lucy (my great grandmother) and son Conelious took a month vacation to the Canadian Rockies.  They stayed several days at Lake Louise and then went onto the Yoho Valley which the Canadian Pacific Railway was making into a destination as well.  They met a Mrs. and Miss Emerson on their trip -- it is unclear if this was intentional or just one of those fortuitous meetings of like-minded people.  Maurice notes that the Emersons were relatives of Ralph Waldo Emerson in some manner.  Once they reached the Yoho Valley, Mrs. Emerson and Mrs. Lombardi stayed at the Lodge at Emerald Lake.

Library of Congress 1902

Maurice, Cornelius, Lucy and Miss Emerson went off on horseback with a guide to go up to the Yoho Valley and see the glaciers that created the Twin Falls.  The Canadian Pacific Railway had set up camps for guests to stay in after each day's ride, complete with as Maurice notes "tents, beds, clean linen, and an attendant at each place."  Maurice was most impressed with the mechanics of the Twin Falls.  In the morning, the rate of melting glacier was only enough for one fall, but by the afternoon both were falling intensely as the sun increased the rate of falling.  He clearly gloried in the adventure and used it to promote as the title of this piece suggests the attitude that not all wonders needed to be found on other continents.
  

Library of Congress, 1900-1910

The Lombardis of Valle, Airolo, Switzerland

My great-great grandfather, Cesar Lombardi, wrote between 1913 and 1918 a series of letters to his grandchildren (including my grandfather Joe Barber) detailing his life history.  These letters were published for the family and enough copies given to each family.  We ended up with an extra and was able to donate a fair copy to Rice University, which Cesar Lombardi helped found. 

Lombardi notes that he first lived in a tiny village, Valle outside of Airolo in Switzerland.  Not much seems to remain of the village based on this picture from a hike through the area:

 But Airolo itself is beautiful town, nestle in the mountains, and a regular on steep road races.

Young Lombardi's life seemed to pretty good to him in retrospect: he calls his parents "honest but poor" and notes that most people in the area had about the same amount.  They owned their house, some land to farm, domestic animals.  They had food, flax to make linens, and enough to keep them warm. Still, he closes his first letter by noting:
  "But we had no luxury—no coffee, no tea, and very little sugar—nothing outside of our own production except wine, which was served as coffee is in American families."

An interesting change, but perhaps if you are working very hard, wine can work like coffee.  In front of a computer all day, I'd be very sleep.  

[I'll share some more of his adventures in future posts.]