This is the same Fred Carleson Ford as the easily recognized 1934 Santa photo, Salt Lake City
Saturday, January 03, 2026
George Jelinski, Eagle Scout of Poland, on his round the world tour (good idea for "scouting" as learning self preservation is inescapable while driving around the world) stopping at San Fran city hall in 1928
Jelinski left Warsaw on May 30, 1926, in a white Ford that was named “A Scout Is Clean”, paying all expenses of the trip by lecturing and writing articles for Polish newspapers. (That's a long name for a car, but the clean white thing is quite clever)
Jelinski's tour took him through Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Yugoslavia, and Italy where he met with with Benito Mussolini, and Sicily, where he embarked for the North African shore.
He drove through Tunisa and Algeria to Casablanca in Morocco, and had traveled about 19,000 miles, the mileage being attested to and verified, by various foreign automobile clubs.
He left Casablanca for America on an export steamer, arriving in Manhattan in August. In Washington he was greeted by President Coolidge in Sept. When he arrived in Detroit, Jelinski was received by the Polish consul for Detroit, who presented him to the Mayor. (Detroit had a large Polish population)
He addressed several Polish-America organizations during his several days' visit here. The Polish Falcons of District 13 raised the funds for a new Buick to replace the light weight Ford model T he had worn out
The happy presentation was made by the owner of Stanley Krajenke Buick, who also presented Jelinski with a membership in the Detroit Automobile Club, the seventeenth organization of its sort which has welcomed him since he left Warsaw.
JFK was photographed in front of Krajenke Buick 30 some years later
Jelinski was also welcomed by James E. West, chief Scout executive of the United States, on behalf of the 870,000 Scouts in the United States. From Detroit his route was through Toledo, Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee and other cities.
He continued his journey to San Francisco, and left on the ship Taiyo Maru, and on July 13 arrived in Hawaii, then rode to Japan, where he traveled from Yokohama to Kobe, arriving there in mid-August
He planned to return to Poland through China, but there was a civil war going on there, and he gave up the idea of traveling to India at the last moment due to insufficient financial resources. Jeliński left Japan around September after visiting Nagasaki, then set out for Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The expedition was described in the book "Under the Polish Flag by Car Around the World" published in 1929 by Władysław Umiński. The book is free online, but in Polish. https://www.ee.pw.edu.pl/~kwestorm/jelinski/uminski_jelinski.pdf
His grandson made a replica of the Buick
a replica of the Ford is in the Museum and Centre of the Scout Movement in Krakow
After his time in the scouts and his round the world tour, he was a sailor and returned to the USA, going to Hollywood to learn to be a cinematographer. He studied modern film techniques and camera operation in Hollywood, becoming a professional cameraman.
Returning to Poland in the mid-1930s, he founded the Laborpat company, which dealt in film processing and production.
During World War II, the Germans confiscated equipment from Laborpat, destroying the company. Jeliński was participant of the Polish-Bolshevik War, and member of the resistance movement during World War II.
After WW2, he established a rickshaw and handcart factory.
He died in 1986
It's uncommon to find photos of Boy Scouts as they are too young to drive, typically. I remember the ones using a wagon to hike from Minnesota to San Francisco for the 1914 Pan Pacific Expo though https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/01/1914-kids-were-made-of-tough-pioneer.html
The scouts from Brazil that drove a Jeep to Canada https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2023/02/coffee-and-dunts-video-in-1955-three.html
The scouts on the Lincoln Highway with a covered wagon in 1928 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/03/i-think-i-posted-this-before-but-cant.html
in a 1927 article, U. S. Boy Scouts trekking through foreign lands were mentioned:
Sixteen Eagle Scouts from Wayne, Pa., were welcomed by the acting Lord Mayor of London.
Eight Sea Scouts from Chicago constitute part of the crew of the John Borden-Field Museum expedition, now collecting fauna in Arctic regions.
Two Scouts from Excelsior, Minn., are officially carrying greetings to Denmark.
In 1926, the following outstanding men were made honorary scouts:
Robert Abram Bartlett
Frederick R. Burnham (horse mounted messenger for Western Union, actual US Cavalry scout, taught by native American Army scouts, fought in the Boer wars, and then taught Baden Powell trail signs and woodcraft, then went gold prospecting in the Yukon, and wrote his excellent biography, that I've read and have a copy of and recommend, Scouting On Two Continents https://www.facebook.com/groups/1491191564434558/posts/1514731728747208)
George K. Cherrie
James L. Clark
Merian C. Cooper
Lincoln Ellsworth, polar explorer in above airplane, which was once buried by an 8 day blizzard, and he dug it out, with a teacup. The only implement he had at hand
Louis Agassiz Fuertes
George Bird Grinnell
Donald Baxter MacMillan, arctic explorer next to his tracked vehicle, 1927
Clifford H. Pope
George Palmer Putnam, Amelia Earhart's husband
Carl Rungius
Stewart Edward White
panel paintings... on this early of a vehicle... that's interesting for 1921. But look at the length of that tool box! I don't think I've seen any of the wood rim era cars with a full running board length tool box
California Automobile Association Truck posed reading 'We are signing the Victory Highway, San Francisco to N.Y.'
The side of the White 3/4 ton truck is painted with a view of SF Bay
So, this was part of the AAA roadside sign campaign
Whoa... another of those San Francisco hippies without a job, looking to get rich and famous for doing something useless and stupid, who failed. Probably part of the fad that popped after the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days
By 1894, dozens, if not hundreds of walkers, started to participate in an “around the world on foot” craze. For some it was a legitimate attempt, but for most it was just a scam to travel on other people’s generous contributions.
Some, like the Wanderwell Tour actually went the distance, made movies, used airplanes, etc in the 1920s and 30s. Then gave lectures at colleges etc.
The typical scam went like this: They claimed that they were trying to walk around the world to win thousands of dollars on a wager, but they had to do it without bringing any money. They needed to be funded through the generosity of others, get free room and board, and free travel on ships. Walkers came out of the woodwork and the newspapers were fascinated by these attempts.
Eventually some in the press started to get wise. These walkers started to be referred derisively as tramps, globetrotters, cranks, fools, or “around the world freaks.” One reporter wrote, “A great majority of these wanderers upon the face of the earth are men who would rather do anything than work.” Another astute reporter identified many of these walkers as “frauds, traveling over the country practicing a smooth game in order to be wined and dined.”
An Englishman in his early 20s, who had previously attempted to bicycle around the world, agreed to a wager of $10,000 to walk around the world in three years, with the stipulations that he push a wheelbarrow that would hold his possessions, travel with a dog and a cat, and that he not cut his hair the entire time; if either dog or cat died he would have to forfeit $500 per each pet from his winnings.
He based his pseudonym on a figure from English folklore (who actually existed), whose cat was skilled at reducing the rodent population.
His wheelbarrow weighed over 150 lbs when loaded, and was specially built to work on railroads with flanged wooden wheels.
To no surprise, walking across America pushing a wheelbarrow was not successful.
By July he was broke and planned on making money by selling photos (like everyone else I've posted about who biked across the country), selling advertising on his barrow, and lecturing.
His travels across the plains to St. Louis and Chicago were hard and exhausting, but he kept up a pace of over 20 miles a day. By early February 1896 (when this picture was inscribed) he had reached Pittsburgh, after months of winter weather, where he had a prolonged stay due to flu-like symptoms, respiratory problems and hemorrhages.
After two months he left for Philadelphia, arriving there in June, 1896, so worn out and sick that he died in a Philadelphia hospital on June 12.
Tragic ending to someone who was far likelier to live a long healthy life, if they had a boring hobby, and stayed home.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/277349764229
Some, like the Wanderwell Tour actually went the distance, made movies, used airplanes, etc in the 1920s and 30s. Then gave lectures at colleges etc.
The typical scam went like this: They claimed that they were trying to walk around the world to win thousands of dollars on a wager, but they had to do it without bringing any money. They needed to be funded through the generosity of others, get free room and board, and free travel on ships. Walkers came out of the woodwork and the newspapers were fascinated by these attempts.
Eventually some in the press started to get wise. These walkers started to be referred derisively as tramps, globetrotters, cranks, fools, or “around the world freaks.” One reporter wrote, “A great majority of these wanderers upon the face of the earth are men who would rather do anything than work.” Another astute reporter identified many of these walkers as “frauds, traveling over the country practicing a smooth game in order to be wined and dined.”
He based his pseudonym on a figure from English folklore (who actually existed), whose cat was skilled at reducing the rodent population.
His wheelbarrow weighed over 150 lbs when loaded, and was specially built to work on railroads with flanged wooden wheels.
To no surprise, walking across America pushing a wheelbarrow was not successful.
By July he was broke and planned on making money by selling photos (like everyone else I've posted about who biked across the country), selling advertising on his barrow, and lecturing.
He arrived in St. Louis, Missouri in October. “He went in the evening to the exposition, where his quaint costume of sombrero, black sweater, and canvas leggings attracted much attention. He had a large rattlesnake skin wrapped around his hat and several large rattles dangling from the hat buckle. He showed the book in which he collected all the official stamps of the post offices along the route.”
His travels across the plains to St. Louis and Chicago were hard and exhausting, but he kept up a pace of over 20 miles a day. By early February 1896 (when this picture was inscribed) he had reached Pittsburgh, after months of winter weather, where he had a prolonged stay due to flu-like symptoms, respiratory problems and hemorrhages.
After two months he left for Philadelphia, arriving there in June, 1896, so worn out and sick that he died in a Philadelphia hospital on June 12.
Tragic ending to someone who was far likelier to live a long healthy life, if they had a boring hobby, and stayed home.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/277349764229
Once he got to Seattle, the war between Japan and China put a stop to that Westward route, and he planned to ride the rails using a railroad handcar to San Francisco, then catch a steamer to Hawaii, then Singapore, etc, but by San Francisco he gave up, the railroad took pity on him, and astutely offered him a job utilizing his expertise as a railroad traveler, the railroad inspector position
winner of the Old Crocks' race in Porterville, California on November 11th, 1921, driven by Dick Loehnert at the annual Armistice Day celebration
Friday, January 02, 2026
perhaps his honey do list included picking the kids up from school, and 20 gallons of milk. 1905 Moline 18Hp Model B Light Touring
How long do you suppose that milk was going to last without refrigeration?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)