Helen Korngold Diary: July 7-13, 1919

Helen Korngold, Dec. 1919, New York City

This year I am sharing the 100-year-old diary of Helen Korngold of St. Louis, MO. After Helen graduated from Washington University she went on a family trip to Pike's Peak and other tourist spots in Colorado.

July
Monday 7

Walked thru Garden of the Gods – sandstone & granite – 5-mile hike – quite interesting but not so pretty – went to movie in evening.

Tuesday 8

Pretty tired. I like the Monument Park – lunched at Elks – home – wrote cards – slept.

Wednesday 9

Left for Estas – had a fine trip, met some nice people. Staying at Crags. Exterminated all the moths & bugs.

Thursday 10

Looks pretty nice out here. Rested all day – beautiful place. Lovely mountains. The cays – just in front of which is Big Thompson Stream – Very lovely.

Friday 11

Went down to village. Met a boy from N.Y. Interesting. Looked around shops quite a bit. Home – Had a campfire dinner. Liked it very much.

Saturday 12

Went to village with Burots (?). Met N.Y. again. Quite interesting. Home – slept – rested well. I love this place. Met Edith Johnson & Mary Barkdall, lovely girls. Also a Mr. Mitchell – too gay. Met Mr. & Mrs. Neiman – darling.

Sunday 13

Girls & I having a fine time. Edith & I went to village – met Dave – went to his hotel, played violin & sang. Had a dandy time. Home. Sat around & talked & ate.

NOTES:

The Garden of the Gods

The Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915 and the city of Estes Park was established in 1917. The Korngolds were part of the early 20th c rise in tourism, thanks to trains and motor cars improving transportation to scenic areas.

Learn more about Estes Park at https://www.visitestespark.com/estes-park-centennial/estes-park-history/

Estes Park main street in 1912

July 12

At the beginning of Helen's diary is a page of addresses, including Mary and Edith's.

Mary E. Barkdall, 1534 W Garfield Blvd, Chicago Ill

Mary was born in 1880. On November 27, 1919, she married Emery E. Jett. They had a son Emery Emmett Jett. Mary's parents were William M. Barkdall (1850-1927) and Elizabeth Taylor (1853-1921). There is a family tree on Ancestry.com

Edith Helen Johnson, 7914 S Carpenter St, Chicago, Ill 808-175 W Jackson

November 1919 article in Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction CO
"...believes that we are hiding our light, not under a bushel, but behind sage brush covered hills, and that not only should there be a campaign of publicity, intended to bring tourists to this city, but that local residents should be awakened to the real beauty and Importance of the Monument."


August 1919 article Daily Sentinel
The article states that trains to Colorado Springs were filled to capacity, breaking all records.

Helen Korngold Diary: May 5-11, 1919

This year I am sharing the 1919 diary of Helen Korngold. Helen was a student at Washington University in St. Louis, preparing for a career in teaching. I researched Helen and the people, places, and events mentioned in the diary.

Helen Korngold, December 1919, New York City

Monday 5
Practiced with Selma Levinson – School. May Day practice. Home – Practice – study.

Tuesday 6
School – practiced with Selma – Home –

Wednesday 7
Practiced – School. Played for Wednesday Musicale. It was real exciting. Wrote to Summer.

Thursday 8
School – not much excitement – home – received news of my election to Wednesday Musicale. Quite pleased. Sophie Stampfer – Mary Stillman – Harry Vogel & Dan Wolf coming over. Membership meeting. Bed at 12 bells.

Friday 9
Spent all day reviewing 138 for regiment – Harry Goodman came here. Glee Club concert in the evening with Pauline & Arthur Sarason & Karol. Had a good time.

Saturday 10
School. Dreadful exam in Hist. Pauline Carps, Grandma’s & home. Practiced & then took bath & to bed.

Sunday 11
Sunday School – Study – Satellites with Nat Aaronberg. Good time.


NOTES:

May 5

A Selma Levinson appears in the 1917 St. Louis City Directory living on Waterman St. She was a student.

May Day is a traditional and ancient springtime rebirth celebration dating to the Druids and adopted by the Romans.

May 7

The Wednesday Musicale was perhaps part of the Wednesday Club, which was founded in 1890 for civic improvement and for continuing education and advancement of the arts for women.

May 8

Mary Stillman on the 1910 St. Louis Census was 12 years old and living with her father Isaac (age 42, Yiddish, immigrated in 1884), mother Nettie (16), and siblings Maynard (14) and Edmund (10). Isaac was a merchant of gent’s furnishings according to the census and the St. Louis City Directories.

The 1920 Census shows Mary, age 23, living at home. Mary was not employed. According to his death certificate, Isaac died on March 10, 1936, of a burst appendix. Nettie (born Oct. 31,1874) died on July 25,1957, of heart disease according to her death certificate. They are buried at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodel Cemetery in Clayton, MO.

A December 22, 1929 story in the Jefferson City Post-Tribune reads, “St. Louis, Dec. 21—When the bandit appeared, he shouted, “Oh look at all the policemen at the door.” That is what Isaac Stillman, clothier, did here yesterday and the robber fled.”

Harry Vogel: There are several persons who this could be.

May 9 (University holiday)

Harry Goodman could be a number of persons in St. Louis, such as the 22-year-old son of Russian immigrant Simon, age 70, and Pauline, age 64 who appear on the 1920 St. Louis Census. On the 1916 St. Louis City Directory a Harry Goodman is listed as in ‘pants’.

Glee Club was an organization of Washington University.

St Louis Dispatch Article, May 11, 1919

Pauline Francis Sarason was in Helen’s Senior Class. She appears in the 1917 Washington University yearbook Hatchet on the Varsity basketball team. She received Final Honors in her graduating class in 1919. Final honors were awarded on the basis of having taken twenty half upper-level courses in the Junior and Senior years.

May 11

Nat Aaronberg may be Nathan Aronburg, the youngest of seven children to Max and Anna Aronburg. Max was a Polish/Russian immigrant born in 1848 who was a merchant on the 1900 St. Louis Census. On the 1920 Census, Nat and his mother Anna are living alone together and Nat was a clerk in a jewelry store. On the 1930 Census Nathan and Sadie Aronburg appear; Nathan is a sales manager in a jewelry store.

Ads from the Sunday, May 11 St. Louis-Post Dispatch: