This past Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day the best we could given the current COVID-19 outbreak restrictions. My wife’s mother passed a number of years back, so one of the few things we were allowed to do under the current restrictions was visit the cemetery where she is buried. After paying my respects to my mother-in-law, I went “next door” to visit my grandparents (George and Rose Helgeson) who are buried nearby and wish my Grandma Rose a happy Mother’s Day as well.
As I was brushing the grass clippings away from their headstones and pondering the current state of affairs I started to do the math and realized my grandparents were both in their later twenties when the great pandemic of 1918 (aka Spanish Flu) occurred.
Given the current pandemic media bombardment, you have probably learned about the Spanish Flu and the devastation it caused over one hundred years ago. Unlike the current pandemic that is targeting older people with underlying conditions, the Spanish Flu targeted healthy people, especially those in the 20 – 40 age group. This meant my grandparents were prime targets during the 1918 pandemic.
Photos via author, Dave Helgeson
Life always moves on
My grandparents survived the pandemic (or I wouldn’t be writing this) and went on to operate one of the earliest “house trailer” dealerships in the State of Washington called Central Trailer Exchange.
In the 1930s the acronym “RV” was more than 40 years in the future and the differentiation between a travel trailer and mobile home hadn’t yet occurred either. When I came on the scene I fondly remember regularly visiting the dealership where my dad worked and traveling to Wally Byam Caravan Club rallies in an Airstream trailer with my family along with my grandparents in their Airstream.
Growing up I never recall my grandparents mentioning the Spanish Flu, or being cautious around people at family outings or social gatherings like trailer rallies. Things were just normal, which brings me back to my ponderings while cleaning their headstones.
I happily came to the realization that yes, this pandemic will also pass, and normal will return where we can once again enjoy family gatherings, enjoy social gatherings under the shade of an RV patio awning and more.
Pondering the past of my RVing grandparents has helped assure me of what’s to come. Yes, many more adventures in RVing with friends and family are in everyone’s future.
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
I enjoyed your story, and thanks for remembering grandparents.
Dan
Hi Dave, imagine my delighted surprise when I was reading your articles and opened the one about your grandparents and there was a pic of my great Aunt Rose and Uncle George!! I hadn’t looked at your name while reading or I would have recognized you before!! We live here in Washington now and would love to chat with you!
Shari,
I just discovered you comment. The website doesn’t notify me when no comments are received or I would have replied earlier. Feel free to contact me via this link https://seattlervshow.com/contact-us Don’t want to post my number on a public site as the dreaded robo callers might find it.
Great Story and the moral of it. I live in the State of WA. I don’t see the “Central Trailer Exchange” anywhere here. Did it change it’s name?
Back then people use their heads not like today as the young don’t care as I have herd them say it only get the older sick people. They don’t say much about the babies it is killing. I open my business a month ago and no one person comes in with mask or gloves as they just don’t care. Me I’m 67 and not the best health for the last year. I told a group of them about not complying with the safety we need to do to get rid of this epidemic we are in. That is also when I told them that I have been thinking on closing the shop for good, Then I herd a big O no and I said I would rather close then have them come in and risk my life and started in 1982. Wow the next thing was you sell mask and gloves I need some. This what I see every day they run around like nothing is going on and you can’t get near our Wall Mart as they are not doing anything but looking after their self. I happen to be the only that sell items I do and do the repairs that we do so if I’m gone they haft to drive minimum of 1 hr. Just a thought
Thanks, I needed that😁👍
When I was growing up in south King County there was an airstream dealer across the street from us. His name was Paul with your same last name and he was friends with my folks. Are you related? My parents had a small restaurant at the time and he came in all the time. Just curious.
That would be my uncle Paul
Some people may not realize it but ALL age groups are in danger. Yes, older people (over 65), people with underlying conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, COPD, heart problems, etc.), young people -even those in the best of health, and children, are at risk. This COVID 19 does not respect anyone, whether they are millionaires, or very poor, well educated or poorly educated. All are at risk. Some of us may be more at risk, but it won’t let anyone get away if they become contaminated. The best we can do is wash our hands, stay at home or be away from others, socially distance ourselves, and wear a mask!
Thanks for your article. We’ve all gone through some rough times in our lives, but this one will change how we live our lives for years to come.
Thank would have been my Uncle Paul
My grandmother rode the train from Illinois to Arizona in the fall of 1918 to start her missionary work at Ganado. right in the heart of the Navajo Nation which was hard hit with the epidemic during her time there. She was 24 years old and would spend the next 5 years doing missionary work in Arizona & New Mexico, and returned safely back to Illinois only to die at age 50 of cancer. I have many pictures and letters documenting what they went through in those times, tending to the native people out on the land at all hours of the night and day, rarely even an automobile was available and much was done on horseback. When they got an ambulance they had to be careful not to let anyone die in it or the superstitious native people would never get in it again. If they though a patient was going to die they would pull over and get them out. Sadly I never got to meet my grandmother as she died 13 years before I was born.