Veil, Duster and Tire Iron

by Alice Huyler Ramsey

She wrote Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron decades after the trip, at the time when distance allowed her to openly discuss the trials and triumphs of the journey. (American Road magazine)

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Priscilla Pennington]

My library got the children's version by Sarah Glenn Marsh and after reading it I had to know more about Alice. She took on this adventure at a time when women didn't even have the vote! I'm pretty sure there also weren't a lot of female mechanics either. She and her companions endured: bad roads, including not much more than "wagon, or horse trails," as Alice called them; bad weather, including the rainy season for Iowa and summer heat in Nevada, with only a South African water bag for relief; bad accommodations, including bed-bugs, the four of them sleeping in one room, and even having to sleep in the car, with her "feet on the dash and steering wheel poking" her in the abdomen; bad nutrition, including "bread and butter and sugar" and having to "walk a short distance to the nearest farmhouse" to ask for nourishment. I enjoyed reading about their adventure and learned alot about what life was like in circa 1909.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming and friendly chronicle of the adventure of the first woman and her constant companions to drive across the United States in 1909. Written by the driver herself, it is an exuberant celebration of her accomplishment, described with feeling and authenticity. Ebook version available through HathiTrust ~ highly recommended for anyone interested in feminist pioneers, early automotive history, or just American travel memoir. Truly charming.