A website has been launched as part of a National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The website is The Women on The Mother Road. Here is text from the Introduction you will find on the website:
“The “Mother Road” as it was coined by John Steinbeck has struck a chord with Americans and an ever growing international audience since its inception in 1926. Its roughly 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles still represent the ultimate American Experience, and almost 100 years later it still beckons the traveler. However, the narrative of the road, as conveyed by popular culture and historical works, has primarily focused on men and often overlooked the experiences of women and girls.
This project, The Women On The Mother Road: Route 66 Web-site and Oral History Project is creating a public history record that sheds light on diverse women’s experiences within a specific but varying geography and over several decades. The time period covered by Route 66’s history from its inception in 1926 to its demise in 1985 and then to its ongoing rebirth represents a national steady march forward for women on all fronts including the domestic, political, social and economic spheres of their lives. The oral histories gathered fit into this wider women’s history context.
That said, the American Experience is not homogeneous and a woman’s experience of a particular decade is impacted by factors beyond just the decades in which she lived and her gender. The oral histories identified for this project reflect the diversity of the people who live and work along Route 66 from Chicago to California.“
Check out the story about the Gypsy Coeds on the website, with a focus on their 1940 trip to California, following Route 66 for a major portion of their trip.
Classic and Sports Car Magazine is the Worlds best selling classic car magazine. James Elliott has written a wonderful article about the Gypsy Coeds and the Silver Streak.
To view the article click on this link CSC_010716_039_084200-2
There is a fondness in our hearts for the Wheels O’Time Museum. We took our parents and our son there many times, and the museum was the firs to place the Silver Streak in exhibit in 2012.
The attached podcast was recently taped and includes Jeff Griffin, President of thePeoria Chamber of Commerce speaking with Bobbie Rice, Marketing Manager at the Wheels O’Time. She talks about how and when the museum started and what it has to offer in addition to cars and trains! She also tells of the return of the Silver Streaks and Gypsy Coeds to the WOT in September.
http://www.peoria.life/chamber-chat-widecast/2016/6/14/13b-wheels-otime-museum
The July issue of Classic and Sports Car Magazine out of the UK has an Article about the Gypsy Coeds and the Silver Streak in their July Issue.
The Silver Streak is a big part of the 2016 Model T Homecoming at the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana, and the promotional campaign is well underway. I will be in the museum telling stories of the adventures of the Gypsy Coeds and autographing copies of the book, Darlene’s Silver Streak and The Bradford Model T Girls all day Saturday June 4. For more information go to http://www.modeltfordclubofamerica.com/homecoming/event-information/
We are pleased to announce that the book, Darlene’s Silver Streak and The Bradford Model T Girls is now for sale at the Bradford Public Library, 111 South Peoria Street in Bradford, Illinois. 
Hours at the library are:
Monday—Thursday 10AM to 7PM
Friday 10AM to 5PM
Saturday 9AM to Noon
Closed Sundays and Holidays
For more information, visit the library’s website: http://www.bpld.org
When we delivered the Silver Streak to the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana on April 7 & 8, Tana Weingartner of WVXU, the Cincinnati NPR affiliate came to the Model T Museum to conduct an interview and see the Silver Streak. That interview aired this morning on WVXY. The Interview and a slide show can be heard and seen on the WVXU website. The Silver Streak will be on exhibit at the Model T Museum until August 9, 2016.
http://wvxu.org/post/20-women-8-summers-and-one-and-only-silver-streak
We delivered the Silver Streak to the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana on Thursday, April 7. The welcome poured out by the City of Richmond and the MTFCA’s Model T Museum was tremendous. We were greeted at the Richmond Visitors Center by City dignitaries, Museum staff and members of the local Model T Club, “The Henry Hoosiers” From there we caravanned through the downtown area of Richmond to the historic Depot District where the museum is located. The Silver Streak was unloaded and wheeled into position in the museum. Thursday evening was a reception and book signing. Friday included a private showing for the merchants in the Depot District and book signing. If you are in the area of Richmond, Indiana you need to make plans to visit the Museum. It’s right off of I-70.
From the I Know You Like a Book Facebook Page: “Set your alarm clock and join us on Friday, April 8th from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. (this is not a typo!—it starts at 4:00 a.m.) for a live broadcast of NPR’s Morning Edition at our store! Yes, I Know You Like A Book is going national with Morning Edition host David Greene. There will be limited seating and floor space for those who would like to stop by to hear live radio. Please check our Facebook page for updates as we receive more information on the event. The host, David Greene, will hang out at the store for a “Meet & Greet” from 6:30 a.m. to approximately 8:00 a.m.”
I Know You like a Book, 4707 N. Prospect, Peoria Heights, IL is now stocking and selling Darlene’s Silver Streak and The Bradford Model T Girls.
“Join us on Saturday, April 16th from 2-4 p.m. for a book signing with local author John G. Butte. He will sign copies of his book, Darlene’s Silver Streak and The Bradford Model T Girls. Butte penned a wonderful book about his mother, aunt, and eighteen of their friends who spent summer vacations traveling in a 1926 Ford Model T. The book and the original car were the featured exhibit at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.”
MTFCA Press Release_Silver Streak 03 28 16
Click to Download
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 28, 2016
Susan Yaeger, Executive Director
Model T Ford Club of America
765-855-5248
susan@mtfca.com
Gypsy Coeds Ride the Silver Streak Exhibit
Coming to Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana
Long before Thelma & Louise rode off in their ’66 Thunderbird convertible, there were the Gypsy Coeds. In the mid 1930s and early 40s, this group of fiercely independent young ladies would pack themselves and a few belongings into Darlene Dorgan’s silver 1926 Model T Touring Car (dubbed the Silver Streak) and set off during the summers in search of adventure.
Darlene and various combinations of 19 other girls made eight trips, logged over 71,500 miles and found adventure at every turn. They met the reclusive Dr. Dafoe and watched the Dionne quintuplets play outside through a one-way screen. They attended the New York and San Francisco World’s Fair; met movie stars and moguls, dignitaries and corporate leaders; slept in parks, schoolyards, jail cells and by the side of the road; and formed a special bond with Henry Ford who hosted and assisted the girls on many occasions.
John Butte had heard stories about these trips from his mother (one of the Gypsy Coeds) and, upon her death in 2011, was determined to find the car. He tracked it to Portland, Oregon where Darlene’s descendants had taken it after it had sat in storage for decades at the Dorgan’s Bradford, Illinois home. John purchased the Silver Streak and brought it back to the Bradford area. Remarkably, the exterior had never been restored…and it still ran. Butte’s desire to preserve the car quickly evolved into preserving its history as well.
An exhibit entitled “Gypsy Coeds Ride the Silver Streak” was created by the Peoria Riverfront Museum and John Butte that tells the stories of the girls’ travels through 44 states, Mexico and Canada at a top speed of about 45 miles an hour. After its highly successful debut at the Peoria, IL museum last fall, the Silver Streak — along with pictures and fascinating information about the Gypsy Coeds and their trips — will be on display at the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana from April 9 to August 7, 2016.
The Model T Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM and is located at 309 N. 8th St., Richmond, Indiana in the Historic Depot District. It features an impressive collection of vehicles including one of the first Ts and one of the last, a Pietenpol airplane,
T-related memorabilia, reference materials and an extensive gift shop which includes copies of John Butte’s recently released book, “Darlene’s Silver Streak and The Bradford Model T Girls.” For more information call the Model T Museum at 765-488-0026.
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Three Photos attached.
Hi resolution files available upon request.
Please email susan@mtfca.com or phone 765-855-5248
The Silver Streak 