1937 Trip-Canada

 Trip to Callendar Ontario Canada to see the Dionne Quintuplets

With successful trips in 1935 and 1936 behind her, Darlene was open to more daring adventure for 1937 and would not have trouble finding willing travelers to join her. They, a group of girls, had not yet run into a mechanical problem with the car that they were unable to take car of or have taken car of by a mechanic or repair shop. They had been treated warmly as they drove the highways and byways of Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. There was a phenomenon in Canada that the whole world had been talking about, the live birth of identical quintuplet baby girls three years earlier, the Dionne Quintuplets, and the Canadian government had made it possible for sightseers to actually view these toddlers at play. There was almost a hysteria around the world about these babies at this time.

For this trip, Margie, Darlene’s youngest sister, who was between her junior and senior years of high school, would accompany her. While from Bradford, Margie was attending a Catholic girls boarding school in Clinton, Iowa, “Our Lady of Angels”. Eleanor Butte would be a repeat from the 1936 trip. Clare Breen, who had gone on the 1935 trip would join up to go again in 1937. Clare would convince her high school classmate and best friend Helen Fuertges to join them. Again, they would have a 6th passenger for this trip, Ruby McDonald, who had graduated from Bradford High School in the same class as Eleanor Butte and Olive Bell who had gone on the first two trips would join the group and venture across the boarder into Canada.

The Silver Streak would travel all the way to Callendar, Ontario Canada, more than 200 miles north of Toronto to see the Dionne Quintuplets. Not only did they see the Dionne Quintuplets, but it was reported that they were entertained at dinner in the home of Dr. Allen Roy Defoe, who helped deliver the quintuplets and is credited with helping all 5 survive. The girls along the way drove thru Detroit and visited Niagara Falls. Ruby McDonald kept a detailed account of the cities and towns they visited along the way. On their return, they stopped again at the Wisconsin Dells area for some relaxing camping before heading back to Bradford.