Shot by an unknown amateur filmmaker, this color home movie features various segments from an American family in 1939/1940. This includes footage from the Lake Michigan shoreline, the Maquoketa Caves in Iowa and the aftermath of a United Airlines DC-3 airplane crash.
Wooded area (:10). In a backyard, a little girl holds a ball and walks around, another plays with a wheel barrow (:32). A little girl climbs a jungle gym; she is then lifted by a man on the ground (:58). Title card: Michillinda. This is either a beach community on the Lake Michigan, or summer resort on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Whitehall (1:38). Men and children fish from a pier (1:41). A child plays in the surf on a beach; other children join and play with a small boat (2:02). Men and women lounge on the beach (2:31). A three masted ship is visible on Lake Michigan in the far distance (2:40). Children play soldier and parade with toy rifles and the American flag; the children rush the camera with their weapons (2:46). Sailboat on the water followed by other boats (3:03). Children frolic in the water (3:34). Children jump off a pier into the water one after the other (3:58). Children rush down the beach into the water (4:15). Children swimming (4:32). Calm water surrounded by sandy Michillinda dunes (5:20). Children rush down a sandy hill (5:26). A young woman relaxes on the sand as the sun has set (5:42). Sandy dunes (6:00). Women and children on the sandy dunes (6:13). Women and children relax near a campfire (6:44). Sandy dunes at night (7:04). Children and a dog on a beach (7:13). A little girl falls in the water near a man watching her; she swims around (7:56). A little girl sits in a boat with an oar (8:23). A woman teases a dog; a little girl plays with a dog on the sand and in the water (8:31). A little girl splashes around the water (9:05). A man and woman on the beach, the man wears a robe (9:44). Children and a man build a sand castle (9:55). Title card: Maquoketa Caves, Iowa – a state park in Jackson County, Iowa (10:15). Children and women picnic and clown around in the park (10:19). Children run around the rocks of the park (10:37). Women and dogs near a car in the snow, the man with them carries a pistol (rabbit hunting?) (10:58). Title card: United Airline crash on Rock River, Iowa (11:24). A United Airlines passenger plane tail# NC18105 (named the “State of Ohio” ) landed on Rock River, crashing into a sea wall on Jan. 11, 1940. (Interestingly, the aircraft was apparently salvaged and went on to fly in WWII as a transport!) The plane skimmed over the top of the route 150 bridge south of Moline, IL. Then it skidded along the ice until it hit the wall. Eight persons escaped death. The plane on the snow and ice (11:29). The bridge, the snow covered ice, and the plane on the ice with people looking at it (12:10). Blizzard or snowstorm aftermath. A car is shoveled out; snow falls, cars are covered (12:40). A little girl carries a shovel through the snow then walks through the snow (13:06). Children go sledding down a hill (14:04). A little girl wears skis in the snow (14:47). A man sleds with a child down a hill (15:11). Children sled in the snow (15:32).
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
