Ransom B. Shelden and his family learned the hard way in 1909 that even a well-packed White Steamer can’t escape misfortune. From a backfiring gas tank to a total loss, their fishing trip to San Antonio Canyon became an unforgettable adventure.
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A Costly Outing: Riverside Family’s Fishing Trip Ends in Fiery Disaster
Ransom B. Shelden and his family learned the hard way in 1909 that even a well-packed White Steamer can’t escape misfortune. From a backfiring gas tank to a total loss, their fishing trip to San Antonio Canyon became an unforgettable adventure.
Postcard of the Salt Lake Route Riverside Depot. (Author’s Collection)
A fishing outing for a few days became quite costly for Ransom B. Shelden and his family. The party left Riverside as passengers in a White Steamer automobile on Saturday morning, May 1, 1909, for a camping and fishing trip to San Antonio Canyon. The big 1908 White Steamer automobile included Shelden, his wife Cardelia, his son Ransom P., two young ladies, and the chauffeur, Fred Harver. Filling up the large auto was a hamper with food, fishing gear, a rifle, overcoats, and other needed supplies.
Rollin White, the son of the founder of White Motor Company, developed the White Steamer. Rollin created a special water-tube steam generator in which the coils were all joined at the top, allowing the water to flow only when pumped, thereby providing better control. His invention also operated a superheated unit, taking advantage of the steam’s higher temperatures. The first cars were offered to the public in April 1901. In 1907, President Teddy Roosevelt allowed his Secret Service to use a White Steamer to follow his horse-drawn carriage. The last car was built in January 1911 as the company transitioned to gas-powered vehicles.
This week, we're warming up our creative muscles to find inspiration in the truly temporary: steam. Contemplating how water adapts to its surroundings, embracing new forms while remaining fundamentally itself, is a great way to introduce several minutes of creative play without delay. From the whistle of a tea kettle to the sauna conditions of your morning shower, steam is a physical manifestation of change. It's the moment when one world, heat, meets its equal, cold, and must adapt to get anywhere interesting.
Not unlike our own artistic practices. We must adapt to what we have around us and what we have time to do. I spend a lot of creative energy lamenting this fact as a creative human being. But water does not complain about having to become liquid to get down the mountain or steam to get back up; it takes the shape it needs to do what it desires.
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Sixty years after Lowell Elementary burned, Riverside prepares to open Ofelia Valdez Yeager Eastside Elementary, honoring decades of community advocacy while the arson remains a mystery and and Meliia’s Disneyland fund sees exciting progress.
Neighbors favor Trader Joe’s for vacant Rite Aid site near Woodcrest and this week’s games feature Lancer women’s soccer and CSDR’s home opener.
Riverside firm denied restraining order in shareholder dispute, September ArtsWalk brings a new mural and artist meet & greet, six quick pizza stops across town and the latest on Meliia’s Disneyland fund.
