Books Research Archives

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Kent Frost – A Man of Canyonlands

• CATEGORIES: Books, Features, Old Images Jeeping, videos, Willys Wagons • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: I’ve added two newspaper photos to this post about Kent. One shows him signing copies of his autobiography. The other depicts him with a huge walking stick, one I’m sure could come in handy while exploring ‘his’ beloved canyons.

Even today, Kent’s shadow looms large over the area. Just this last week the Moab Museum screened the “My Canyonlands” film about him.

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June 17, 1971, The San Juan Record: Kent Frost signing books.

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February 11, 2004, The San Juan Record: Kent Frost holding a walking stick.

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Originally published April 1, 2013:


(Above: Kent Frost on the front of his CJ-5 probably helping the driver negotiate an awkward angle)

(Originally Published April 2011) Without a doubt, my favorite part about running this website are the unexpected, interesting people to whom I’m introduced (if only virtually).  One of those people is Kent Frost, a product of the Four Corners area and whom we caught glimpses of in Alan’s color photos of the 1961 Four Corners trip.

Doug commented on one of the Four Corner posts that he had read a book by Kent Frost called “My Canyonlands”, published in 1971. I’m very happy that Doug mentioned the book, because I ordered it and have enjoyed it immensely.  Kent describes all kinds of adventures and early trips into remote areas of the four corners region.  He loved to explore and hike, later jeep and river run, and that remote area has given him a lifetime of experiences.

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Timeless Mahindra Book $100

• CATEGORIES: Books This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Adil Jal Darukhanawala wrote a 332-page book on the Mahindra Jeep history and production. The photographs I’ve seen so far are beautiful; it looks like Adil has created a quality product. I have purchased a copy and will review it later this month.

One reviewer of the book notes it contains a variety of interesting information bits, including how a few CJ-5s reached India (thanks to the Pakistani Army). I also like the comment that the jeep was the ‘greatest free sample in automotive history’, an important insight as tens of thousands of jeeps were left by allies all over the world. It looks like an interesting, detailed book.

The book can purchased directly from the author at https://www.adiljal.com

Here’s a review of the book from EVO India –The Thrill of Driving: https://www.evoindia.com/features/car-features/timeless-mahindra-book-review

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These three photos come from this website: https://parsikhabar.net/books/timeless-mahindra-by-adil-jal-darukhanawala-hits-the-standa/24193/

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1943 Willy Jeep Book by Bob Clemens on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Books, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This isn’t in the best of condition, but it’s priced accordingly.

View all the information on ebay

“Vintage 1943 WILLY JEEP by Bob Clemens Patricia Windrow – School Book. This was handed out in elementary school to a relative during the end of WWII. Cover has stains and one rip on page 3/4. No writing.”

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William F. Baggerman’s Trips to Central & South America in a Jeep

• CATEGORIES: Books, Features, Old Images, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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William F. Baggerman in 1946 standing in front of his 1946 VEC CJ-2A. Behind the jeep is a trailer (a box on wheels). Standing to the side of the jeep is Charles Mum of the Laredo, Texas, AAA. William is just about to enter Mexico in 1946.

Wiliam F. Baggerman was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri, area around 1914. He attended Washington University and Edinburgh University. He started Modern Management Co., a real estate management firm, in 1936, and later was employed with Sycamore Investors, Inc., a shopping center development company.

He entered what would become the Air Force right after Pearl Harbor and spent 20 months in the Pacific theatre, stationed for at least part of the time in Guam. While in Guam, for some unknown reason, he decided to travel to Central America after the war.

A year after the war ended, he purchased a jeep and, along with a trailer, headed south to Laredo, Texas, where he began his adventure.

After his trip, he wrote an 60 page book: Driving to Managua, Nicaragua (A Guide to the PanAmerican Highway Through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua).

The book is part guide book and part travelogue, as most of the text describes dryly how to travel through the various countries. Yet, the pics feel far more personal; there are at least 10 photos, almost all of which include the jeep. You can view the entire book online at Hathitrust.org.

The jeep he used appears to have been a VEC with indents and a column shift, but without the rear hubs. So, I’d guess a 15xxx to 30xxx serial number. The trailer is a box on wheels … anyone know what model?

Let’s look at some pics!

This is a map of the Pan American Highway. It’s not clear to me how much he veered off the highway:

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This pic shows him just entering Mexico:

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Those are some beautiful mountains. But who is looking at the mountains when you can peek inside the cab and see the column shifter:

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Apparently, even the jeep couldn’t take William everywhere:

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BOOK: The Mystery in The Jeep by Ernie Rydberg

• CATEGORIES: Books, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Free-lance writer Ernie Rydberg wrote the Mystery in The Jeep, one of at least eleven books, hundreds of short stories, screen plays, and more over his lifetime (1901-1990). I’ve ordered an inexpensive copy of the book and will report on it when I get a chance.There’s a first edition of the book on eBay for $63.74 and another edition on Amazon for only $19.

According to the synopsis from Goodreads.com, “A pretty librarian helps two high school students, Lefty and Gloria, track down a gang of diabolical confidence men. Their clue is a book, which starts them on the track of illicit real estate deals and other unsavory enterprises.”

Here are two examples of the book cover:

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BOOK: The Mystery of the Amphibious Jeep

• CATEGORIES: Books, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Author Paul Moxham, an Australian writer, has published The Mystery of the Amphibious Jeep on Kindle. At 4.61 stars on Goodreads, it seems to be a popular kids story. Where the referenced ‘jeep’ is a Ford GPA SEEP or a DUKW (or something else), isn’t clear. Given the author’s Australian background and Australian Ben Carlin’s fame, I’m leaning towards it being a GPA.

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According to the synopsis on Goodreads:

“After meeting an American adventurer who is travelling around the world in an amphibious jeep, the Mystery Kids invite him to spend the evening at Rose Cottage. However, the night has barely began when the jeep is stolen by two men.

What do the men plan to do with the jeep? Who are the stowaways? Why does the jeep go round in circles?

Set in 1950’s Britain, this adventure story will suit anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys or the Famous Five”

 
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VEEPSTER Builder’s Guide and Assembly Manual

• CATEGORIES: Books, Documents, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This 48 page VEEPSTER Builders Guide & Assembly Manual was listed on eBay the other day. It’s a detailed document on how to build a VEEPSTER with the kit supplied by Sun Valley Autotech. There’s no date on it. Learn more about VEEPS, Scamps, VEEPSTERs and eVEEPSTERs here.

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