SierraNevadaAirstreams.org – History

Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States in a recreational vehicle.

Dale (Pee Wee) Schwamborn

Photos, documents and other tidbits

(click on highlighted words to read PDF document)

The famous hatchet

Wally had a hard time as a youngster. You can glean this from his letter. The hatchet is a moral symbol. Yes, I broke Wally's hatchet Yes, I probably put it back broken. Wally sat me down and told be that when you use tools or anything that belongs to someone else you return them the way you find them. If you break them you replace them. He expected me to same my money and buy him a replacement. This happened in Salvador on the first Caravan in 1951.

I did buy Wally a hatchet. He returned the hatchet to me. And then he wrote this letter and enclosed a check for $10.00. I have never forgotten this lesson, or the generosity of Wally.

Until I began working with Russ Banham while he was writing Wanderlust Airstream at 75, did I fully understand the meaning of this letter. (Which I hadn't seen since 1953.) Until Russ's work I didn't understand what the young Wallace M. Byam went through.

This letter is a very precious part of my past.

Dale

P. S. Even if Wally's secretary mis-spelled Schwamborn.

Link to the story of the hatchet on the 1951 Caravan

Letter from Wally Byam to Pee Wee regarding the money for the hatchet

Other Stuff


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A collection of PDF documents created by Pee Wee to summarize and highlight segments of his families life and travels.


Black Towels – A gift from Mom

Quotations with special memories for Pee Wee

Presentation Notes - In 2005 Pee Wee attended the dedication ceremonies of the founding of WBCCI in Kentville Nova Scotia. Pee Wee talks about Wally, about his Mother Helen and her role in the formation of WBCCI and about the development of the club.

PeeWee's first resume

Pee Wee's Honerable Discharge from the Army

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Postcard from Wally to Pee Wee (PDF)

This is an exciting card. Wally mailed it from Jackson Center in 1953. He is telling me about going to New York City to meet his good friend Hans Knöbel. Hans K is the one responsible for changing the Combe buses into camping vans for VW. Also the German factory imported windows from Hehr manufacturing.

It is great looking back and seeing that Wally took the time to write a 14 year old boy. This shows the family side of Wally. The card shows the traveling Wally, the business Wally, and the friendship Wally. Really a great find. This is with my high school post card collection that I just uncovered. It been at my Mother's house since, forever.



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One of the things that amaze me today is how Wally was never too busy to write a personal card and an occasional letter to me. This postcard is from Colorado, and Wally is helping me to reminisced about our September 1951 hike through the Sierra Nevada's. This is a side, that Club Members, Airstream, and Airstream owners are not aware of. Wally was remarkable. To take time to write a 14 year old. What a nice man, what a nice friend.

School papers and letters

Pee Wee wrote many school papers on his caravan adventures and his experiences with Wally Byam. These papers provide unique insights and a personal perspective from a Pee Wee as a teenager

Goals - This is an interesting biography of Wally Byam. It tells you more about the discussions we had on the 151-52 Caravan. And ongoing talks when were together after the tour. I was 14 and a Sophomore.

Caravan Exerpience - Sophomore English dealt with creative writing. My first paper was an introduction of "Who Am I." I mention the 1951 Caravan to Mexico and Central America and allude to Wally. This is the first of several writings in high school centered on Caravans, Wally, Mexico, Central America and me. I was age 14 and a Sophomore.

School Years - I n 1953 I was a Sophomore in high school, and these were written at the age 14. This paper dealt with my education, travel and entering high school

Volcano - One of the many sites we visited in 1951 was Paricutin, the famous volcano that appeared in the middle of a corn field and took out an entire village. Only the belfry of the church remained, white surrounded by dark dried lava. Recently on a trip to the Grand Canyon, Paricutin is consider on of the seven wonders of the world. (Questionable) A Sophomore age 15

Africa - This paper was written in my junior year of high school. 1st paper, new teacher. This made an assumption that I could go on the first Caravan to Africa. When this paper was written nine months will pass before my Mother joined Wally of the Eastern Canadian Caravan of 1955. One of the supervisors and also a neighbor of Wally's had spend time in North Africa. I have several pictures that he took there. Marius Hansen was responsible for most of the early fiberglass end caps, the fiberglass trailer, and lavy's and more. Quite a guy. I put together dreams of North Africa, trailering and more. Wally must have talked to me about this. It is to vivid and prophetic. At this point I'm 15 years old and a junior.

Operation Trailering - Prior to the writing of this paper, my Mother joined Airstream, and the Eastern Canadian Caravan had gone from Michigan, through Canada, and ended in Maine. I used part of an earlier paper in dealing with the persona of Wally Byam. This ends my high school romance of Wally, Caravanning and future dreams.

Knights of the Blue Beret - In high school I had to write something for an English class. This writing is a take off on the Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer. One section is about Wally and the other about my Mother.


This is the original letter I wrote to my parents in 1951. This was mailed from El Paso, the rendezvous location for the first Caravan. I sense the bond that Wally and I had from this letter.

The second letter is a typed version of the first. My writing skills were zero, but the letter was attempt to tell my Mother and Father that I was having. Only 3 or 4 days out of Los Angeles. There is Grace in this world. A good example is I wrote the letter in 1951 and today is the first time that I have seen it or read it since 1951.


I sent the high school papers (listed above) to a life-long friend. His comments were very poignant. It is true, that not only my classmates, but my teachers hadn't the exposure to travel that I had by the ages of twelve to sixteen. And more to come. I have been so fortunate. - Pee Wee

"As I read over these my first thought was the reaction of the teachers who probably never had, and probably never would have, those diverse and unusual experiences in life. Must have been cases of bewildered wonder as to how to react to a young teenager writing about his accelerated life." G.G.



The documents provided and the pictures in these photo galleries have been used with permission of Dale Schwamborn. They are intended for personal viewing and enjoyment only and are not to be used in part or in full on other websites, for commercial purpose, or for any other use. For information on this material you can contact Dale at peewee(at)sierranevadaairstreams(dot)org

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