The trailer is a WHAT?!

Sorry for the long lapse of time between posts. Things have been busy/hectic here, and I do have an update on the new "Croppin' Cabin."

I contacted Juergen Eichermueller to help me identify the cute little canned ham trailer. After about a week of digging through his archives, I sent him an email of the hubcaps in case they were "important." I actually thought they looked like they had a "W" in the center, so I wondered if the trailer was an old Winnebago. I'd tried doing internet searches, but all the 60's model Winnebagos looked entirely different from this one. What's funny is that we nearly cross-posted on our emails..he had just opened his Winnebago archives as I was sending pictures of the hubcaps.

As it turns out, the trailer is a 1960 Winnebago 15 foot trailer. Only 28 of these were made & manufactured in Forest City, IA in the later part of 1959, and sold in 1960.

So...who would have thought? Due to the rarity of the trailer, I felt it best that I give it a chance at a restoration if anyone was interested. As of yet, the right person hasn't come along so it's looking favorable for it staying in my possession and becoming the new Croppin' Cabin.

Oh, and thanks for the name suggestions!! We have named her "Winnie," and it seems fitting for the time being.

I tried selling Winnie on Craigslist, but I had a lot of real interest that became lost among the weirdos. I had some guy INSIST that it wasn't rare at allllll, even though there were only 28 made. Gee, I dunno...28 is pretty freaking rare if you ask me. Genius.

I spent a day cleaning, disinfecting, bleaching, and preparing Winnie for whatever her future may have in store. The quilt is the quilt that my grandma made for me...I just thought it looked nice. The curtains are the Scrapbooking Bee curtians, Debbie Mumm Creative Woman line, and my mom made those for me when I was redoing the Shasta. I wanted to try them out and see if they "fit" in case Winnie stays in the family--I think they worked great!



So, as it stands now, Winnie is in limbo at the moment. I'd like to see someone buy her and restore her, and there had been some talk of putting her in a museum in OH. I have decided that if no one stumbles along and buys Winnie before it warms up, I am definitely continuing on with my plans to convert her into a scrapbooking studio. At first I was really disappointed and felt guilty for even considering doing anything like that to such a rare old trailer, but now I'm getting excited again. She really IS the perfect "canned ham" trailer!

Aluminitis, Part 3

Betcha' can't guess where this post is headed...:smirk: So we traveled to the big town of Corydon, IA last Sunday to check out this little piece of trailer history. I was really anxious on the way there because I was worrying about it not being what we thought, and hoped, that it was going to be.

We pulled into their driveway and the minute I laid my eyes on it, I knew it was just as I had pictured. I can't really say that I was even disappointed in anything other than the screen door was aluminum vs wooden as I had hoped. I have to say it was a little disheartening to open the door and be greeted with black paint glaring back at us. Black walls, black ceiling, you name it--it was black. "Love Shack" was written in neon glow-in-the-dark paint above the door, and everything original but the sink had been removed and replaced with a large dorm-sized refrigerator and a full-sized bed and mattress. First stop will be to find somewhere to dispose of the unwanted bed...the Love Shack will be no more.

We have no idea what brand, make, model or even year of the trailer might be. I checked all over for the faintest sign of a sticker or other identifying mark and found nothing. There were some numbers on the tongue, but I believe they were the serial numbers for the tongue, not the trailer. I'm hoping someone with more knowledge than I stumbles upon my blog and can shed some insight on year, make, etc based on the few original parts that are left.

We haven't towed the trailer home yet, but I did snap some pictures for you to see in the meantime.