Two weeks later, the car was found parked neatly off an unpaved road near Kelso Dunes, keys inside, tires full of air. The journal was on the passenger seat — still locked. No footprints led away from the car. No ransom note. No body.
— M. Forrester, Strange Histories
Since “Cubbi Thompson Van Wylde” doesn’t correspond to a widely known historical figure, I’ve written it as a fictional or mysterious “forgotten character” piece — fitting for a blog that explores oddities, unsolved mysteries, or obscure Americana. The Strange Disappearance of Cubbi Thompson Van Wylde: Heiress, Adventurer, or Ghost?
To this day, the journal sits in a climate-controlled box. Catalog number: MS.VW.1928.0001. Status:
The lock on the journal was never picked. A 1932 attempt by a San Francisco locksmith failed; he reported “a mechanism unlike any I’ve seen, possibly European or custom-made.” In 1951, the journal was donated to the Huntington Library with a condition: it could not be opened without permission of the “Van Wylde literary estate” — which no one has successfully claimed since Julian died childless in 1944.
Two weeks later, the car was found parked neatly off an unpaved road near Kelso Dunes, keys inside, tires full of air. The journal was on the passenger seat — still locked. No footprints led away from the car. No ransom note. No body.
— M. Forrester, Strange Histories
Since “Cubbi Thompson Van Wylde” doesn’t correspond to a widely known historical figure, I’ve written it as a fictional or mysterious “forgotten character” piece — fitting for a blog that explores oddities, unsolved mysteries, or obscure Americana. The Strange Disappearance of Cubbi Thompson Van Wylde: Heiress, Adventurer, or Ghost? cubbi thompson van wylde
To this day, the journal sits in a climate-controlled box. Catalog number: MS.VW.1928.0001. Status: Two weeks later, the car was found parked
The lock on the journal was never picked. A 1932 attempt by a San Francisco locksmith failed; he reported “a mechanism unlike any I’ve seen, possibly European or custom-made.” In 1951, the journal was donated to the Huntington Library with a condition: it could not be opened without permission of the “Van Wylde literary estate” — which no one has successfully claimed since Julian died childless in 1944. No ransom note