The Model T Ford

This is the vehicle, one of the earliest and most famous automobiles ever made, in which Howard Hutchings is taken by his father to see his grandparents.

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is the hometown of Howard Hutchings, narrator of Chapters 1 and 15, and his family. Larger, more urban and more sophisticated, as well as being further north, St. Louis is glancingly portrayed as a significant contrast to the small, rural, and rougher town (see "Grand Tower, Illinois" below) from which his father comes.

The Mississippi River

The Mississippi River divides Missouri from Illinois, and which separates the two mountains. When Howard's father takes his sons from St. Louis to Grand Tower, his travel plans center on keeping the river on his right side - in other words, he is traveling on the eastern side of the river.

Grand Tower, Illinois

Grand Tower is a...