In 1921, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and their entourage camped near Swallow Falls in July. The men had been taking summer camping and driving trips since 1918, though this was the first year they had done it without the fourth “Vagabond,” John Burroughs.
Despite an early mishap with a collapsed bridge on their way to the campsite, the men enjoyed their time in Garrett County, hiking and swimming. As their time in the county came to an end, they had to decide where to venture next. It was decided they would visit the Cheat River in West Virginia.
However, on July 30, when they were scheduled to break camp, a severe rainstorm hit and soaked the area for hours. The road leading out of the campsite became impassable because of mud, and the group had to remain another day. This gave the ground time to dry somewhat so their vehicles wouldn’t get stuck in the mud as they made their way back to the road. Even with the delay, some of the vehicles had problems. A big truck that carried the camping equipment got stuck and had to be pulled out by a tractor while the other vehicles continued.
The group spent the night of July 31 in Elkins, but since the truck with the camping gear hadn’t arrived, they spent the night in a hotel instead of tents. They made it to the Cheat River the next day, but then had to start their journey home because both Ford’s and Firestone’s offices had been trying to find out when they would return to deal with business issues.
The return journey went through Fairmont, Morgantown and Uniontown, where they stayed at the Summit Inn. That evening, Edison showed off his agility by kicking a cigar off the mantle in the hotel lobby three times in a row. He and Ford competed in a “stair jumping” contest on the lobby stairs. Ford jumped up 10 steps in two hops; Edison needed three hops to jump the same 10 stairs.
From Uniontown, the group went to Pittsburgh, where the Vagabonds went their separate ways to return home.
The Vagabonds’ camping trips continued until 1924. At that point, the men were too well-known to go camping and enjoy their leisure time undisturbed by the public.
In 2018, a special tour was held to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the first August 1918 tour, which also included a stop in Garrett County for lunch. The tour began at the Summit Inn near Uniontown and retraced the Vagabonds’ trip on the same dates.
Today, a Maryland Historical Society marker in Swallow Falls State Park shows where the Vagabonds made camp while in Garrett County.