Clara Parks Washes Laundry in Arizona Desert

Clara Parks Washes Laundry in Arizona Desert

Clara Parks washes laundry by hand in a galvinized tub under the shade of a large water tank in Cave Creek, Arizona. The tank is filled with a hand pump.

Clara and Bill Parks live in a homemade cabin in Cave Creek, Arizona and spent time traveling and camping outdoors. The couple was featured in Ladies' Home Journal in 1947 as part of a series called "How America Lives;" Clara herself wrote the article to accompany Kosti Ruohomaa’s photographs.  The images depict Clara cooking over an open fire, riding a horse, and sleeping under the stars, as well as pictures of Clara and Bill in cowboy hats appreciating cactuses and the desert landscape.

In her article, Clara tells of meeting her husband when she decided to learn to ride at a stable where Bill worked. Her love for the outdoors is clear, and she maintains a relentlessly positive tone while describing the ups and downs of their adventurous travels, from working on a farm picking beans, to sleeping in a ghost town, to mining for gold.  “If we’re in the money, we’ll eat steak. If we’re broke, we’ll eat beans. All we need is our ‘28 Chevy and a chance to follow the sun together.”

Kosti also took photographs of John Morris, the photo editor of Ladies Home Journal who chose Kosti for this assignment. Several of Kosti Ruohomaa’s photographs were published in the August, 1947 issue of Ladies' Home Journal pp. 141-146, along with some snapshots by Clara Parks.