We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
This white classic 1960 Cadillac is owned by Janice (Strain) Waldrip and was part of the recent All Class Reunion parade. Janice is in the passenger's seat. The car was driven by her grandson, Darwin Waldrip and the passenger in the back seat is Rod Rick, of Havre. Rod Rick provided some background information about the car. He believes it has been driven to Montana a couple of times and may have been in an earlier parade for Chinook's All Class Reunion. The car's owner, Janice Waldrip, is the daughter of Shorty Strain who for many years bartended at and operated the Mint Bar
This 1960 Cadillac Eldorado convertible was part of the recent All Class Reunion parade in Chinook. The vehicle was purchased in 1963 by Don and Janice (Strain) Waldrip, both natives of this area who moved to Las Vegas in the late 1950s. The car was trailered from Las Vegas, where it is stored. The Cadillac has Nevada plates on the rear and boasts the plaque with "Chinook" on the front.
My wife and I were in Washington state when Chinook's recent All Class Reunion was held. During the reunion Deb Davies, a former resident, contacted me about a classic car that was in the parade. The car was licensed in Nevada but sported a plate proclaiming "Chinook" on the front. Turns out the 1960 Cadillac Eldorado convertible is owned by some of Shorty Strain's family, though Shorty never owned the car himself. Strain will be remembered by locals of a certain age as the owner of the Mint Bar back in the day.
The classic car is owned by Shorty's daughter Janice Waldrip. She and her husband Don, a native of Havre, moved to Las Vegas in the late 1950s. Don operated Don's Electric in Havre and continued that line of work in Las Vegas after the couple relocated there. Janice Strain Waldrip was a passenger in the Cadillac in this year's All Class Reunion parade. The car was driven in the parade by Janice's grandson Darwin Waldrip. A granddaughter, D'arci Waldrip, also made the trip to Chinook and participated in the parade.
Rod Rick, from Havre, was a passenger in the Cadillac during the parade. He's pictured in the back seat. Rod said, "I worked with Deb Davies when she and her husband operated the local radio station. Deb saw me in the car during the parade and stepped forward to ask some questions about the car and why it was in the parade."
Per Rod Rick, the 1960 Cadillac was purchased by Janice and her husband in Las Vegas in 1963, not long after they moved there from the Hi-Line. The couple bought the car used and added the "Chinook" plate on the front. Rod said the car has been well maintained and to his knowledge most of the vehicle is still original "except for a new top at some point." He thought the Cadillac was driven to Montana at least once in the past and also thinks the car appeared in a couple of prior parades during former All Class Reunions. He added, "Don and Janice also had a vintage van with a "Havre" name plate on the front." The couple never forgot their ties to the Hi-Line. And Janice still enjoys showing her connection through the vintage Cadillac.
And there you have it. Reunions are known for stimulating memories and rekindling old connections. This connection was through a classic Nevada-based Cadillac with a "Chinook" nameplate on the front. That's not something you would regularly see, not even in Sin City.
