Aloha Wanderwell Baker and Her 1936 Tour in Australia

 

Portrait of Aloha Baker. Embossed on front: "Frank Campbell, Milne's Studio, Maryborough.”Aloha Wanderwell Baker, photograph possibly taken in 1936 while in Australia. Detroit Public Library, National Historic Automotive Collection.

 Four years after Walter Wanderwell’s unsolved murder aboard his yacht”Carma”  berthed in Long Beach, CA, Aloha remarried the son of a Wyoming rancher. She again took to the open road, this time in Australia. Her 1936 trip is chronicled in local newspapers and I can cite many articles that were written along the way. I was puzzled by how few photos of the trip ever made it to the collection at the Detroit Library, but even more so I became confused when time after time reporters stated that she was traveling with her brother and not her husband. Back in the 1920s this kind of spousal misinformation was also the case involving Walter Wanderwell and his travel mates. 

Apparently, her Australia tour did not mention her connection with Wanderwell until the truth came out, and then finally the correct information was given to the press. This rather shady promotional activity ran consistent beginning with  Walter’s journeys to those of Aloha Baker and husband Walter. And I believe this free and easy play with the truth may be a main reason why Aloha has never been celebrated as the “female Indiana Jones.” There is just some sort of edge to her and those around her.

Separating all the inconsistencies of the Walter and Aloha (including Baker) story is a formidable challenge for the historian. For a time I had decided that Aloha and Walter are just not worth my effort and ultimate commitment for study, but perhaps I was too hasty. How do we separate Aloha’s achievements from a promotional showtime of dubious merit? Occasionally her writing expresses deep spiritual insights. Was this story just one of vaudeville on a global scale (see my posts concerning Walter’s first wife Nell and her American exploits), or was it something worth learning far more about and a celebration of achievements in the face of adversity and challenges? How much of this story is staged, and how much real?

If you have an opinion, please comment!!