Dorothy Cook (16) and Laurestine Crose (14) attempted to hitchhike to Portland Oregon in August of 1931. Dorothy is photographed here, wearing denim jeans. The first announcement of their disappearance featured the same ruse used by runaways today -- "Can I go Mom??? My good friend's older brother is driving us to visit her aunt!" But that ruse was exploded when said brother turned up and asked for his sister at Dorothy Cook's house. They were apprehended by the Jacksonville Police when they were wandering Jacksonville in the middle of the night. Two young girls wearing jeans or overalls were an anomaly that really caught the eye of the police! They had gotten as far as Kansas City, Kansas when they were robbed by a man who offered to give them a ride. Dorothy was unrepentant and said that she would try to get to Oregon again given the chance!
Dorothy got her wish and travelled throughout the United States as a food vendor at fairs and festivals with her husband Forrest Brown. She died in Bloomington in 1988.
Laurestine married George Zane and moved to California while he served in World War II. She died there in 1964.