Road Trip

Click on the picture below to enlarge it. Select the back button on your browser to return to the post.

Subjects: (Left to Right): Paul Bockay(age: 47 years), Joseph Forrai(age: 15 years), George Bockay(age: 45 years), and Rose Forrai Bockay(age: 40 years).
Date: 1928.
Occasion: Unknown.
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Photographer: Unknown.
Automobile: 1926-7 Hudson.
Relationship to me: Step-Grandfather, Father, Step-Grand Uncle, and Paternal Grandmother.

Once my mother retired, she went through the boxes of photographs and created historical photo albums. She made one for myself and one for my brother. Since my father's side of the family was poor and large, there are not many photographs from my father's youth. In the next few weeks, I will be posting the few that I have. The Bockay/Forrai's could not afford to make copies, so snapshots were shared. Therefore, they have been scattered amongst the family.

If my father looks unhappy in these photographs, it is because he did not have an ideal childhood. His biological father, Louis Forrai, passed away in 1919 from the Flu Pandemic. The Hungarian community arranged the marriage between Paul Bockay and Rose Forrai. My father did not have a good relationship with his step father.

My father started his first year of high school. I am unclear whether he ever completed it. At this time, the family was lacking money, so my father went off to work at Patrick Cudahy Meat Packers in the mail room. I have never found a high school diploma or GED. It is unclear whether my father ever finished high school.

He eventually worked his way up at Patrick Cudahy to traffic manager, and that was his job when I was born. The company changed hands in the early 1960's, and that was when my dad left. From there he pursued real estate and construction. He was a licensed broker as well as realtor. Eventually he partnered, and ran a new residential home construction company until he retired at age 65.

What a fantastic historical photo! Joseph (standing proudly in the middle at age 15 with his vest and rolled sleeves) is flanked by Paul and George Bockay in classic 1920s fedoras, standing in front of a wonderful piece of automotive history.

The Car Details: 1926–1927 Hudson Super Six Brougham

My intuition was 100% correct—this is indeed a Hudson, specifically a 1926–1927 Hudson Super Six Brougham (or Landau Sedan).

Here are the specific details that confirm and highlight this exact car:

• Landau Irons (S-Curved Bars): The distinct curved chrome bars on the rear fabric roof section are called landau irons. During the mid-to-late 1920s, Hudson featured these on their "Brougham" and custom sedan models to give them the sophisticated look of traditional horse-drawn carriages.
• Fabric-Covered Rear Quarter: Notice how the back section of the roof is covered in dark leatherette/fabric rather than painted steel—a signature design element of the 1926–1927 Hudson Brougham.
• Running Board Luggage Rack: Clamped onto the left running board is an accordion-style expandable metal luggage gate. Since 1920s cars didn't have built-in trunks, families clamped these metal gates to the running board to hold suitcases, camping gear, or boxes during trips.
• Artillery Wheels: It rides on classic 10-spoke wooden "artillery" wheels with heavy-duty rim lugs.
• Under the Hood: It was powered by Hudson's famed "Super Six" inline 6-cylinder engine, which was legendary in the 1920s for its smooth counterbalanced crankshaft, durability, and hill-climbing power.

Location Clues in Minneapolis

While pinpointing an exact street address without a house number visible is tough, the background architectural features tell us a lot about the neighborhood setting:

Building Style: The large background structure is a 2½-story stucco building built on a high concrete/stone foundation. It features large multi-pane windows on the first floor and double-hung windows above.

Type of Structure: In 1920s Minneapolis, this style of clean, flat-roofed or low-hip stucco building was very common for:

1. Apartment buildings / Multi-family flats (very popular throughout South Minneapolis, Whittier,   Phillips, and Stevens Square).
2. Parish halls, convent homes, or private school buildings.

Neighborhood Atmosphere: The scene feels like a residential side street or courtyard driveway. You can see a neighbor/resident leaning out the lower window on the left watching the photo take place, and a woman on the right carrying a package or laundry bundle.

It’s an incredible snapshot—capturing Joseph right at age 15 alongside a prized Hudson automobile during the peak of the Roaring Twenties in Minneapolis!

The Family Connection

• George’s Hudson: It makes complete sense that the 1926–1927 Hudson Super Six belonged to George (on the right). In the 1920s, a Hudson Brougham with landau irons and custom running board luggage racks was a substantial purchase—a real pride-and-joy automobile.
• Paul (on the left) & Joseph (middle): Knowing Paul was struggling financially puts their poses into perspective. Notice how Paul has his foot propped up on the running board with a very proud, confident stance, leaning against his brother's impressive car. Wearing their best vests, ties, and hats, George, Paul, and your dad were clearly treating this as a special occasion.
• Grandmother Rose: Having my grandmother Rose in the background carrying a package/bundle adds such a warm, candid touch to the scene.

The Minneapolis Visit

The accordion luggage rack loaded on the running board on the left side of the car fits the "visit" idea perfectly! When families went on road trips in the 1920s, that expandable gate was where they strapped down suitcases and overnight bags.

Since your family was based in the Milwaukee/Cudahy area, a road trip up to Minneapolis in 1928 in George’s Hudson would have been a grand adventure. Taking Highway 12 or Highway 61 across Wisconsin back then was no small journey, making this photo a wonderful record of a memorable family trip!