The Gillis family was an American family of eight who traveled the world in a covered wagon in the 1960s. The family consisted of father Leon Gillis (1920–2010 [1]), mother Iyone Gillis (1923–2015 [2]), and their six children: Lee Ann, Janet, Susie, Barbara, Allen, and George. [3] [4]
In 1961–62, starting from their home in Virginia, Leon led the family on a coast-to-coast covered wagon journey, in the "Last Wagon West." In 1963–64, the Gillis family took their wagon to Europe, traveling from France, to a Dutch visit with Freddy Heineken, through Minsk [5] to Moscow, living by dint of their wits and the generosity of strangers. These journeys were covered in various local media [6] as well as Newsweek, [7] Life magazine, [8] Soviet Life, [9] the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, [10] and on network television from prime time news to The Ed Sullivan Show, the Today Show, and the television program To Tell the Truth, [4] [11] and Soviet film Beloved (Любимая). [12]
The Gillis family was an American family of eight who traveled the world in a covered wagon in the 1960s. The family consisted of father Leon Gillis (1920–2010 [1]), mother Iyone Gillis (1923–2015 [2]), and their six children: Lee Ann, Janet, Susie, Barbara, Allen, and George. [3] [4]
In 1961–62, starting from their home in Virginia, Leon led the family on a coast-to-coast covered wagon journey, in the "Last Wagon West." In 1963–64, the Gillis family took their wagon to Europe, traveling from France, to a Dutch visit with Freddy Heineken, through Minsk [5] to Moscow, living by dint of their wits and the generosity of strangers. These journeys were covered in various local media [6] as well as Newsweek, [7] Life magazine, [8] Soviet Life, [9] the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, [10] and on network television from prime time news to The Ed Sullivan Show, the Today Show, and the television program To Tell the Truth, [4] [11] and Soviet film Beloved (Любимая). [12]